JACKRABBITS MOVE ON TO MURRAY STATE

Saturday, October 18

Murray, Ky.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Murray State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media

10/15/2025 10:52:00 PM | Football

GAME 7: #2/2 South Dakota State (6-0, 2-0 MVFC) at Murray State (0-6, 0-2 MVFC)

When	Saturday, Oct. 18 \| 1 p.m. (note time change)
Where	Roy Stewart Stadium \| Murray, Kentucky
TV	ESPN+
Radio	Jackrabbits All Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.livestats.us
Game Notes	SDSU \| Murray State \| Missouri Valley Football Conference
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #GoJacks

The South Dakota State football team will play a game in the state of Kentucky for the first time in 47 years Saturday night, when it travels to Murray State.

Kickoff for the Missouri Valley Football Conference matchup is now set for 1 p.m. Central Time (note time change) at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Kentucky. The game will be televised on the ESPN+ streaming platform.

The second-ranked Jackrabbits enter the matchup undefeated with a 6-0 overall record and a 2-0 mark in league play following a 31-3 Hobo Day victory over Northern Iowa last week.

Murray State, meanwhile, is still in search of its first win of the 2025 season and will be hosting a ranked opponent for the second consecutive week. The Racers dropped a 46-32 home decision to No. 9/10 Illinois State on Oct. 11.

The last time a Jackrabbit squad played in the Bluegrass State was on Sept. 9, 1978, when SDSU suffered a 54-7 defeat at the hands of Louisville.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game marks the second all-time meeting on the gridiron between South Dakota State and Murray State. The Racers joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference at the start of the 2023 season, but the two squads did not square off until Nov. 2, 2024, when SDSU scored a 52-7 victory on its home field at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

YEAR 22 IN FCS: The 2025 season marks the 22nd year South Dakota State has competed in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Since joining the Division I ranks in 2004, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 190-82 record (.699 winning percentage).

In the decade of the 2020s, SDSU has put together a 66-10 record, which is good for an .868 winning percentage.

MVFC MILESTONE: South Dakota State's 35-30 win at Youngstown State on Oct. 4 marked the Jackrabbits' 100th victory in Missouri Valley Football Conference play.

The 2025 season marks the Jackrabbits' 18th as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Since joining the league in 2008, SDSU is the only program in that span to not have a losing season in conference play.

The Jackrabbits hold a 101-35 record (.743 winning percentage) in MVFC games and have won six or more league games 10 times. SDSU has claimed three league titles in a row, winning outright championships in 2022 and 2023, while finishing in a three-way tie for the top spot in 2024 with North Dakota State and South Dakota.

Since the start of the 2022 season, SDSU has compiled a 25-1 record in league play, including putting together a 19-game league winning streak from November 2021 until October 2024.

The Jackrabbits also shared league titles in 2016 and during the 2020-21 spring season.

PLAYOFF REGULARS: South Dakota State made its 15th postseason appearance in its football history in 2024, with 14 of those berths coming as a member of the Football Championship Subdivision. SDSU's lone appearance in the NCAA Division II football playoffs came in 1979, when the Jacks dropped a 50-7 decision at Youngstown State.

The Jackrabbits have compiled a 24-13 record in the playoffs and made their 13th straight appearance in the FCS playoffs, including advancing to at least the semifinal round for the fifth season in a row and seventh time in the last eight seasons.

SDSU made its first appearance in a national title game during the 2020-21 spring season, falling to Sam Houston, 23-21, then claimed its first-ever national championship in football with a 45-21 victory over North Dakota State in January 2023.

The Jacks repeated as national champions during the 2023 campaign with a 23-3 victory over Montana.

SDSU advanced to the FCS national title game each of the three years it held the No. 1 overall seed in the playoff field (16 teams in 2020-21, 24 teams in 2022 & 2023).

ELITE COMPANY: South Dakota State is one of only two Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs each of the last 13 seasons. The Jackrabbits secured the Missouri Valley Football Conference's automatic bid to the 2024 playoffs, assuring SDSU of its 13th consecutive postseason appearance and 14th overall at the FCS level.

MVFC rival North Dakota State holds the longest active streak with 15 consecutive trips to the playoffs after gaining an at-large berth to the 2024 tournament.

