FARGO — It’s about an hour from Rolette, North Dakota, to the small neighboring town of Balfour, but on Wednesday it will seem like just a signing. That’s when North Prairie offensive lineman Brett Tastad will sign with North Dakota State on Wednesday, the start of the early signing period.

He’ll make it official by joining his brother Nate, who is a first-year offensive lineman with the Bison, alongside 31 other expected high school players. It’s a path that’s all too familiar in this part of the state where NDSU is located.

The Volson brothers took the same route from Balfour.

“It’s really cool to see these small town kids playing at the next level,” North Prairie head coach Josh Keller said. “It’s just really special.”

On Brett’s phone is a special photo of Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Cordell Volson standing between Brett and Nate when Cordell visited North Prairie (which is a co-op between Rolette, Wolford and Rolla), among other schools from the area, when he was back in the state. Cordell’s brother, Tanner Volson, played for NDSU and made it a free agent contract in the NFL and a tryout with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Brett remembers the Volsons, at Drake-Anamoose, playing North Prairie, which also had future NDSU starting center Karson Schoening. These were 9-man battles at their finest.

“I’ve been Cordell ever since,” Brett Tastad said.

Keller has been following Brett’s progress for several years and can’t say enough about how he went from just a junior high player to a college prospect. Keller was his sixth grade teacher.

“And if you had told me in sixth grade if he was going to continue doing what he’s doing now, I would be very impressed,” he said. “Brett really deserves a lot of the credit for the mental and physical improvements he’s made.”

The Tastad family, friends and North Prairie coaches will hold a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the school.

“I get to play with my brother again, which is awesome,” Brett said. “I know he’s excited for me to come to Fargo next summer. And I get to go play for the Bison, which is pretty cool. I grew up watching them.

He grew up knowing his father, Matt Tastad, played offensive guard for NDSU in the early 1990s. Family has size. Nate is 6 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 280 pounds and is gaining weight. Brett is 6-5, 265. Standing next to Cordell Volson in the photo, the Tastad brothers look the part.

In his true first season, Nate plays the role. He should be in the mix as the starting tackle next season with the departure of left tackle Gray Zabel and right tackle Mason Miller.

Family toughness should not be missing. The Tastad brothers clashed during their growing years, especially in training. Keller said there is key evidence that when Brett was a freshman in high school, he beat Nate one-on-one.

“He would beat me, I would get angry and hit him harder next time,” Brett said. “We always fought in football.”

Keller said, “Nate has done a really good job raising Brett and improving his toughness. His mom would send me videos of the two of them working on lineman drills in the middle of the summer on their days off. »

And taking that competitiveness from a small town in North Dakota to a Division I FCS powerhouse. Sound familiar?

“I think it’s because all we do is football,” Brett said. “Honestly, all we do is football in these small towns.”

Expected NDSU Signing Day Price:

North Dakota

Walker Braaten, DB, 6-3, 175, Westhope

Carter Dauner, DE, 6-4, 220, West Fargo

Brett Tastad, OL, 6-5, 265, North Prairie HS

Minnesota

Sam Anderson, LB, 6-3, 195, St. Michael-Albertville HS

Ryan Babatz, OL, 6-4, 275, Buffalo

Chase Brixius, LB, 6-2, 215, Benilde-St. Margaret HS

Chase Evink, DL, 6-5, 250, Hancock

Noah Nelson, TE, 6-5, 225, Hawley

Blake Schiltz, LB, 6-3, 225, Pine Island

Dylan Vokal, WR, 6-2, 200, Maple Groove

Gavin Wang, OL, 6-7, 265, Annandale

Jacob Wrbanek, LB, 6-3, 215, Maple Groove

Nebraska

Mikhale Ford, DB, 6-1, 170, Lincoln East HS

Thomas Roberts, DE, 6-3, 215, Albion

Alijah Wayne, DL, 6-4, 250, Omaha

Wisconsin

Carter Appl, LB, 6-3, 210, Appleton

Isaac Ellison, TE, 6-4, 200, Menomonie

Marion Moore, DB, 6-0, 185, Madison

James Nellis, OL, 6-4, 290, Grafton

Gavin Sell, LB, 6-3, 200, Baldwin

Evrett Tait, DB, 6-0, 195, Eau Claire

Alex Warden, OL, 6-5, 245, Green Bay

Colorado

Elvin Ampofo, DB, 6-1, 170, Centennial

Missouri

Preston Brown, QB, 6-2, 200, Hillsboro

Garbriel Cunningham, TE, 6-4, 246, Wentzville

Charles Ross III, RB, 5-11, 180, Kansas City

Texas

Kendrik Carter, DB, 5-10, 170, Dallas

Iowa

Brody Clubb, DT, 6-3, 240, Tiffin

Ethan Wood, DL, 6-4, 230, Mount Vernon

Florida

SJ Green, WR, 6-0, 180, Tampa

Zander Smith, QB, 6-4, 210, Lakeland

Illinois

Myles “Money” Mitchell, RB, 5-10, 190, Oak Lawn