GRAND FORKS — UND wide receiver Garett Maag has been a difference-maker from Day 1 in his career.
In his rookie season in 2018, Maag caught 18 balls for 271 yards and five touchdowns despite playing alongside proven targets in Noah Wanzek and Travis Toivonen.
He exploded in 2019 with 59 catches for 610 yards and five more touchdowns.
During UND's spring season in 2021, Maag developed into UND's deep threat as he averaged 20.9 yards per catch. He finished with 25 catches for 523 yards and two touchdowns in the shortened campaign.
With three years of big production under his belt, expectations were through the roof in the fall of 2021.
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But in UND's Week 1 win against Idaho State, Maag pulled up limp on a deep ball and grabbed his hamstring.
It would be an injury that the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Twin Cities native struggled to shake all year long.
As the Fighting Hawks conduct spring ball at the Pollard Center the past two weeks, Maag is working to regain the form that made him so valuable most of his career.
"It was tough," Maag said of last season. "I just kept a positive attitude and at the end of the season I was feeling good and that was a good sign. I feel really good, working out and gaining mobility and strengthening the hamstrings."
UND's offense badly missed Maag, as the Hawks struggled to find big plays in the pass game.
He was a vital part of UND's ascension to one of the top programs in FCS during the spring pandemic season.
Maag caught the go-ahead score to go with five catches for 87 yards in a win over No. 3 South Dakota State.
He had 75 yards on three catches in a win over No. 20 South Dakota.
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Maag's four catches for 151 yards against Western Illinois were the most by a UND wide receiver since 2013.
"He's healthier," UND wide receivers coach Sam King said. "He's moving better. With him, it's always about trying to play with size and speed, being that guy that when the ball is in the air it's not a 50-50 ball, it's 80-20 — that's his goal this spring."
Maag caught just 16 passes for 205 yards this past fall — 124 of those yards came in Weeks 1 and 2 against Idaho State and Utah State.
Maag, however, was able to finish on a positive note with four grabs for 45 yards and a touchdown in a narrow loss at South Dakota State.
"He had a good fall camp (last year) and was doing what we wanted him to do," King said. "He was having a good game against Idaho State until he was hurt. He wasn't that big,fast guy, but he battled through the year. I give him credit for pushing through it. I think that was tough on him.
"We were missing that deep threat last year. He had to learn how to play without that elite speed he has. As the season went on, his last game was his best. He started to get a little more confident."
The pandemic season allowed players a free season of eligibility and Maag's injury made for an easy decision to return in 2022.
"I kind of knew I wanted to come back but that injury also ... I wanted to come back after that to get a full season and play well with my last season," Maag said.
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March 05, 2022 at 01:31AM
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After injury-filled season, UND wide receiver Garett Maag ready to return to form - Grand Forks Herald
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