RANKINGS STREAK: By being ranked either second or third in the first seven Stats Perform FCS polls of the 2025 campaign, SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 182 consecutive media polls dating back to October 2012.

The Jackrabbits held the top spot in 29 consecutive polls from Oct. 17, 2022, until relinquishing the top spot following their regular season loss at North Dakota State on Oct. 19, 2024.

CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team are six captains:

Quinten Christensen, Jr., offensive lineman, Wessington Springs;
Kobe Clayborne, Sr., defensive lineman, Sioux City, Iowa;
Logan Green, Jr., defensive tackle, Northboro, Iowa;
Sam Hagen, Sr., offensive lineman, Fordville, North Dakota.;
Chase Mason, Sr., quarterback, Hurley;
Joe Ollman, Jr., linebacker, Mequon, Wisconsin.

All six players are first-time captains for the Jackrabbits.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: Four South Dakota State football players received preseason recognition on the 2025 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team.

Representing the Jackrabbit offense on the second team was lineman Quinten Christensen. A junior from Wessington Springs, Christensen started all 15 games of the 2024 season at left tackle for a squad that averaged 236.1 yards per game on the ground and allowed only eight sacks the entire year.

Defensive lineman Kobe Clayborne also earned second-team team recognition following a 2024 season in which he tied for the team lead with 4.5 sacks. A starter in the final 13 games of the year, the senior from Sioux City, Iowa, finished his first season at SDSU with 34 total tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss.

Incoming transfer Julius Loughridge also earned second-team recognition as an all-purpose back. Loughridge previously excelled at the FCS level at Fordham, where he racked up 3,005 rushing yards over three seasons, including posting back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2023 (1,146 yards) and 2024 (1,044). The Houston, Texas, native also caught 21 passes for 155 yards last season.

Rounding out the Jackrabbit selections was third-team long snapper Kaydon Olivia. A native of Schertz, Texas, Olivia has been a key member of SDSU's placekicking and punting units on special teams. With Olivia leading the operation, the Jackrabbits ranked second among FCS teams for net punting in 2024 with an average of 43.04 yards per attempt and converted 97 percent of their extra-point tries (138-of-142) over the past two seasons.

In addition, Loughridge has been named to the official watch list for the 2025 Walter Payton Award and Clayborne has been included on the initial listing of 2025 Buck Buchanan Award candidates. Those awards, which are presented to the top offensive and defensive players in the FCS, respectively, will be announced Jan. 3, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Three South Dakota State Jackrabbits were honored earlier this month as Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week. Punter Max Pelham received the special teams award, wide receiver Alex Bullock was named the Newcomer of the Week and center Shane Willenbring claimed the Offensive Lineman of the Week award following second-ranked SDSU's 35-30 victory Oct. 4 at Youngstown State.

A senior from Ankeny, Iowa, Pelham successfully flipped the field on multiple occasions, punting four times for an average of 49.8 yards. His first three attempts all traveled 50-plus yards (51, season-long 59 and 53), with two his attempts pinning the Penguins inside their own 20-yard line.

With Pelham handling the punting duties, SDSU currently leads the Football Championship Subdivision in net punting with an average of 44.1 yards per attempt for the season.

Bullock, a transfer from Nebraska and an Omaha native, set career highs with 10 catches for 162 yards. Two of his catches early in the third quarter covered 51 and 38 yards and set up the Jackrabbits' first two touchdowns of a 21-point stanza. Bullock's 162 receiving yards were the most by a Jackrabbit receiver since Jadon Janke tallied 187 yards in a 2023 game at Missouri State.

Willenbring, a redshirt freshman from La Crosse, Wisconsin, recorded a blocking assignment grade of 100 percent and did not allow a pressure or sack. He posted 2.5 knockdowns in helping pave the way for Jackrabbit running back Julius Loughridge to rush for four second-half touchdowns. SDSU achieved balance offensively with 211 yards rushing and 189 through the air.

MASON AT THE HELM: Dual-threat quarterback Chase Mason has helped lead the Jackrabbits to victories in each of his first six career starts.

