(Fargo) -- As the 2023 college football season looms, Maryville alum Jalen Sundell is ready for his sixth and final season playing for the most accomplished program in FCS.
Sundell came to North Dakota State in 2018. Three national championships later, he is down to his final year in Fargo.
"I'm excited," he said. "Every year is different, but every year is exciting. This group of guys are good. We're ready to go."
A Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll in 2021, Sundell had lofty expectations for himself in 2022. Unfortunately, a stress fracture in his foot ended his season after five games.
Sundell had a year of eligibility remaining. The injury left little doubt he would use it.
"I would have come back for a sixth year either way because you can never play college football again," he said. "But when I hurt my foot last year, it made it a pretty easy decision for me to come back and play another season."
The foot injury forced Sundell to watch the Bison's run to a national championship game from the sideline.
"It's boring on the sideline," he said. "It sucked knowing there wasn't much I could do. There's not many worse feelings than being on the sideline. Recovery was smooth. There wasn't a lot of treatment or anything I could do. It was more of just hurrying up and waiting for it to heal. I'm feeling good now."
Sundell has racked up preseason honors this summer. He was named to the All-MVFC Preseason First Team by many outlets, including the Phil Steele Magazine. As a sixth-year contributor, the newly-married Sundell will take on a leadership role for the younger players around him.
"It's fun to teach them about life and football," he said. "That's how it goes up here. As a freshman, you learn how to work hard, be on time and do things the right way. Now, it's my responsibility to teach the guys and uphold the tradition of being a Bison."
As he gets back on the field, Sundell will pave the way for North Dakota State's run-heavy attack. The Bison rushed for 4,222 yards and 50 touchdowns last year.
"Knowing the game better will help me," Sundell said. "On the sideline, I tried to watch the game from a 1,000-foot view rather than as an offensive lineman. I think it will help me understand how the offense works. I'm bigger, stronger and older."
If all goes well, the Bison should contend for another FCS title. North Dakota State has won nine national titles since 2011. Their most recent title came in 2021. While it's certainly a goal, Sundell says that's not discussed throughout the season.
"We're just worried about the first game right now," he said. "After that, we worry about the second game and try to win one game at a time. We talked about championships one time at the beginning of fall camp when we talked about goals. After that, we don't talk about it until it's time to play that game. You can always get beat if you overlook anybody."
While this is Sundell's final year at North Dakota State, he hopes it's not his final year playing football. There's precedent, too. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected his old college teammate, Cody Mauch, in the second round of this year's NFL Draft.
"I would love to play more football," he said. "But I'm more focused on this season. After this season, I'll worry about the next opportunity."
North Dakota State opens the season on September 2nd against Eastern Washington.
Hear the full interview with Sundell below.
