UMD strikes transfer portal gold with addition of Matt Weerts
DULUTH — The transfer portal has become a hot-button issue across all levels of competition in college football, but Minnesota Duluth head coach Curt Wiese and company have largely built from within, albeit with some notable exceptions.
Senior wide receiver Jimmy Durocher proved to be a diamond in the rough as a Division III transfer out of Wisconsin-Platteville last season, racking up 548 yards receiving on 33 receptions with five touchdowns.
This season, Division I Football Championship Series transfer Matt "Mojo" Weerts, a 6-foot-1, 237-pound defensive end out of North Dakota State, has been the most valuable addition as a standout pass-rusher out of Batavia, Illinois.
"He's been kind of a high-motor, high-intensity, quiet guy on the field for us, so he's been a lot of fun to coach," UMD head coach Curt Wiese shared. "He's emerging as a leader in our football team and a guy that we can depend on to make plays on the defensive side."
Weerts started his Bulldog career with a sack in each of his first three games and assisted on two tackles for loss in UMD's blowout win over SMSU on Saturday. As a team, the unit paces all conference teams in sacks with 22 led by Weerts, Drew Hennessey and Landon Carter, who all rank in the top-five conference-wide.
The addition of Weerts to an already talented defensive front has provided a major boost to the unit, according to Hennessey.
"He's a very powerful dude," said Hennessey on Weerts. "He's also got speed, so he's very good at speed to power rushing and he's kind of got all the tools you need to be a good pass rusher."
Hennessey and Carter have proven invaluable to Weerts for their guidance in helping him acclimate to his new team.
"They've been through this program and really learning from them and going off of their example (has been) huge for me," said Weerts. "Coming in here having two guys you can look at and be like, 'hey, that's the example, that's what you're supposed to be.' I mean that's the most helpful thing in the world."
Weerts began his college journey in Arizona after a decorated career at Batavia High School, where he garnered First Team All-State honors after his senior season in 2021. After taking the field in two games as a special teams player over his two seasons with the Wildcats, Weerts joined his brother Luke in Fargo at NDSU.
The lack of playing time with the Bison ultimately led him to Duluth.
"I just want to play ball, you know," said Weerts. I just kind of got buried on the depth chart at both previous schools so I made a business decision and wanted to play ball and you know I love football, and that's why I'm here."
The football tradition in the Weerts family began with Matt Sr., who played guard on two Division III national championship teams at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois during the mid-1980s. Matt's oldest brother Ben briefly played quarterback at Wisconsin-La Crosse, while his other brother Luke is a captain this season for the Bison as a senior linebacker.
"Learning from those guys my whole life and just going off of their example (has) brought me through my journey," said Weerts.
Weerts' journey in a Bulldog uniform will continue for at least one more season as a junior with one more year of eligibility. His time at UMD has been memorable, with long-lasting connections already established with his teammates.
His ability to seamlessly fit into the locker room while providing another source of leadership has been among his biggest contributions to the team in addition to his stellar on-field play.
"That's the biggest concern when you take transfers is to make sure that they come in and they buy in, especially coming from a really good Division I program," said Wiese. "He came here with a workmanlike mentality to come here and get himself better and earn the respect of his teammates, and he's done that."