A senior from Hurley, Mason has been efficient by completing a combined 106-of-163 passes for 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns against only one interception. Mason completed at least 17 passes in each of the Jackrabbits' first four games highlighted by a Sept. 27 performance against Mercyhurst in which he set career highs for completions (21) and passing yards (321) while tossing a career-best three touchdowns for the second time this season.

In addition, Mason has carried the ball 57 times for 161 net yards and three touchdowns thus far in 2025.

Mason saw action in 19 games over the past two seasons while serving as an understudy to 2023 Walter Payton Award winner and two-time All-American Mark Gronowski. Mason showed previous play-making ability both throwing and running the football, including completing 17-of-26 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 464 yards and six touchdowns during the 2024 campaign.

In averaging 10.1 yards per carry a season ago, Mason broke off touchdown runs of 38 and 48 yards against Youngstown State, followed by a 66-yarder a week later in the regular season matchup against North Dakota State.

O'GROSKE OFF TO FAST START: Wide receiver Lofton O'Groske has put together a series of strong showings in what is shaping up to be a breakthrough sophomore season. A native of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, O'Groske tallied team highs of 25 catches, 312 receiving yards and three touchdowns in nonconference action, but missed the first two Missouri Valley Football Conference games due to injury.

O'Groske matched a previous single-game career high with five receptions in the Aug. 30 season opener against Sacramento State, while adding 31 rushing yards and a touchdown on three rushing attempts. He then established new career bests with 12 receptions, 133 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the Sept. 6 double-overtime victory at Montana State. His 12 catches are tied for the third-most in a game by an SDSU receiver and the most by a Jackrabbit player since Dallas Goedert recorded a dozen receptions at Southern Illinois in 2016.

BULLOCK COMING ON STRONG: Transfer wide receiver Alex Bullock has emerged as another pass-catching threat for the Jackrabbits during the first half of the 2025 season.

The Omaha native currently leads the team with 34 receptions and 411 receiving yards, averaging 12.1 yards per catch. He has caught at least five passes in five of SDSU's six games this season, including tallying career highs with 10 receptions for 162 yards Oct. 4 at Youngstown State.

Bullock also is tied for second on the team with two touchdown receptions after scoring on pass plays in back-to-back games in September. He hauled in a 9-yard touchdown for the first Jackrabbit touchdown Sept. 13 against Drake, then scored a 28-yard TD Sept. 27 versus Mercyhurst.

LOUGHRIDGE DOES THE HEAVY LIFTING: Jackrabbit running back Julius Loughride turned in a second half for the ages in South Dakota State's come-from-behind victory at Youngstown State on Oct. 4

A Houston native, Loughridge rushed for 145 yards and four touchdowns in the second half as SDSU overcame a 17-7 halftime deficit. In the third quarter alone, he rushed for 93 yards while scoring on runs of 3, 14 and 2 yards in a 21-point stanza.

For the game, he rushed 25 times for 176 yards and capped the scoring with a 24-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Loughridge's four-touchdown performance marked the fourth by a Jackrabbit running back in the Division I era and was the first by a Jackrabbit running back since Mikey Daniel at Missouri State in 2017.

MR. EFFICIENCY: South Dakota State tight end/fullback Andrew Gustad has produced every time his number has thus far during the 2025 season.

A junior from Volin, South Dakota, Gustad has either gained a first down or scored a touchdown on all seven of his touches through six games. He has picked up a first down on all five of his short-yardage rushing attempts for a total of 14 yards and scored on touchdowns on each of his receptions — 4 yards in the season opener against Sacramento State and 11 yards last week versus Northern Iowa.

BALL-CONTROL OFFENSE: South Dakota State enters the week leading Missouri Valley Football Conference teams and ranked fourth among Football Championship Subdivision teams in average time of possession.

The Jackrabbits held the ball at least five minutes more than the opposition in each of their first four games this season, highlighted by a total of 41:06 in the 2025 opener against Sacramento State. SDSU is averaging having the ball for 34:08 per game.

9-FOR-9: South Dakota State held the ball nine times in its 51-7 victory against Mercyhurst on Sept. 27 and came away with points on all nine drives — three field goals and six touchdowns.

