UND's depleted tight end room shines against Portland State; freshman Nathan Hromadka leads with 2 TDs

GRAND FORKS — Nathan Hromadka is no stranger to winning football games.

UND football’s 6-foot-6, 230-pound true freshman tight end hails from Maple Grove, Minn. Hromadka won the Class 6A MSHSL state championship in 2022 and 2024 at U.S. Bank Stadium during his prep career with Maple Grove High School.

Hromadka didn’t just come away with his first collegiate win in the Fighting Hawks’ home opener against Portland State on Saturday evening. He played a pivotal role in the 50-20 win.

“I played in U.S. Bank Stadium, sold out state championships,” Hromadka said. “It obviously helps coming into these crowds like this. I’ve played in front of a good amount of people, so it doesn’t really faze me as much.”

UND quickly drove down the field on its first drive of the game. Facing 3rd-and-goal, so