KINDRED, N.D. -- As the Kindred Vikings gear up for the 2025 football season, they'll have two high-end NCAA Division I prospects helping lead the way.
Brooks Bakko is entering his junior season. Standing at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, Bakko is being recruited as a tight end and is listed by 247Sports.com as the No. 2 recruit in the state of North Dakota in the 2027 class.
He only trails teammate Luke Starcevic, who's also entering his junior year and is being recruited as a defensive lineman. Standing 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, Starcevic is listed as the top 2027 prospect in the state.
Both are considered four-star recruits by 247Sports. Combined, the Vikings duo have received 25 D-I offers to date.
Bakko and Starcevic aren't the first two Kindred players to be sought-after D-I prospects in recent years. Former all-state standout lineman Riley Sunram is about to enter his second season at the University of Minnesota. Jake Starcevic will be a freshman at Army West Point this year after being recruited as a linebacker and halfback.
That poses the question, how has Kindred, North Dakota, population 889, suddenly become a college football recruiting hotbed?
Kindred head coach Eric Burgad emphasized that in the case of all four players, it's not necessarily about location as much as it is the work ethic of each.
It's worth noting that the Starcevics previously attended Thompson High School before moving to Kindred and enrolling at Kindred High School in 2023. It's safe to infer the brothers would have been recruited all the same at their former school.
"The guys that we're talking about here ... to receive those D-I offers, first you've just got to think solely about the individual," Burgad said. "A lot of that is on them. It doesn't have anything to do with where they grew up or where they live now.
"I'd argue that all four of those guys at a very young age knew that they were a dude. It wasn't just, 'I want to go play football, I want to go play basketball,' or whatever the sport is. It was, 'I want to be the best at that. Not just the best on my team, but I want to be the best.' "
Burgad said it's that work ethic from his players that then translates to the on-field product.
"I think all four of those guys we're talking about think that way," Burgad said. "It takes a special type of person to have that mindset and then with the mindset, you see the application on all of it too.
"There's things that have got to be done and accomplished throughout the course of the year just to get your body ready to play that brand of football. Just to be big enough, strong enough ... to me, it goes directly back to the kids, their work ethic and their attitude. Couple that with some decent technique and scheme, and you're looking at pretty good football players."
Sunram fielded 11 D-1 offers as North Dakota's top recruit in the 2024 class. Nine of those came from FBS schools, while FCS North Dakota State and North Dakota also extended offers.
Minnesota was the first FBS offer to trickle in for Sunram, who was listed as a four-star recruit on 247Sports. In the end, he stuck with the Gophers.
"They've always been a dream of mine as a kid so that made it a lot easier," Sunram previously told The Forum. "Ever since that offer in the summer, they were always one of my top schools. ... Everything just kind of came together and it felt like the right time."
Sunram was primarily recruited as a defensive lineman, though he said he was also considered as an offensive line prospect at some schools.
Sunram committed prior to his senior season at Kindred and then helped lead the Vikings to their second Division A state championship. He finished his high school career as a three time all-state selection, including twice on the all-state first team.
Jake Starcevic wanted to land at a school that would help solidify his future. So, he committed to Army West Point, where he'll also be a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy.
"They're a very prestigious school and it's going to benefit my current family and my future family in the long run with the perks and benefits that the military provides," Starcevic previously told The Forum. "That and the amount of jobs I can get with a West Point degree were important, too. Those two things were really big for me and my family."
Starcevic was listed as a three-star recruit on 247Sports. Like Sunram, he committed prior to his senior season. He fielded offers from both Army and North Dakota.
Starcevic is a four-time all-state selection, including three first team nods. He helped lead the Vikings to the 2023 state championship to go with a runner-up finish in 2024.
Bakko is getting geared up for his junior season at Kindred. His recruiting process culminated with an offer from 2023 FBS national champion Michigan in June.
Along with the Wolverines, Bakko has received 12 D-1 offers -- 10 FBS and two FCS.
Most recently, the multisport athlete received an offer from Duke last weekend.
Bakko earned all-state second team honors as a freshman, the only ninth-grader to make the Division A all-state lists. In his sophomore campaign, he made the first team all-state defensive team and helped the Vikings to a second straight Dakota Bowl appearance before narrowly falling to Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison in the title game.
He told The Forum in July that he hopes to make his collegiate decision next spring.
Bakko said the Kindred football program has morphed him into a stronger athlete and thus has helped his recruitment.
"I'd encourage (prospective players) to come out because it gets your responsibility up and your work ethic up," Bakko said. "I mean, it's hard coming out some mornings where you might want to go out the night before. But you've got to stay in and get some sleep.
"Same with fall practices. I mean, it's hard. And I think that just makes you a better athlete and a better person in general. I think that's really good for us."
Bakko previously said while recruitment is important, his primary focus is enjoying his final two seasons of high school football in Kindred.
The same goes for Luke Starcevic.
"It's been a fun process," Starcevic said. "But I'd say right now, I'm just focused on the team, winning and getting better with the guys."
It's the correct mindset for Starcevic, whose D-I offer list currently stands 13 -- 11 FBS and two FCS.
Starcevic earned first team all-state honors as a sophomore on Kindred's offensive line last season.
Starcevic also said Kindred football has shaped him into being a better athlete.
"It's a really fun experience," Starcevic said. "These coaches push us hard, but they don't push us hard because they hate us or anything ... it's because they love us and want the best for us."
Kindred will open the 2025 campaign at 7 p.m. Friday when the Vikings welcome Devils Lake to Jerlow Field.
Up a classification to Division 2A, Kindred is ranked No. 2 in the first media poll put out by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
"We're off to a good start," Burgad said. "We're making improvements in fall camp, but I think a lot of that comes back to what the summer work looked like. The guys got their bodies right and it wasn't just in the summer -- it was all winter leading into the spring, into the summer and then they capitalized it in a big way."