Starting quarterback Chase Mason directed the offense on the first eight drives before redshirt freshman signal-caller Luke Marble made his Jackrabbit debut and engineered a 14-play, 67-yard drive that took more than nine minutes off the clock before ending in James Basinger's second 1-yard touchdown run of the game. Marble was 3-for-3 passing for 22 yards and added a 7-yard carry in his first collegiate action.

LINEBACKERS LEAD DEFENSE: All in their first year as starters, South Dakota State's three starting linebackers rank as the Jackrabbits' top three tacklers.

Junior Cullen McShane enters the week as the team leader with 49 tackles, including a career-best 12 stops at both Montana State and Youngstown State. Fellow junior Joe Ollman stands second with 36 tackles, while sophomore Chase Van Tol ranks third with 27 tackles through six games.

Ollman also has forced three fumbles as the Jackrabbits have induced a total of nine turnovers — eight interceptions and six fumbles — in their first six contests. SDSU forced five turnovers Oct. 11 against Northern Iowa, including a fumble forced by McShane and recovered by Ollman, as well as Van Tol's first career interception.

SACK ATTACK: South Dakota State has applied consistent pressure to opposing quarterbacks thus far in 2025, collecting a total of 17 sacks to rank 13th among FCS programs with an average of 2.83 per game.

The Jackrabbits have built their sacks total by committee as eight different players have registered at least one sack. Linebacker Chase Van Tol took over the team lead with four following a two-sack performance Oct. 11 against Northern Iowa. Junior defensive tackle Logan Green and junior linebacker Joe Ollman have three sacks apiece, while Kobe Clayborne and Dawson Ripperda each have tallied two sacks this season.

The Jackrabbits notched a season-high four sacks Sept. 13 versus Drake.

STADER REACHES MILESTONE: Kicker Eli Stader reached a milestone Sept. 6 at Montana State as he topped the 500-point mark for his career.

Now with 533 career points, Stader spent the first five years of his collegiate career at Northwestern College (Iowa), where he was a four-time all-Great Plains Athletic Conference selection and an NAIA All-American in 2024. He set school records with 62 field goals and 300 extra points at Northwestern, while adding a two-point conversion. A native of Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, Stader connected on five field goals of 50 or more yards, including a school-record 60-yarder in 2024.

Stader has scored a team-high 45 points so far this season by going 7-for-13 on field goals and making all 24 of his extra-point attempts. He was 3-for-3 on field goals, including a season-long 36-yarder, Sept. 27 against Mercyhurst.

LONELY AT THE TOP: South Dakota State has ranked among the Football Championship Subdivision leaders in net punting throughout the 2025 season, albeit with a small sample size thanks to not having an attempt in back-to-back games against Drake and Mercyhurst in September.

The Jackrabbits' 18 punt attempts this season have resulted in a net average of 39.94 yards. In his first season as the Jackrabbits' punter, Max Pelham is averaging 47.4 yards per attempt and has landed five of his punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

BLANKING THE OPPOSITION: Five Jackrabbit victories during their run of success during the 2020s have come by way of a shutout.

SDSU's most recent shutout was a 41-0 whitewashing at Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 21, 2024. The game against Southeastern Louisiana was also the middle of a three-game stretch in which the Jackrabbits did not allow a touchdown, sandwiched between a 24-3 victory over Augustana and a 41-3 win at Northern Iowa.

Although SDSU has yet to pitch a shutout this season, the Jacks have held two foes — Sacramento State (W, 20-3) and Northern Iowa (W, 31-3) — out of the end zone.

In repeating as national champion in 2023, the Jackrabbits posted a trio of shutouts — two of which came in playoff games. SDSU notched a 34-0 victory at Youngstown State late in the 2023 regular season before recording home shutouts against Mercer (41-0) and Albany (59-0) as the Jackrabbits outscored the opposition by a 146-15 margin in the postseason.

The first SDSU shutout of the decade was a 44-0 victory at Indiana State to open the Missouri Valley Conference season in 2021.

COORDINATORS RETURN: While the entire coaching staff turned over between the 2024 and 2025 seasons, several coaches with ties to South Dakota State are once again on the Jackrabbit sideline and coaching booth, including all three coordinators.

