BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Football program has been ranked eighth in the nation among NCAA Division II teams by Lindy's College Football Magazine.
"We are excited about being ranked highly coming into the 2023 season," head coach Brent Bolte said. "It shows how people around the country view our program and the type of players we are producing here in Northern Minnesota."
This year's big climb inside the top-10 is 15 spots higher than Bemidji State was ranked last year in the Lindy's Preseason Poll entering the 2022 season at 23. The Beavers won 10 games last year for the second straight season that also featured another lengthy winning streak. Bemidji State capped the regular season in 2022 winning nine-straight games and stretched it to 10 following the NCAA Playoff win over Winona State. The win over Winona State was a first for the 96-year history of the program that the Beavers won a home playoff game. It was a seven-game winning streak for BSU during the 2021 campaign to end the regular season and reached eight-straight with the playoff win at Augustana. That playoff win was the first in program history.
Bemidji State finished the season ranked 24th in the AFCA Coaches Poll and landed 17 student-athletes on the All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Teams, including Brandon Alt who was named the Offensive Player of the Year after guiding the Beavers to the conference's highest scoring offense. Joining him on the first team was Brendan Beaulieu, Ty Cobb, Dhel Duncan-Busby, Jalen Frye, and Jake Gannon from the offense. The Beaver defense finished the regular season leading the NSIC in points allowed per game with Princeten Harris, Zollie Kaplan, Stephen Hoffman, Max Buduris and Spencer Wehr earning All-NSIC First Team. Conor Kovas, Will LeMire, Colton Herman, Caleb Young, Colbey Wadsworth and Marco Cavallaro were all named All-NSIC Second Team. Beaulieu was a five-time All-America selection, a feat which has never been accomplished in BSU football program history. Kaplan earned four All-America mentions, while Alt and Cobb also joined the list being named All-America. Alt was a finalist for the second-straight season for the Harlon Hill Trophy and finished the season third in the nation in both passing yards (3,864) and touchdowns (38). Kaplan was a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award after putting together a monster season with 21.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks.
Super Region 4 was well represented in the rankings. Joining the Beavers in the top-10 is Colorado School of Mines (3rd), Angelo State (6th) and Minnesota State (7th). Winona State came in ranked 23rd.
Bemidji State is just a few months away from the season-opener hosting Northern State to begin the 2023 campaign on August 31 with kickoff set for 6 p.m. inside Chet Anderson Stadium.
For more information on the Bemidji State Football program, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeaversFB). Like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and follow them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversFB).
Nestled in Northern Minnesota's wooden region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, BSU sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and women's hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
