(Wednesday, February 14; Sioux Center, Iowa) Jude Rapert, a senior at Valley View High School (Arkansas), has announced his intention to attend Dordt and join the Defender football program.  

Rapert is 6-1, 225 pounds and earned all-conference honors in 2023 and was a three-year starter.  

"I came on a visit unsure of how I felt about being so far from home, but realized the energy and love coming from people meant I would definitely be able to find another one. The coaches, players, students and staff all seemed happy. There were no bad vibes or stressed out people I came across and that drew my attention more than anything," said Rapert.  

Jude is the son of Jerry and Stephanie Rapert of Jonesboro, Arkansas. He plans to study business administration at Dordt. 

Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, is a comprehensive Christian college rooted in the Reformed tradition. The Defender athletic program is a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA).    

U.S. News & World Report, Money Magazine, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review all list Dordt on their best colleges lists. Dordt is home to approximately 1,500 students.