Eight former Jackrabbits ink deals with NFL teams

As of Tuesday afternoon, eight former South Dakota State football players will be at NFL training camps this summer.

Offensive tackle Evan Beernsten, who spent this past season at Northwestern after spending six years at SDSU, was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. He was picked in the seventh round with the 253rd pick. Beernsten was the only former Jackrabbit to get drafted.

Former SDSU star quarterback Mark Gronowski did not get drafted, but signed with the Miami Dolphins. Gronowski played at Iowa this past season after spending five years at SDSU. He saw his draft stock fall at Iowa as he only threw for 1,741 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions for the Hawkeyes.

Gronowski did run for 545 yards and 16 touchdowns for Iowa and helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 9-4 record. He will compete with North Dakota State’s Cam Miller for the third-string position behind Malik Willis and Quinn Ewers.

Three players from SDSU’s 2025 roster were signed. Offensive lineman Sam Hagen signed a deal with the Houston Texans. Hagen was a transfer from North Dakota and played the past two seasons for the Jackrabbits.

Wide receiver Alex Bullock signed a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He transferred to SDSU after playing three seasons at Nebraska. Bullock led the Jacks in receiving this past season.

Running back Julius Loughridge signed a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. He transferred to SDSU after spending his first three years at Fordham. He ran for over 4,000 yards in his college career.

Three players that transferred from SDSU and followed former head coach Jimmy Rogers to Washington State signed deals. Safety Tucker Large signed a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. He spent four years in Brookings before playing for the Cougars in 2025.

Running back Angel Johnson signed with the Tennessee Titans. Johnson spent four years at SDSU before heading to Washington State.

Linebacker Caleb Francl signed a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent four years as a Jackrabbit as well. Francl was a team captain for the Cougars and started all 13 games with 82 tackles, six tackles for a loss and two sacks and two interceptions.

This was the second-straight season that the Jacks did not have a player taken from the previous season’s roster. SDSU had five players taken from 2022-24.