With the jump to the Mountain West conference starting this fall, a school that has long been a top FCS landing spot for Nebraska high school players is suddenly in the FBS. It will undoubtedly be interesting to see what that means for the pipeline into the Cornhusker State, which the Bison have worked hard to build over the years.
Both NDSU and the Mountain West have worked quickly to forge an alliance that brings one of the most dominant programs in FCS history to what will arguably be the weakest conference in the FBS in 2026. Rumors first sparked up on Friday that the two sides were in talks. Now, they've reached an agreement that will be formally announced on Monday.
North Dakota State's move to the Mountain West is only for football and will give the conference 10 football teams for 2026. NDSU has won 10 of the last 15 FCS football championships.
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NDSU currently has six players who played their high school ball in Nebraska high schools, as well as one player originally from Florida who started his college career at Wayne State before transferring to the Bison:
- WR Jackson Williams - Millard West
- S Mikhale Ford - Lincoln East
- TE Caden Ward - Lincoln Southeast
- DT Alijah Wayne - Omaha Central
- DE Thomas Roberts - Boone Central
- DE Victor Isele - Grand Island Northwest
- CB EJ Davis - Wayne State (NE) College
North Dakota State has also fed more than a few players into the FBS, and Nebraska even tried to land its top running back from the 2024 season through the portal.
CharMar Brown eventually transferred from NDSU to Miami, where his Hurricanes were runners-up for the national title. There was also some talk that he might come to Nebraska this offseason, but he never entered the portal.
The Mountain West in 2026 will have Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San José State, UNLV, and Wyoming as holdovers, with newcomers UTEP, Northern Illinois, and North Dakota State joining. Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, and Colorado State all depart for the Pac-12 officially in July.
Considering how close North Dakota State and Nebraska are geographically, it will be interesting to see if two schools that have rarely played each other will suddenly strike up a non-conference rivalry.