Jul. 31GRAND FORKS Some college football players arrive on campus with the immediate ability to be factors in the lineup.Others take time to mature and develop, patiently waiting for an opportunity in the second half of their college eligibility.Crookston's Ethan Boll is in the second category in the UND football program. However, the time is now for the junior linebacker.During the first week of fall camp, Boll has been running with the starting defense alongside second-year Old Dominion transfer Michael Devereaux."I've seen him take a level up in knowledge of the defense, and he's really come a long way since January or February of 2025 when we first got here," UND linebackers coach Ben Watkins said. "He has gone from learning football and the position to really understanding, at a conceptual level, what we're trying to do, but also what offenses are trying to do against us in terms of the defense."Boll was Mr. Everything at Crookston High School. He had 38 sacks and 65 tackles for loss during his prep career. On offense, he ran for 3,645 yards and 50 touchdowns. He also competed in wrestling, baseball and track."It has been a process, right?" Boll said. "I give credit to a ton of older guys, helping and leading and kind of taking me under their wing and pointing me in the right direction. Coaches, too. Coach Watkins is great. He's really big on development, and it has been awesome."Boll redshirted in 2023, then appeared in six games in 2024 primarily on special teams. In 2025, Boll had 10 tackles and a fumble recovery at Kansas State in the opener.It wasn't until spring ball this past season that Boll started to gain steam as a strong option at linebacker."He plays with really good technique," Watkins said. "It's his former wrestler in him. He's really good with the physical skills. Athletically, he can bend. He's fast and can move. He's strong and explosive. He's got all the tools, and everything's really in front of him here to have a really good year."Despite the glowing report from Watkins, he doesn't always make life easy on Boll."He allows himself to get coached really hard," Watkins said. "I don't know if I've been harder on anybody in my whole career than him. He's really come a long way. It's not anything I've done. It's just his work ethic and what he's learned growing up, applying that to the football field and classroom. It's impressive."As UND prepares for the 2026 season, the Hawks are considered a national championship contender and one of the top challengers to South Dakota State's position as the preseason No. 1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.Boll is an important piece in a defense that holds those expectations."It's super exciting," Boll said. "Trust is a big thing, right? It's hard to get and easy to lose. When we're all out there, you've got to trust every single one of you. That's why football is such a cool thing because there's 11 guys out there. One guy doesn't do their job and everything is screwed up, so it really falls back on who they trust to have out there."One hurdle for Boll in the past has been a struggle to gain weight, but he's now up to 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds.What has been the key to reaching the needed size?"Mama Jen," Boll said of UND dietician Jennifer Haugen. "She got me on smoothies, vitamins, everything. It's just great nutrition."The only thing left now is for Boll to prove the trust from the coaching staff is valid."I'm really fired up for him to have a really good year," Watkins said. "Everything is in front of him. Now, we just have to go prove it."