Jan. 25—GRAND FORKS — The latest recruiting movement of safety Ethan Headings is icing on the cake for UND's 2026 recruiting class.

Headings, a first team all-state wide receiver, was committed to UND in April before switching his commitment near signing day to the in-state Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa announced his addition as a preferred walk-on in early December.

On Sunday, Headings announced he's coming to Grand Forks after all. As a preferred walk-on at Iowa, Headings was able to change course without penalty.

"I really missed all the coaches at UND and all the love I got from them," Headings said of his decision. "It's just a real great place, and it felt like I was leaving behind a great opportunity they gave me."

Headings, who'll arrive in Grand Forks in June, chose UND originally over offers from Northern Iowa, Army, Western Illinois and Air Force.

"I knew (committing back to UND) is what I wanted, so I was just like really hoping they'd give me a second chance," Headings said. "It took a week ... I was waiting to see if I could get a spot on the team. They eventually got back to me, and it was amazing, and I'm so happy I'm accepted at North Dakota."

Headings, 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, had a breakout senior season for Iowa City West in 2025. He caught 56 passes for 1,202 yards (No. 1 in Iowa 5A) and 13 touchdowns (No. 1 in Iowa 5A). Defensively, he had 46.5 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. He also had two interceptions and a kickoff returned for a touchdown.

Headings hasn't played much safety before. He played linebacker at Iowa City West during his senior year and played safety some of his junior year.

"I'm just an all-around athlete that'll perform at any position I'm put at," Headings said of his strengths. "I feel like I can make an impact on the game wherever I'm at. The coaches see me best at safety, so I'm going to work at safety and see what happens.

"It's definitely kind of nerve-wracking. I'm going to be trying a whole new position. I trust (UND safeties coach Keaton Wilkerson) to pour into me and teach me everything I need to learn to get me to the point I'm performing well. I've been over this with coach Wilkerson. He's fine with me playing linebacker (in high school). He just wants me to play what helps us win. He said he'll teach me everything I need to know about safety."