Apr. 3—GRAND FORKS — In back-to-back commitments for the UND football program, the Fighting Hawks' coaching staff has landed a 6-foot-7 Wisconsin prep.
Shortly after receiving word from 6-7 tight end George Rohl of Ellsworth, Wis., new UND head coach Eric Schmidt picked up a verbal commitment from 6-7, 290-pound offensive lineman Jackson Stein of Lake Mills, Wis.
Stein, who plays high school football for Lakeside Lutheran, held offers from Northern Illinois, Central Michigan and Illinois State.
UND sophomore offensive lineman Ben Buxa, who started much of the 2024 season at center, is also from Lake Mills and attended Lakeside Lutheran. Buxa was a senior when Stein was on the freshman team in high school.
"The visit I took for junior day was completely different than all my other visits," Stein said. "It felt more personable. The coaching staff was a big part of it. It was welcoming. We checked out the facilities, and they were extremely good."
When Stein committed a few days ago, he became UND's third member of the 2026 recruiting class. The first three members are each Wisconsin seniors-to-be.
Stein joins quarterback Brooks Hendrickson of Mount Horeb and Rohl as the first three members of UND's 2026 class.
Stein and Hendrickson play in the same conference.
"I feel at ease and peace, knowing that all the recruiting stuff is done, and I've found a home," Stein said. "The (UND) coaching staff had a different feel. What they do there with the health, the weight training, it was all just completely different from the other schools that had offered me. I'm big into that kind of stuff. That's part of it."