Offensive coordinator Eric Eidsness is back for his third stint in the role. Eidsness, who also coaches the quarterbacks, served as the Jackrabbits' offensive coordinator on two previous occasions — from 1999 until 2003 while SDSU competed at the NCAA Division II level and again from 2010-18. The Jackrabbits made seven straight trips to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs to close out his second go-around, including back-to-back semifinal berths in 2017 and 2018.

He also held the title of associate head coach under John Stiegelmeier from 2015-18.

With Eidsness directing the offense, the Jackrabbits have posted prolific numbers in both the running and passing games. SDSU has consistently re-written the record book under Eidsness' watch, including establishing 28 new single-game, season and career marks during the 2016 campaign and 15 more in 2017. Among the team records set in 2017 were scoring (521 points), total offense (6,141 yards) and total offense per game (438.6), the last of which had stood for 66 years (437.7 ypg in 1951).

Most recently, Eidsness worked in similar coaching roles for six seasons at Northern Illinois. The Huskies played in three bowl games, including posting wins in the Camilla Bowl in 2023 and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2024.

Defensive coordinator Brian Bergstrom is back in Brookings after a three-year stint as head coach at Winona State. He previously was a member of the Jackrabbit defensive coaching staff for five seasons.

Bergstrom first joined the SDSU coaching staff in 2017 as safeties coach and was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2019, positions he held through the 2021 season under John Stiegelmeier. SDSU qualified for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs each of his five seasons in Brookings, including a national title game appearance during the 2020-21 spring season and semifinal berths in 2017, 2018 and the 2021 fall campaign.

Special teams coordinator Isaiah Jackson is new to the SDSU coaching staff, but played linebacker for the Jackrabbits from 2006-09. He ranked fifth on the team with 63 tackles in 2008 and tied for seventh with 52 stops as a senior in 2009, when the Jackrabbits made their first-ever appearance in the FCS playoffs.

For the past eight seasons, Jackson served on the coaching staff at UC Davis, which won a Big Sky Conference championship in 2018 and earned berths in the FCS playoffs three times (2018, 2021, 2024). He primarily coached the linebackers before moving to special teams coordinator in 2024.

In addition, tight ends coach Vince Benedetto also is a former Jackrabbit student-athlete. He lettered from 2010-13 before embarking on a successful coaching career at the high school level, highlighted by winning a state championship at Sioux Falls Jefferson in 2022.

THE 12TH MAN: South Dakota State has benefited from large crowds coming off the program's back-to-back national championships. In 2023, the Jackrabbits averaged 18,208 fans for regular season games, followed by another record-setting year in 2024 with an average attendance of 18,504 over six regular season home games.

Since the start of the 2023 season, 13 games have been sellouts, starting when 19,332 fans came out the for Sept. 9, 2023, showdown against Montana State. The crowd played a big role in the game, helping factor in nine false-start penalties by Montana State in the game, including six in the final quarter.

The 2023 Dakota Marker game against North Dakota State, which was a rematch from the 2022 FCS national championship game, drew a stadium-record 19,431 fans.

SDSU also set program playoff attendance records in all three postseason games it hosted in 2023, highlighted by a crowd of 12,265 in the semifinals against UAlbany.

Large crowds continued to fill Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in 2024 as the first four Jackrabbit home games of season were sellouts and rank in the top nine for most-attended games in facility history. The Oct. 26 Interstate Series game versus South Dakota attracted 19,351 fans, making it the fifth-largest crowd in the venue's history.

Following suit, the first four home games of the 2025 season have been announced as sellouts, with 19,163 fans filing into the stadium for the Aug. 30 opener against Sacramento State. That came two nights after a crowd of about 22,000 attended the Jacks Bash 3 concert featuring country music stars Ty Myers, Thomas Rhett and Blake Shelton.

A season-best crowd of 19,342 filed into the stadium for the Oct. 11 Hobo Day game.

DANA J. DYKHOUSE STADIUM: Jackrabbit football moved into a new home in September of 2016 with the completion of Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

The stadium, which was constructed in phases on the site of SDSU's previous home field, Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, seats 19,340 spectators and cost $65 million to build. Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium is being funded through private gifts and long-term revenue streams, including concessions and suite, loge box and ticket sales. Bonds are financing nearly two-thirds of the project's construction, with the remaining dollars coming from private support.

