SDSU hopes to get back on top of the FCS in 2026

BROOKINGS – The expectation going into the season at South Dakota State for the past decade has been to win a national championship. After a rough 2025 season, the motivation to reach that expectation is even higher for the Jackrabbits in 2026.

As well documented, the Jacks went 8-4 in the regular season in 2025 after beginning the season 7-0. Things went south when starting quarterback Chase Mason got hurt and in his five-game absence SDSU went 1-4. 

He then led a 41-3 first round playoff victory over New Hampshire before SDSU bowed out of the FCS Playoffs the next weekend with a 50-29 loss to Montana.

It was the first time since 2019 that the Jackrabbits did not make at least the FCS semifinals, but the disappointing end to the season did not set off a five-alarm fire at the football facility in Brookings. That’s due in large part to who is back on the roster as SDSU heads into 2026.

It begins with Mason, who in nine games last season threw for 2,005 yards and 15 touchdowns and only threw four interceptions. It will be the fifth and final year in the yellow and blue for Mason and head coach Dan Jackson said he’s seen the growth in him over the offseason and is excited for what’s to come this year.

“I’ve always said since day one that I believe he is the best quarterback in the country. That hasn’t changed. [But] I’ve seen him improve, definitely. I’m really proud of him. I think his ability to impact the team from a leadership standpoint with his communication skills has definitely grown. I’m excited for him in that way because I can see how confident he is now talking in a team meeting and a lot of that comes from having full knowledge of the offense. Him and I are now on the same page too and are able to drive [messages to the team],” Jackson said.

Wide Receivers

SDSU will also have four of its top five receivers from last year. That group is highlighted by sixth-year senior Grahm Goering and junior Lofton O’Groske. O’Groske was only able to play in six games last season but averaged 59.2 yards per game and caught four touchdown passes.

The Jacks are expecting younger receivers like Jack Smith, Sammy Dresie and Landon Delaney to step into bigger roles, while also hoping their tight end room of Greyton Gannon, Coleman Kuntz, Brayden Delahoyde and Andrew Gustad step up in the pass game as well.

O’Groske said the confidence is high with the receivers and tight ends and they feel like any player could have a big game at any point in the season.

“We’ve been talking about how we have a lot of depth at the receiving position,” O’Groske said. “We’re confident in the top eight players and that any of us could be starters. … There shouldn’t be a drop off after the starters, and I think that’s, obviously I’m a starter, I think that’s a good thing to see and I think we’re confident that will help us in the future as well.”

Running Backs

The running back room is similar to the receiving room in that it lost its top rusher from 2025, but returns the next three guys in Josiah Johnson, James Basinger and Corey Blair Jr. The Jacks also added Division II transfer Ramon McKinney Jr.

Jackson said there will not be a “main guy” at running back and he hopes to have a handful of guys take snaps in the backfield each game.

“We’re going to play three to five running backs every week, and that’s going to be based on them all being deserving, not that one of them isn’t good enough [to be the main guy]. I’ve seen Josiah Johnson really elevate his game, Corey Blair Jr. as well. And then Ramon McKinney has got [a different] style of play and his growth from spring until now has been impressive. But even James Basinger, Brendan Begeman, Dom Rezac and Javion Scott – I mean there’s so many. There’s eight guys in that room that I would feel confident putting into a game,” Jackson said.

Offensive Line

The offensive line will return five players that started games on the 2026 roster. Leading the way is All-American guard Quinten Christensen and he was not happy with how last season went for the “605 Hogs”.

SDSU averaged 3.8 yards per carry on the ground last year, which was the Jacks lowest output since 2015 when they averaged 3.7. Christensen said a lot of factors played into SDSU’s production on the ground, but he feels like the offensive line has corrected some things and are going to be back in prime form in 2026.

“We left some meat on the bone, and that wasn’t a typical year in terms of running the ball,” Christensen said. “And there’s multiple things: the running backs, quarterbacks, tight ends, us just needing to gel, and I think building another year of chemistry is going to help, obviously. 

“… There’s a lot of standards and expectations that we didn’t meet last year, and obviously it stings and eats at me every day, and I know it eats at every other guy too. We talked about how last year wasn’t enough and we didn’t meet our expectations. But ever since that happened, we’ve been busting our asses trying to get going and we’re acting like everybody is chasing us so we don’t run into that same problem again.”

Defensive Line

The defensive line has a lot returning as well. They lost Kobe Clayborne to graduation but returned the likes of Logan Green, Dawson Ripperda, Reis Kirschenman and Jace Sifore, while also adding Wayne State transfer Carter Stitzman. Jackson said he thinks the depth on the defensive line is going to be huge this season.

“We have a goal of having 10 to 12 guys that we can play on Saturday [on the defensive line]. The thing I think about with the defensive line, who we call the chain gang, is first, the way they attack every single day. Logan McCormick is an intense individual, their position coach. He holds them to a really high standard. … So, I love the mindset of that group and it’s led to some really strong development of younger players. We have older guys that we know what to expect from those guys, but I’ve seen a big jump in our younger players on the defensive line because of the level of intensity that they run with,” Jackson said.

Linebackers/Secondary

The Jacks return all three starters at linebacker from a season ago in Chase Van Tol, Cullen McShane and Joe Ollman. They also have returners in Matt Goehring and Bryce Johnson as well.

In the secondary, Myles Green and Noah St-Juste return at cornerback. The Jacks added three transfers at corner in Ife Current, Jamari Holliman and Paul Kim. At safety they have Dontay Johnson and Noah Thompson back, who both played in backup roles last season. 

Saturday’s Opener

Kickoff between Stetson and SDSU is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. You can watch the game on KELOLAND, Midco Sports or ESPN+. You can listen to the game on AM 570 WNAX.