What once was a "soft commitment" turned into a guarantee, as senior Detroit Lakes quarterback Joe Mollberg is now officially a member of the University of North Dakota football team.
A call Wednesday evening to Mollberg from one of the Iowa Hawkeye coaches solidified Mollberg's commitment to UND.
"Iowa called me and told me I wasn't their guy anymore," Mollberg said. "They said only good things, so I appreciated their interest."
The long, arduous -- and eventful -- recruiting ride is now coming to an end for Mollberg, who was courted by such colleges as North Dakota State University, Iowa, University of Minnesota and Northern Illinois.
But now, that trip will end in Grand Forks, starting next summer.
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"I'm fully committed to UND now and I'm glad this is coming to an end," Mollberg said. "Once I got off the phone with Iowa, I called coach (Chris) Mussman and he was pretty ecstatic."
One reason Iowa probably lost interest in Mollberg was his lack of playing this past season due to injuries to each of his ankles, which has forced him out of three games -- including the last two for the Lakers.
Mollberg still compiled solid passing stats, throwing for 1,041 yards, with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions after going 54-89 (60.7 percent).
His quarterback rating is 117.556.
"It's been a difficult senior year with the injuries and Iowa was wondering why I wasn't sending them film every week," Mollberg said. "But I'm excited about playing for UND and now I'm ready to be a Laker for a little while longer."
The No. 3 seeded Lakers will travel to No. 2 and undefeated Hermantown Saturday for the Section 7-4A semifinals, where Mollberg is expecting to play.
But the pipeline from Detroit Lakes to UND isn't drying up after Mollberg.
His teammate, senior Brian Labat, was offered a scholarship by UND this week as well, after being recruited to play either outside or inside linebacker.
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Labat is also thrilled about the offer to join Mollberg in Grand Forks, but he is still undecided between UND and NDSU.
"Two years ago, I never thought I was going to have the chance to play college football," Labat said. "To come this far is exciting. It's not about following Joe to UND, because I need to do what's best for me, yet.
"But I do like the coaches and the staff at UND."
Labat has accumulated 428 yards on 53 carries (8.07 yards per attempt) and 17 catches for 378 yards (22.2 ypc) for six touchdowns. He also has a rushing score and a pick six on defense for eight total TDs.
"It's only been a couple of days since UND made me their offer, so I want to sit down with my family and go over my options," Labat said. "But Joe is already starting to recruit me pretty hard."
Labat's current focus is on finishing his prosperous Laker career.
"I'm hoping for a long run in the playoffs and I'm glad to have been a Laker," he said.
So Labat is now also one step away from realizing a dream of playing on the next level.
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But at least for one current Laker, he knows exactly where he will be hanging his helmet -- and that will be in the Alerus Center.
"I'm excited and ready to start working next summer with the guys," Mollberg said.