Lead gifts totaling $12.5 million from former Jackrabbit football player and Sioux Falls banker Dana Dykhouse and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford were announced in October 2013.
The stadium officially opened Sept. 8, 2016, featuring a concert by country music stars Luke Bryan, Little Big Town and Lee Brice as part of the Jacks Bash opening weekend. The first football game was two days later, on Sept. 10, when the Jacks defeated Drake, 56-28.

SDSU has gone on to post a 65-7 record at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium during its 10 seasons of operation, including a 16-1 mark in FCS playoff games. The Jacks' current home winning streak is 33 games (including playoff games), with their last home loss a 26-17 setback to Northern Iowa on Oct. 23, 2021. The 33-game streak is the longest active home winning streak in FCS and now ranks as the fourth-longest in FCS history.

In 2024, the Jackrabbits completed their fifth undefeated season while playing at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, compiling an 8-0 record. SDSU previously posted perfect home records in 2018 (7-0), the 2020-21 spring season (5-0) and both 2022 and 2023 (9-0).

Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium was designed by Kansas City-based Crawford Architects, with the construction firm JE Dunn serving as the project manager at risk and Henry Carlson Company of Sioux Falls serving as general contractor.

MVFC 40-YEAR TEAM: South Dakota State is well-represented on the Missouri Valley Football Conference 40-Year Team, which was selected via a fan vote and announced following the 2024 season. A total of 33 former Jackrabbit players received recognition on the squad and are as follows:

Quarterbacks (3): Taryn Christion, Mark Gronowski, Austin Sumner;
Running Backs (5): Isaiah Davis, Amar Johnson, Kyle Minett, Pierre Strong Jr., Zach Zenner;
Wide Receivers (5): Jadon Janke, Jaxon Janke, Cade Johnson, Jason Schneider, Jake Wieneke;
Tight Ends (3): Dallas Goedert, Zach Heins, Tucker Kraft;
Offensive Linemen (5): Garret Greenfield, Mason McCormick, Gus Miller, Jacob Ohnesorge, Bryan Witzmann;
Defensive Linemen (2): Danny Batten, Caleb Sanders;
Linebackers (3): Adam Bock, Derek Domino, Christian Rozeboom;
Defensive Backs (2): Jordan Brown, Don Gardner;
Kickers (3): Hunter Dustman, Justin Syrovatka, Chase Vinatieri;
Punter (1): Hunter Dustman

JACKS IN THE PROS: Six former South Dakota State standouts appeared on 2025 National Football League opening day rosters, continuing the Jackrabbits' long tradition of developing players into pro prospects.
Headlining the list are a pair of tight ends — Dallas Goedert of the Philadelphia Eagles and Tucker Kraft of the Green Bay Packers.

After being selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Goedert has gone on to record 373 receptions for 4,328 yards and 29 touchdowns in eight seasons. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles last season after recording 42 receptions during the regular season and adding 17 more catches during the postseason run.

Goedert posted season highs of 11 receptions and 110 receiving yards Oct. 9 versus the New York Giants and extended his streak of games with a touchdown catch to four.

Thus far in 2025, Goedert has recorded 24 catches for 243 yards and five TDs.

Kraft put together a breakthrough second season with the Packers in 2024, tallying 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns. A third-round draft choice of Green Bay in 2023, Kraft currently leads the Packers with 18 catches for 268 yards and three touchdowns, highlighted by a six-catch, 124-yard performance Sept. 11 against Washington.

His career totals include 99 receptions for 1,330 yards and 12 scores.

Linebacker Christian Rozeboom earned a Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Rams during the 2021 season and is now in his first season with the Carolina Panthers. A starter in both 2023 and 2024 with the Rams, Rozeboom totaled 214 tackles and two interceptions over the last two seasons, including 135 stops in 2024.

Rozeboom has registered a team-high 43 tackles through six games this season, including a season-high nine on two occasions — in a Sept. 21 shutout win over Atlanta and Oct. 5 versus Miami.

