NDSU Football Stars Kelton McCaslin and Nathan Hayes Reunite in Fargo

Longtime friends and high school teammates Kelton McCaslin and Nathan Hayes reunited as key contributors for North Dakota State University, evolving from study hall partners in Illinois into foundational players for the Bison football program, InForum reported.

The relationship between the two athletes began nearly a decade ago after McCaslin moved to West Chicago and enrolled at St. Charles East High School. They quickly bonded during their freshman year, becoming study buddies and eventually joining the same friend group by their sophomore year through shared participation in football and basketball. Hayes noted they got close really fast and that it had only grown from there.

From St. Charles East to Fargo

Both players eventually caught the attention of college recruiters, aided in part by McCaslin’s father, Brad, a former college assistant at Nebraska Omaha and other programs who possessed deep connections throughout the Upper Midwest. Brad directed both teenagers to attend NDSU’s annual high school camp in June. Hayes stated that they started getting talked to by NDSU around the same time and that Brad was a big advocate for the school.

There, they impressed then-head coach Matt Entz and quarterback coach Randy Hedberg. McCaslin received an offer first, committing on July 1, 2021. Hayes committed just over a week later after receiving his own offer, calling McCaslin immediately prior to make it official. Hayes remembered wondering where his own offer was and noted NDSU offered another quarterback before him who ended up committing somewhere else, after which NDSU offered Hayes, prompting him to call McCaslin and tell him to let’s do this, to which McCaslin was super excited. Hayes joked that he likes to tell people McCaslin was offered to help get him, but acknowledged that McCaslin did really well at camp, showed a lot, and deserved the offer. McCaslin mentioned they were leaving it to each other and not trying to push each other in any direction, but called it pretty cool when they both heard they were going to the same place.

The pair arrived on the Fargo campus together in June 2022. McCaslin made an impact on the field early, scoring his first collegiate touchdown on a fumble recovery during the 2023 playoffs against Drake. Although he suffered a serious knee injury during fall camp in 2024, he recovered and returned to form.

McCaslin Anchors Defense While Hayes Secures Starting Quarterback Role

Now in his fifth year, McCaslin has established himself as a force on a Bison defense ranked second nationally in scoring defense. He recorded four sacks and six tackles for loss this year, anchoring the defensive end position and becoming one of the best defensive ends in the Mountain West.

Hayes followed a different developmental path, spending three seasons backing up quarterbacks Cam Miller and Cole Payton before securing the starting quarterback role for NDSU.

But that’s where we always wanted to go.