Upcoming Event: Football versus New Haven on September 12, 2026 at 6 p.m.
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6 p.m.
Football
vs New Haven
South Dakota State University Athletics
Football
Dan Jackson
- Title:
- Head Coach
Dan Jackson was named the 22nd head football coach in South Dakota State history on Dec. 31, 2024. His hiring marked a return to the Jackrabbit program which he previously was associated with as both a student-athlete and assistant coach.
During his first season at the helm in 2025, Jackson faced the challenge of having to quickly rebuild a roster and led the Jackrabbits to a 9-5 overall record, including a 4-4 mark in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. SDSU began the season with a seven-game winning streak that included back-to-back wins over ranked opponents from the Big Sky Conference: a 20-3 home win over Sacramento State, followed by a 30-24 double-overtime victory at eventual national champion Montana State. However, injuries to several key players mounted over the final month of the regular season and contributed to a rare losing streak before the Jackrabbits rebounded with a 34-31 overtime win at North Dakota that propelled SDSU into the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the 14th consecutive season.
Jackson was victorious in his playoff debut as the Jackrabbits posted a 41-3 home victory over New Hampshire at a snowy Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in the opening round.
Ten members of the 2025 Jackrabbit football team received all-MVFC honors, with offensive lineman Quinten Christensen, defensive lineman Kobe Clayborne and punter Max Pelham earning All-America recognition.
An Omaha native and a player at SDSU from 2003-05, Jackson joined the Jackrabbits’ coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2012, when SDSU began its current streak of 13 consecutive appearances in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. He was elevated to cornerbacks coach in 2014 and also served as recruiting coordinator, special teams coordinator and assistant head coach under John Stiegelmeier before moving on to Northern Illinois following the 2019 season.
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Jackson coached two seasons at Northern Illinois, then was hired at Vanderbilt, where he coached defensive backs during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In 2024, Jackson became a defensive coordinator for the first time when he joined the coaching staff at Idaho under former Jackrabbit colleague Jason Eck. He also coached the linebackers for a Vandals squad that advanced to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.Â
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During his first season at the helm in 2025, Jackson faced the challenge of having to quickly rebuild a roster and led the Jackrabbits to a 9-5 overall record, including a 4-4 mark in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. SDSU began the season with a seven-game winning streak that included back-to-back wins over ranked opponents from the Big Sky Conference: a 20-3 home win over Sacramento State, followed by a 30-24 double-overtime victory at eventual national champion Montana State. However, injuries to several key players mounted over the final month of the regular season and contributed to a rare losing streak before the Jackrabbits rebounded with a 34-31 overtime win at North Dakota that propelled SDSU into the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the 14th consecutive season.
Jackson was victorious in his playoff debut as the Jackrabbits posted a 41-3 home victory over New Hampshire at a snowy Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in the opening round.
Ten members of the 2025 Jackrabbit football team received all-MVFC honors, with offensive lineman Quinten Christensen, defensive lineman Kobe Clayborne and punter Max Pelham earning All-America recognition.
An Omaha native and a player at SDSU from 2003-05, Jackson joined the Jackrabbits’ coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2012, when SDSU began its current streak of 13 consecutive appearances in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. He was elevated to cornerbacks coach in 2014 and also served as recruiting coordinator, special teams coordinator and assistant head coach under John Stiegelmeier before moving on to Northern Illinois following the 2019 season.
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Jackson coached two seasons at Northern Illinois, then was hired at Vanderbilt, where he coached defensive backs during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In 2024, Jackson became a defensive coordinator for the first time when he joined the coaching staff at Idaho under former Jackrabbit colleague Jason Eck. He also coached the linebackers for a Vandals squad that advanced to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.Â
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Sunday, September 06
Sunday, September 06
Wednesday, September 02
Tuesday, September 01
