FARGO, – North Dakota State University (NDSU) head football coach Tim Polasek announced the addition of nine players to the Bison program on Wednesday, Feb. 5, the first day of the regular signing period for Division I football.

NDSU is adding five transfers and four high school student-athletes who will join a class of 32 high school players that signed during the Division I early signing period in December.

Here is a look at each of the latest signees:

Ben Schepp, S, 6-1, 195, Fr., Velva, N.D. (Velva HS)

HIGH SCHOOL: Graduating in 2025 from Velva High School…Four-year starter and two-time captain under coach Matt Weidler…Played quarterback and safety…Three-time all-state first team quarterback…Four-time all-conference first team…Class A Senior Athlete of the Year…Two-time state champion…Team went 13-0 as a sophomore before back-to-back 11-1 seasons and a state title his senior year…Passed for 8,805 yards and 112 touchdowns in his career while rushing for 2,148 yards and 37 TDs…Completed 73 percent of his passes (139-for-190) his senior year for 2,361 yards and 33 TDs with only two interceptions…Two-time all-district basketball player…All-region in baseball…PERSONAL: Plans to major in agribusiness…Son of Randy and Wanda Schepp…Has two brothers, Ethan and Adam, and a sister, Whitney.

Drake Schlosser, WR, 6-1, 185, Fr., Stanley, N.D. (Stanley HS)

HIGH SCHOOL: Graduating in 2025 from Stanley High School…Four-year letterwinner and two-year team captain under coach Dave Leith…Was a quarterback, receiver, running back, defensive back, linebacker, punter and returner during his career…Played safety in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl and was named MVP of the game played at AT&T Stadium in Texas…All-state second team as a senior…Two-time all-conference…Had 3,025 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns over his final two seasons…As a senior, rushed for 962 yards and seven TDs, passed for 250 yards and three TDs, had 82 receiving yards and one TD, and picked up 518 return yards with one score…Two-time all-region basketball player…State track qualifier in four events…Set a school record in the 300-meter hurdles as a junior…National Honor Society member…PERSONAL: Plans to major in psychology…Son of Dennis Schlosser and Katherine Acfalle.

Barry Kpeenu, RB, 5-10, 195, So., West Fargo, N.D. (Sheyenne HS / Rochester CTC)

BEFORE NDSU: Played in 10 games for Rochester Community and Technical College in Minnesota as a freshman in 2024…Carried 76 times for 341 yards and three touchdowns…Averaged 4.5 yards per carry…Season-high 72 yards in a win over Mesabi Range and season-high 13 carries in a win over Minnesota West…HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated in 2024 from West Fargo Sheyenne High School…Two-year letterwinner under coach Jeremy Newton…Played in seven games his senior year…Had 618 rushing yards, 66 receiving yards and six touchdowns…Part of a state championship team in 2022 and won a state title in basketball in 2024…Qualified for the state track meet in the 4×100 relay and 100-meter dash…PERSONAL: Undeclared major…Parents are Prince and Endurance Kpeenu…Older brother, Barika, is a running back at NDSU…Has two sisters, Leziga and Vurebari.

Jaylen Archibald, S, 6-1, 190, Fr., Frisco, Texas (Frisco HS / Air Force Prep)

HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated in 2024 from Frisco High School…Three-year starter under coach Jeff Harbert…Team captain his senior year…Played the cornerback, safety and nickel positions…Had 69 tackles with nine pass breakups and two interceptions his senior year…Finished his career with 293 total tackles, 23 PBUs and four INTs…Two-time all-conference performer, including first-team honors his senior year…Attended the U.S. Air Force Prep Academy in the fall of 2024 before transferring to NDSU…PERSONAL: Plans to major in finance…Son of Jarvis and Noa Archibald…Has a brother, Myles.

