South Dakota, Montana State target turnover-making defensive backs in spring recruiting push

South Dakota and Montana State are building their 2027 defensive boards around the same currency that changes games in the FCS: turnovers. The Coyotes went after Racine, Wisconsin, corner-safety Amarie King, while the Bobcats pushed for Manteca, California, athlete Jayden Harris, a bigger hybrid with production at every level of the stat sheet.

King’s offer from South Dakota came after he spoke with defensive coordinator Billy Kirch, who joined Travis Johansen’s staff in January 2025. That matters because Kirch is selling a defense that already looked sharper than the numbers suggest, finishing fourth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in total defense in 2025 at 356.6 yards allowed per game. South Dakota is clearly prioritizing ball skills, and King fits the brief. He broke up eight passes and intercepted six more as a junior at Case High School, adding 44 tackles to show he can tackle in space, not just chase highlights. The Coyotes told him his film was amazing and that they wanted to offer him, a clean signal that they see a true playmaker rather than a body type.

King’s profile is smaller in one database and more filled out in another, listed around 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds by Prep Redzone after being described at 5-7, 140 in the roundup. Either way, South Dakota is betting on instincts over scale. He now has visits lined up to South Dakota and Drake, and that puts the Coyotes in a tight race for a defender who looks like he lives on the ball.

Montana State is chasing a different defender, but the theme is the same: disruption. Harris landed his latest offer from the Bobcats during a Junior Day visit, where he met with cornerbacks coach Jordan Lee, defensive coordinator Bobby Daly and head coach Brent Vigen. The message was blunt: Montana State liked his versatility and wanted him to play early. Harris has the kind of production that makes that pitch easy to sell. At Manteca High School, he posted 63 tackles, 11 pass breakups, nine interceptions, six tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two pick-sixes.

That stat line explains why his recruiting profile has stretched beyond the FCS. He already holds offers from Idaho, Washington State and Sacramento State, with San Diego State also in the mix, and his listed frame at roughly 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds on MaxPreps and 247Sports suggests a true hybrid, not a pure cover man. Hudl lists him as a WR/CB, and MaxPreps says he plays football and basketball, which only sharpens the idea that Montana State is recruiting an athlete who can move around, not sit in one lane.

The Bobcats can sell something South Dakota cannot: a fresh national title. Montana State beat Illinois State 35-34 in overtime on Jan. 5, 2026, to win the 2025-26 FCS championship, and that ring gives Vigen’s staff a louder pitch to 2027 defensive backs who want to make turnovers on a winner’s stage.