SDSU spring football primer: Five questions as practice begins

Mar. 2—BROOKINGS — Dan Jackson will walk onto the field as head coach of the Jackrabbits for the first time when South Dakota State kicks off spring football practice.

The first of their 15 sessions begins at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The Spring Game (yes, they’re having one) is slated for Saturday, April 12.

Obviously, the Jacks will look markedly different than a year ago, when their season ended with an FCS semifinal loss to North Dakota State.

Jimmy Rogers and his entire coaching staff are gone, along with quarterback Mark Gronowski, receiver Griffin Wilde, linebacker Adam Bock, cornerback Dalys Beanum and several other offensive and defensive starters.

Jackson brought back former SDSU coordinators Eric Eidsness (offense) and Brian Bergstrom (defense) to bring some familiarity to the new coaching staff, and was able to bring in a handful of transfers to restock the roster.

Now the work begins.

There are many questions facing the Jackrabbits as spring arrives, here are five we’ll be focusing in on this week:

1. The post-Gronowski era begins

Off to the Iowa Hawkeyes for his final year of college football eligibility, all Gronowski did was take the Jacks to three national championship games, winning two, while going undefeated as a starter at home. Not a bad legacy.

In steps Chase Mason, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior who was nothing short of one of the greatest high school athletes in state history. The Jacks gave him plenty of reps over the last two seasons after he transferred in from Nebraska, and he looked great as a runner and good as a passer.

Is he ready to be the every-down QB1? How well can he command the huddle and work under pressure? When Eidsness was last here he developed Taryn Christion into the Jacks’ all-time leading passer. It’ll be interesting to see what he can do with Mason.

Meanwhile Tak Tateoka, a former starter at St. Thomas, has transferred in to push senior Jon Bell for the backup spot, while former Dell Rapids standout Jack Henry continues to develop as a potential future starter.

2. Who totes the rock?

Johnson and Johnson (Amar and Angel) have moved on. So did promising youngsters Kirby Vorhees and Maxwell Woods. The top returners include former 9-man star Brenden Begeman and redshirt freshman Quinton Renfro, but Jackson brought in a potential impact runner in Nate White, a transfer from Wisconsin.

White, who has three years of eligibility, was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, when he chose the Badgers over Minnesota, Iowa State, Purdue and Vanderbilt. Will he be ready for regular carries by Week 1? The spring will go a long way towards deciding that.

3. How quickly can the transfers assimilate?

White is one of many coming to SDSU from another college football program, as Jackson embraced the transfer portal — partly out of necessity — to restock the roster after so many defections.

There’s little question that the Jacks acquired legit talent. White is one of a handful of players to come over from the Big Ten, while lower level transfers like linebacker Matt Goehring (Division II USF) and offensive tackle John Pica (NAIA Dakota Wesleyan) are likely capable of being significant contributors.

All of them must find their place in the program, and the adjustment period is different for everybody. The Jacks have arguably seen more success in players who transferred up to the FCS level than down. The spring session will be vital for newcomers to get themselves ready to take meaningful snaps in the fall.

4. Who will step up?

One thing that would not be different even if Rogers had never left would be the opportunity spring presents for those who have been waiting in the wings and will now get their first chance to replace departed starters.

The aforementioned Begeman and Renfro at running back are two that will be worth keeping an eye on, but there are many others.

Wide receiver Jack Smith was the 2023 South Dakota player of the year for Lincoln High School and impressed last year as a redshirt. Can he help fill the void left by Wilde?

Linebackers Joe Ollman and Chase Van Tol, defensive ends Nick Wells and Reis Kirschenman, offensive linemen Will Paepke and Shane Willenbring, tight ends David Alpers and Greyton Gannon and cornerback Noah St. Juste are just a few players who have already shown promise that will be looking to get a jump on becoming the next wave of stars that can lead this team to a championship.

5. What will the Dan Jackson culture look like?

John Stiegelmeier spent more than two decades cultivating an environment that became both the backbone and the heartbeat of Jackrabbit football, and it culminated in the program’s first national championship in 2022. When Rogers took over he did a quietly outstanding job of maintaining the Stiegelmeier culture while adding his own subtle tweaks — namely, a more hard-edged and demanding approach.

Jackson was a huge part of that culture for a long time. He was at one point Stiegelmeier’s assistant head coach and top recruiter, and was so popular with players many openly hoped he would eventually succeed Stiegelmeier. Jackson worked alongside Rogers, Eidsness, Bergstrom, Jason Eck, Zach Lujan and so many other highly successful former Jackrabbit coaches, and later went through some necessary growing pains at the FBS level. Bringing back Eidsness and Bergstrom ensures the program will still be similar to the one Stiegelmeier created.

But these coaches are all new to the players currently on the roster. By all indications, Jackson has already calmed the waters and brought back stability to the program. The players are bought in.

Will Jackson be as successful at carrying on the tradition? Expectations remain high despite the turnover. Rogers had the advantage of inheriting a flawless roster in 2023, while Jackson has a ton of questions to answer and problems to solve.

Can he put his own stamp on the program and win while doing it? That work hits the field starting Tuesday morning.