NDSU Defensive Coordinator Grant Olson Spotlights Spring Standouts Ahead of Bison's FBS Debut

North Dakota State defensive coordinator Grant Olson highlighted several defensive players who impressed during the Bison's recently completed spring camp, with linebacker and pass-rush depth drawing the strongest reviews as NDSU readies for its first season in the FBS and Mountain West Conference. Olson discussed the standouts in a Hot Mic interview with InForum's Dom Izzo published on April 29, 2026, one day after the Bison closed out spring practice.

The Details

Spring football is always a window into which players are pushing for bigger roles, and for NDSU the stakes have rarely been higher. The Bison are preparing for a seismic jump in competition — moving from the FCS, where they won a record eight national championships, to the Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mountain West Conference beginning in fall 2026. That backdrop made this spring's defensive evaluation more consequential than most.

According to InForum's spring-practice coverage, redshirt freshman linebacker Gavin Sell was among the most consistent performers on defense throughout camp. Sell's emergence is significant given the vacancy left by the departure of middle linebacker Nathanial Staehling, a key figure in NDSU's recent defensive schemes. Alongside Sell, Keith Williams, Peder Haugo, Alex Elliott, and Ray James were all identified by InForum as players pushing for expanded defensive roles.

Returning linebacker Donovan Woolen also drew notice during the spring, with InForum's Jeff Kolpack noting early in camp that Woolen could line up at multiple spots. That kind of positional flexibility gives Olson options as he constructs a defense capable of competing in a Power Five-adjacent conference for the first time. Williams and Sell were named among the top candidates to fill the gap left by Staehling, according to Kolpack's reporting.

Olson himself took part in InForum's Hot Mic video series — an interview feature hosted by Dom Izzo — where the conversation focused on which defenders had set themselves apart over the course of spring workouts. The public version of the Hot Mic item contains video metadata, so the specific standouts Olson named in the interview were sourced through InForum's wider spring-practice reporting rather than direct transcript access. The broader spring coverage, however, consistently pointed to linebacker depth and defensive-line competition as the unit's most encouraging developments.

Grant Olson has served as NDSU's defensive coordinator since 2024, according to the GoBison staff directory. He returned to the program as linebackers coach in 2019 and has been embedded in the Bison's defensive culture throughout a stretch that has included multiple deep FCS playoff runs. His familiarity with the program's personnel and standards positions him as a steady hand as the Bison navigate the transition.

Context

The move to the FBS is the biggest structural shift in NDSU football history. The Bison built their FCS dynasty on disciplined, physical defense — the kind that smothered opponents in a conference where physical parity was achievable. Mountain West competition will test whether that identity translates at a higher level, against spread offenses, faster skill players, and programs with larger scholarship pools.

Head coach Tim Polasek addressed the mental framing around the transition after the final spring practice, according to InForum's McFeely. 'I think what's critical is to get over the fact we're going to the FBS,' Polasek said. 'We're in the FBS and we're in the Mountain West right now, so it's going to be more about the product on the field and the process of how we attack that daily than it is about the excitement of the move.' That message — focus on execution, not the moment — mirrors the culture Olson has been building on the defensive side throughout spring.

InForum's spring-practice coverage has consistently characterized the Bison defense as an expected team strength for 2026. The linebacker corps and defensive-line depth drew the most favorable evaluations across InForum's reporting on the spring, suggesting Olson has a solid foundation to work with as the program levels up.

What's Next

NDSU's fall camp will open in August ahead of the program's first FBS regular-season games. The Mountain West schedule will present the Bison with an immediate test of how the defensive depth identified in spring — Sell, Williams, Woolen, Haugo, Elliott, James — holds up against opponents with greater resources and faster playmakers.

For Olson and the defensive staff, summer conditioning and fall camp represent the next opportunity to sharpen competition at linebacker and along the defensive line. The players who separated themselves in spring practice will need to hold their ground when full-contact fall practices begin and scholarship depth across the roster comes into sharper focus.