The NDSU Bison are gearing up for their title defense in the 2025 season.
With the spring game fastly approaching on April 25th, the Bison will have to fill in some gaps after some current impactful players for the team announced they would be entering the transfer portal.
Late last week, linebacker Enock Sibomana announced he would be hitting the portal after finishing the 2024 season with 56 total tackles (42 Solo, 14 assisted), 7.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception and 2 forced fumbles. Sibomana shined bright on the Bison defense in 2024 and was planned to be a main contributor on “Code Greens” Defense in 2025.
The most surprising exit came earlier this afternoon when running back CharMar Brown (Marty) also announced he would be hitting the portal too. Brown was one of the main contributors to the Bisons offense last year not named Cam Miller, where he carried the ball 244 times for 1195 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. In 2024 Brown was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year award winner, while also taking home the FCS’ Jerry Rice Award that is given to the best freshman in the country.
The Bison are not short on running back on their roster however. By still have running back’s Barika Kpeenu, his brother Barry, and the returning from injury Owen Johnson on their 2025 spring roster, the Bison wont need to force an unexperienced pair of legs carrying the ball this season which is a big piece of how the Bison run their offense, but replacing the production that Brown had in 2024 is something the Bisons running back room is going to have to shoulder entering the 2025 season.
The Transfer Portal and its ‘Wild West’ feel is here to stay in college sports at least for the time being, and no team is safe from players wanting to go search for greener pastures and opportunities. The Bison are no different and will have to fill the void that those players left. Fortunately for the Bison they have been dealing with these kind of gaps, voids, and questions since they won their first championship in 2011.
The Bison’s “Green and Gold Showcase” game will be on April 25th.
Photo Credit: NDSU Athletics
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