North Dakota

Barika Kpeenu NFL Draft Interview: North Dakota State RB Dominated FCS in 2025

Published

1 week ago

February 19, 2026

Barika Kpeenu NFL Draft Interview: North Dakota State RB Dominated FCS in 2025

North Dakota State running back Barika Kpeenu is among the most productive players at his position in the 2026 NFL Draft. The West Fargo native was outstanding in 2025, rushing for 1,005 yards and 20 touchdowns. Kpeenu tied for the fourth-most rushing scores in the entire FCS.

Kpeenu recently spoke exclusively with NFL Draft On SI. Kpeenu discussed his experience at this year’s American Bowl, what he proved to NFL teams in attendance, his breakout 2025 season, and more.

JM: You attended this year’s American Bowl. How would you describe the overall experience?

Barika Kpeenu: I had a phenomenal experience at a great pre-draft event. They showed us a lot of hospitality. I met a lot of great people while discussing an NFL future. There were a lot of great coaches in attendance. It was an educational experience.

It was awesome. I’ll never forget the experience. I had a lot of fun.

JM: What do you think you proved to NFL teams and scouts in attendance?

Barika Kpeenu: I tried to be the ultimate competitor. I wanted to prove I belong among the prospects from the FBS conference. I went out there and put my best foot forward in everything that I was doing.

A lot of people think there’s a big drop off from the FBS to the FCS. I just wanted to go out there and prove that I’m equally as talented. I believe I can play at the highest level. I proved that at the American Bowl.

JM: There’s no doubt about that. Did you meet with any teams individually at the American Bowl?

Barika Kpeenu: I definitely met with a bunch of teams. I’d say I met with upwards of 15-20 NFL teams at the American Bowl, or at least half of the league. I had a great interview process with several teams.

JM: There’s a lot of interest in you and it’s easy to see why. You broke out at North Dakota State this season, rushing for 1,005 yards and 20 touchdowns. You waited your turn at NDSU. What do you think changed for you in 2025?

Barika Kpeenu: I went into my senior season realizing it was my last go-around. There was definitely a sense of urgency. I wanted to make it count. I didn’t wanna leave with any regrets. It was very important to me. I approached the offseason with that urgency.

I just spent a lot of time during the offseason working on my craft. I was putting in extra work during practice. I was very intentional regarding how I went about my business. I had a chip on my shoulder the entire season. I heard what some people were saying about me. I had all the motivation I needed. I played with confidence.

JM: What do you think it is about your game that led to you finding the end zone so consistently in 2025? Rushing for 20 touchdowns is pretty ridiculous.

Barika Kpeenu: We had a great offense at North Dakota State. We had a ton of weapons. Opposing defenses had to respect every element of our offense. We definitely had a great offensive line that made my life easy.

I was able to make my reads at a high level. I definitely maximized my opportunities to find the end zone. It was a bunch of things that led to my production.

JM: How would you describe your rushing style? Are you a North-South runner? Do you prefer to hit the outside?

Barika Kpeenu: I’d say I’m more of a North-South runner. I definitely took a more balanced approach this past season though. I made plays to the boundary as well. I think I have a pretty balanced skill set. I can run with power and speed. I can make defenders miss in space. I’m curious to hear how scouts describe my game throughout this process (laughs).

JM: We’ve appreciated your time today. Why should an NFL team use one of their 2026 NFL Draft picks on Barika Kpeenu?

Barika Kpeenu: I was brought up the right way. Given my background, a lot of people didn’t think I’d be able to strive for my goals. I wasn’t supposed to have this opportunity. It all played a role in my journey.

I took my chance. I’ve done the best I could to maximize the chances that came my way. Up until this point, I feel like I’ve taken advantage of every aspect of my life to better myself. I’ve flourished because of it.

If an NFL team gives me a chance, given where I come from, how I was raised, there’s no reason why I won’t continue flourishing. I’m a talented football player.

I have a lot of confidence in my abilities. An NFL team won’t regret putting immense trust in me. If you pour that effort into developing me as a player and person, I’m going to make sure you don’t regret that decision.

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North Dakota

Broncos won’t repeat as NCHC hockey champs, lose to N. Dakota: ‘We broke down’

Published

11 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Broncos won’t repeat as NCHC hockey champs, lose to N. Dakota: ‘We broke down’

Kalamazoo — There’ll be a new champion in the NCHC.