Jack Iuliano, DE, 6-2, 260, Sr., Rye, N.Y. (Rye HS / Penn / Albany)

BEFORE NDSU: Part of FCS programs for six years beginning in 2019 at Penn, where he sat out his first season with an injury…Had the 2020 season canceled due to COVID-19 and did not play in any games during the 2021 season…Made 12 tackles in seven games for Penn during the 2022 season…Credited with 40 tackles including 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks at Penn in 2023…Led the Quakers with eight quarterback hurries and had a career-high 12 tackles against Brown…Transferred to Albany for the 2024 season, where he made 30 tackles with 4.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks…Recovered three fumbles for the Great Danes, including a 20-yard return for touchdown in the 27-21 home win over Long Island in the season-opener…HIGH SCHOOL: Three-year letterwinner for Rye High School…Team captain…Section 1 Most Valuable Lineman his senior year…First team all-league and all-country…Second team all-state…Two-time letterwinner in lacrosse…National Honor Society member…PERSONAL: Son of Veronica and Michael Iuliano…Father played football at Penn, and mother played soccer at Binghamton…Grandfather, Blaise Iuliano, competed in football and wrestling for Ithaca and is a member of the Ithaca Hall of Fame.

Chris Kiel, WR, 5-11, 190, Fr., Mount Horeb, Wis. (Mount Horeb HS)

HIGH SCHOOL: Graduating from Mount Horeb High School in 2025…Three-year starter and four-year letterwinner for coach Bret St. Arnauld…Team captain his senior year…Played wide receiver, running back and defensive back…School career record holder for receptions (146), receiving yards (2,302) and touchdown catches (26)…Also set single-season records his senior year with 79 catches for 1,073 yards and 13 TDs…All-state wide receiver in 2024…Earned all-conference and all-region honors at wide receiver and defensive back…Regional Offensive Player of the Year…Part of four conference championship teams and back-to-back 12-1 seasons his junior and senior years…Also competes in basketball and track and field…Part of the school-record 4×400 relay team…Ranks second in school history in the long jump…PERSONAL: Undecided on a college major…Son of Kristin Kiel.

Sam Knoll, P, 6-2, 200, Fr., Story City, Iowa (Roland-Story HS)

HIGH SCHOOL: Graduating from Roland-Story High School in 2025…Three-year starter and four-year letterwinner under coach Matt Finn…Team captain his senior year…Played quarterback, punter and kicker…First team all-state punter in 2024 and second team in 2023…District special teams MVP as a senior in 2024 and first team all-district as a junior in 2023…Averaged a 43.3 yards on 15 punts his senior year, one of his seven school records…Also set marks for longest field goal (43), career points by a kicker (99), career punting average (41.1), career kickoff average (53.47), career PATs (90) and single-season kickoff average (57.47)…As quarterback, passed for 1,758 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 455 yards and nine TDs…Academic all-state honoree…Two-time state track qualifier in the 4×100 and sprint medley relays…Two-time all-conference baseball outfielder and part of a district championship team in 2024…PERSONAL: Plans to major in business administration…Parents are Brian and Amy…Has a brother, Jake.

Jalon Peoples, CB, 5-11, 190, Jr., Cedar Hill, Texas (Cedar Hill HS / Texas Tech)

BEFORE NDSU: Spent three seasons in the Big 12 Conference at Texas Tech…Played in two games as a redshirt in 2022 and three games as a freshman in 2023…Had four tackles in three appearances as a sophomore in 2024…HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated in 2022 from Cedar Hill High School…Two-year letterwinner…Team captain his senior year…Played for coach Ray Gates…First team all-district as a cornerback his senior season…Helped Cedar Hill to the third round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs as a senior in 2021 with a 12-2 record…PERSONAL: Majoring in university studies…Son of Valesca Moore…Brother to Jaehlaa, Jasmine, Richard, Dimitri and Herman.

Mason Wilson, DT, 6-4, 260, Jr., Oakdale, Minn. (Stillwater HS / Minnesota-Duluth)

BEFORE NDSU: Spent three seasons at Division II Minnesota-Duluth…Redshirted in 2022…Played in nine games as a freshman in 2023 with 10 total tackles and 2.5 sacks…Made 18 tackles over 11 games as a sophomore in 2024…Career-high five tackles twice against Winona State and Minnesota State Mankato…HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated in 2022 from Stillwater Area High School…Three-year starter for coach Beau Labore…Team captain his senior year…Earned all-conference honors at defensive end and tight end as a senior…Made the AP all-state first team and Minnesota Vikings all-state team…Defensive Lineman of the Year in his conference…Team captain in the Minnesota all-star game…Received the Stacy Robinson Leadership Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation…Captain of Stillwater’s state championship baseball team in 2022…PERSONAL: Majoring in civil engineering…Son of Michael Wilson and Erin Butterbrodt…Has two brothers, J.R. Wilson and Malachi Wilson.