Drake, seated middle in photo above, is flanked, from the left, by brother Micah; sister Marley; father Ben; mother Karen; and sister Avery. Standing, from the left, are Red Raiders assistant coach Peyton Olson; assistant coach Richie Joly; head coach Tom Langworthy; assistant coach Steve Propheter; and assistant coach Arrick Davis. Drake was one of 20 high school student-athletes added to the Bison program yesterday. The signing class also includes three players from North Dakota, six from Minnesota, two from Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska and one from South Dakota and Florida. A four-year starter for the Red Raiders, Drake led them to a 34-7 record, four league titles, two Section VI titles and one regional championship; and passed for 6,158 yards and 72 touchdowns, both career school records. In 2022, he had 24 touchdown passes with only four interceptions, and was selected the Section VI A1 Player of the Year. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

Drake poses with John Kinder, quarterback development specialist. The pair have worked together throughout Drake’s high school career. North Dakota State (12-2) is scheduled to face South Dakota State (13-1) in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The game will be televised on ABC. Submitted photo