Versatile Wisconsin athlete Brady Lee commits to North Dakota for 2027 class

North Dakota added one of Wisconsin’s most complete 2027 athletes when Brady Lee of Aquinas High School in La Crosse committed to the Fighting Hawks on April 16. At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Lee brings the kind of two-way flexibility FCS programs chase: he caught 18 passes for 392 yards and five touchdowns, ran 17 times for a 9.8-yard average and another score, intercepted a pass, piled up 52 tackles, took a punt 57 yards for a touchdown, kicked six extra points and converted three two-point tries.

That production explains why North Dakota was not the only program in the mix. Lee drew interest from North Dakota State and South Dakota State, but the Fighting Hawks got in first and never let go after a visit to Grand Forks for the South Dakota State game on Nov. 22. That day, head coach Eric Schmidt and linebackers coach Ben Watkins offered him on the spot after Schmidt pulled him aside on the sideline and told him he had done everything the staff asked. For a 2027 prospect, that kind of direct hit matters. It set the tone for a recruitment built on trust rather than late-stage leverage.

Lee’s commitment fits the way North Dakota is trying to build this class. The Fighting Hawks have been stacking early pledges in April, and Lee gives them another multi-use athlete who can be projected in different ways as the roster develops. Lee said safety is where he feels most comfortable, which lines up with his ball skills, tackling production and special-teams value. That combination gives the staff room to decide later whether he settles in on defense or continues to be a hybrid piece who can help in several spots.

Aquinas also gave Lee a résumé that traveled well. The Blugolds finished 11-1, won the Coulee Conference and reached the third round of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 4 playoffs. Lee was central to that run on offense, defense and special teams, and his production made him look less like a role player and more like the engine of a successful program.

For North Dakota, winning Lee in Wisconsin is more than a single pickup. It is another sign the Fighting Hawks are pushing their Upper Midwest footprint with a clear identity: find athletic, versatile players early, get them on campus, and close before the bigger brands can reset the board. That is how you build depth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and it is how North Dakota kept its 2027 momentum rolling.