Will Zellers scored the game-winning goal in the third period as No. 3 North Dakota downed No. 4 Western Michigan, 5-3, Friday night at Lawson Arena. The Broncos never led and trailed all of the third period, though a late push nearly tied the game with the net empty.

“Overall in the game, I thought it was a pretty tightly contested effort. I thought they just scored too easy,” Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler said. “You know, for us, we had a couple breakdowns, and they’re so talented, so good, they took advantage when we broke down.”

The teams finish the regular season Saturday night. Western Michigan came into Friday’s game tied with Denver in standings points and five points behind North Dakota, needing that many to get a share of the Penrose Cup it won last season en route to an NCAA championship, too.

As far as regular season results go, the Broncos will play for second seed in the NCHC Tournament, needing to outpace Denver, which plays Arizona State this weekend.

Western Michigan (23-9-1, 15-7-1 NCHC) goaltender Hampton Slukynsky made 16 saves on 20 shots in the loss while North Dakota’s Jan Spunar stopped 22 of 25 shots. It was a battle of two of the NCHC’s top netminders, and each made key stops in a tight-checking, physical game.

Zellers put North Dakota (25-7-1, 17-5-1) up 4-2 4:42 into the third period off an assist from Detroit Red Wings draft choice Dylan James.

“He kind of made a play out of nothing there,” said North Dakota coach Dane Jackson, who is in his first season as head coach after being on the coaching staff since 2006. “And that was a really nice kind of moment where you go OK, we got a little got a little leeway here, and we can just kind of play a little bit more free.”

North Dakota took a 3-2 lead into the third period with goals from defenseman Sam Laurila alongside forwards Ollie Josephson and Josh Zakreski. Defenseman Zach Bookman and forward Liam Valente scored for Western Michigan.

One too many times in the second frame, Western Michigan’s blue line let a North Dakota forward in all alone to face Slukynsky, who stopped a couple of rushes in the opening minutes of the period.

With four minutes until the intermission, the Broncos finally got burned. On a feed from linemate Anthony Menghini, Lakreski cut to the glove side of a sprawling Slukynsky and beat him with the backhand. The goal gave North Dakota the 3-2 lead, after a seeing-eye shot from Bookman along the right wall had tied it up two apiece 8:10 into the period.

“I actually thought the second period was our best period,” Ferschweiler said. “… We started to take over. We got the goal, tied 2-2, and are kind of just humming along. Four minutes left, we just hand them a goal. Blown coverage. That was inexcusable, honestly, with some of our better players on the ice.”

The opening period played out as a back and forth track meet through the neutral zone as each side settled in. Laurila put North Dakota up 1-0 with his first career goal. After Slukynsky denied him on a trio of tries earlier in the shift, he fired a shot to beat the Western Michigan netminder 4:40 into the game.

It took just a minute and 34 seconds after Laurila’s opener for Western Michigan’s top line to get it right back. A blue-collar shift from captain Owen Michaels fed linemate Will Whitelaw along the left boards, and he sprung Valente for a breakaway goal that evened up the score.

“I thought we gave it to them too easy a couple times tonight,” Whitelaw said. “And I think when you’re playing a team like that, obviously they’re gonna put it in your net. But I think it’ll be a big lesson for our group going forward.”

For the better part of the first period, the Lawson Lunatics peppered North Dakota defenseman Jake Livanavage with jeers, but he got his own licks in with 7:48 left in the first period as he fed Josephson right at the net for the 2-1 goal. That score held through the first period.

With 2:02 remaining and Slukynsky pulled, forward Zaccharya Wisdom pulled Western Michigan within one. He nearly had the equalizer with 40 seconds on the clock on a backdoor try, but he mistimed the shot. Mac Swanson scored an empty-netter with 20.7 seconds on the clock to clinch the win, and with it the Penrose Cup, presented to North Dakota in the locker room and then paraded around the ice.

“It’s the hardest regular season championship to win, in my opinion,” North Dakota forward Ben Strinden said. “So it’s awesome. Obviously, it’s not our end goal, but we’re going to enjoy it for sure.”

cearegood@detroitnews.com

@ConnorEaregood

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