Joe walked on to the North Dakota State University Bison football team in the fall of 2011, sitting out the year as a redshirt, practicing with the scout team that helped prepare the Bison for their 1st FCS Division 1 National Championship.
The following season, Joe earned the starting right tackle position as a redshirt freshman, making his first collegiate start at FBS opponent Colorado State. He started all 15 games, helping the Bison to a 14-1 season and their 2nd National Championship.
The Bison's 2013 season opened with a big win over Big 12 opponent Kansas State, where the Bison offense went on an 80 yard, 8-1/2 minute drive scoring the game winning touchdown with 28 seconds remaining in the game. It is called the "Greatest Offensive Drive" in NDSU history. Joe started 14 of 15 games that season, missing only one start due to injury. He earned his first Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week honors October 12th, grading out at 98 percent with 8 knockdowns, in a 41-26 homecoming win over Missouri State. The Bison went on to a 15-0 season, and won their 3rd straight National Championship.
Now a junior and the only returning starter from one of the best offensive line groups in school history, Joe moved to the "blind side" left tackle position for the first time in his football career, replacing All American and current Miami Dolphin guard Billy Turner. The 2014 season opened with a win over FBS opponent Iowa State and Joe earned his 2nd MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors when he graded out at 100 percent with 6 knockdowns, with zero sacks or quarterback hurries.
The Bison are 4-0 heading into 2014 conference play, which begins October 4. They also take with them a 28 game win streak, the current longest win streak in all of Division 1 football.
Joe is majoring in Civil Engineering and just completed a summer internship at AE2S, an engineering firm in Fargo.