SDSU had two players selected in the NFL Draft in 2024 when Mason McCormick was taken in the fourth round by Pittsburgh and Isaiah Davis was a fifth-round pick of the New York Jets. McCormick settled into a starting role at guard during the 2024 season while Davis saw spot duty for the Jets as a rookie.

Davis finished his rookie year with 30 carries for 174 yards and a touchdown, as well as notching nine receptions for 75 yards and a score. He added nine kickoffs for 232 yards (25.8 yards per return) and registered seven tackles on special teams in 2024.

McCormick and Davis squared off in the 2025 season opener, with Davis rushing two times for 18 yards in a Jets' loss. Davis has returned 11 kickoffs for an average of 29.4 yards per attempt (long of 41) thus far in 2025, while adding eight carries for 34 yards (4.3 ypc) and seven receptions for 51 yards.

Another member of the Jackrabbits' back-to-back national championship teams, Isaiah Stalbird, is in his second season with the New Orleans Saints. Stalbird played mostly on special teams in 2024, notching three tackles. He recorded a pair of tackles in a season-opening performance against Arizona, then notched a career-best four stops Oct. 12 against New England.

Several other former Jackrabbit standouts were among their respective teams' final cuts earlier week, including: quarterback Chris Oladokun (Kansas City), running back Pierre Strong, Jr. (Cleveland), cornerback Dalys Beanum (New Orleans) and running back Amar Johnson (Green Bay). Beanum and Oladokun have since returned to their fall camp teams on the practice squad, while Johnson recently signed as a practice squad player with the Los Angeles Chargers and Strong has hooked on with the Packers as a practice player.

Leading the list of Jackrabbit pro football alumni are Hall of Famer Jim Langer and the NFL's career scoring leader, Adam Vinatieri.

Langer who played football at SDSU from 1967-69 and also was an All-American in baseball, played center on every offensive down during the Miami Dolphins' perfect season in 1972. He played in a total of three Super Bowl games with the Dolphins from 1970-79 before finishing his career with the Minnesota Vikings from 1980-81.

Langer also was a first-team All-Pro four times and was selected to play in six Pro Bowl games. He passed away in September 2019.

Vinatieri wrapped up his playing career after becoming the NFL's all-time scoring leader in 2018 as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. Over Vinatieri's 24 seasons from 1996-2019, his totals include NFL bests of 599-of-715 on field goal attempts, 83.8 percent, and 2,673 career points. He also ranks second in career extra points with 874.

In all, Vinatieri set 15 NFL records, including 21 100-point seasons.

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES: Multi-time All-America football players Jake Wieneke and Bryan Witzmann were inducted into the Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame during on-campus ceremonies Sept. 27.

Wieneke holds the distinction of being the only four-time All-American in program history and also stands as the most prolific pass-catcher in SDSU and Missouri Valley Football Conference history after establishing career marks for receptions (288), receiving yards (5,157) and receiving touchdowns (59). His yardage and touchdown totals both rank second on the all-time Football Championship Subdivision charts.

Witzmann held down the starting spot at left tackle for four seasons from 2010-13, earning all-Missouri Valley Football Conference and All-America honors in each of his last two seasons. He started all 49 Jackrabbit games in that period, which culminated with consecutive playoff seasons in 2012 and 2013.

DAN JACKSON SHOW: The Dan Jackson Show airs throughout the 2025 season.

The weekly, hour-long show originates in front of a live audience at 6 p.m. Mondays at Cubby's Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings. Hosted by Tyler Merriam, the show airs along the Jackrabbit Sports Network, including flagship station WNAX 570 AM, and can be heard through the Jackrabbit app and online at GoJacks.com. In addition to radio, broadcasts also will be available for free live viewing on SDSU Athletics' Facebook and YouTube accounts (@GoJacksSDSU), as well as Midco Sports Plus. Replays of the shows will be televised on Midco Sports linear channels Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m.

Weekly segments include interviews with Jackrabbit coaches, student-athletes and others associated with SDSU football. Fans can submit questions through social media platforms and fans in attendance can register for weekly prizes.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits return home to face top-ranked North Dakota State in the annual battle for the Dakota Marker. Kickoff has been set for 7 p.m. at a sold-out Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, with the game slated to be televised nationally on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

-GoJacks.com-