South Dakota State builds on strong spring, eyes healthier 2026 run

South Dakota State is still playing from a high standard

South Dakota State does not get judged like a normal FCS program. A 9-5 finish, a No. 14 seed, and a second-round playoff appearance would be a win almost anywhere else; in Brookings, it reads more like unfinished business. Dan Jackson’s first season ended with a 50-29 loss at Montana, and the lesson from that stretch is clear: the Jackrabbits are good enough to threaten the bracket, but not yet immune to the kind of injury spiral that can flatten a title chase.

That is why this spring mattered. Jackson was hired on Dec. 31, 2024 as the 22nd head football coach in South Dakota State history, and his second offseason has become less about installing a new identity and more about hardening the one already in place. The gap between a solid year and a championship year is usually small in the FCS. For the Jackrabbits, that gap showed up when quarterback Chase Mason was lost for a long stretch and the offense stumbled to a 1-4 record in his absence.

The real spring question was durability, not talent

The clearest proof of South Dakota State’s ceiling came when Mason returned against New Hampshire in the first round of the 2025 playoffs. The 14th-seeded Jackrabbits rolled to a 41-3 win, and Mason led touchdown drives on their first four possessions after a long layoff. That performance was a reminder that this team still has the kind of top-end quarterback play that can matter in November and December.

But the spring evaluation was never just about whether Mason can deliver when healthy. It was about whether the rest of the offense can absorb another setback if one comes. Jackson’s staff has seen how quickly a season can tilt when the quarterback room thins out, and that reality makes every healthy rep more valuable. The spring message in Brookings was less about chasing perfection than building a roster that does not collapse when adversity arrives.

Depth became part of the plan

The clearest sign that the program is treating depth as a priority came on Feb. 4, 2026, when South Dakota State added 17 mid-year transfers. All 17 were set to participate in spring practices, and the group included quarterbacks Josh Holst and Anthony Rezac. That kind of influx matters at a program like this because it turns spring from a maintenance period into a real competition window.

Jackson’s current staff framework also shows how the program is organizing itself for the next step. Eric Eidsness is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Brian Bergstrom runs the defense as defensive coordinator and safeties coach, and Isaiah Jackson handles special teams as coordinator. That structure suggests a staff trying to tighten the edges, not reinvent the wheel. At South Dakota State, where the margin is now measured against national title standards, cleaner depth charts can matter almost as much as star power.

The spring game was a checkpoint, not a celebration

The Jackrabbits closed spring practice with their annual spring game at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex on Saturday morning, with no admission charge. That is exactly the kind of public checkpoint that fits a program with championship expectations: a chance to see whether the rebuilt pieces fit before the pressure starts rising in August.

The details around the spring game also reinforced the broader tone. This is not a program celebrating the fact that spring ended. It is a program using spring to ask where the leaks still are. South Dakota State entered the 2025 season with a 14-year streak of FCS playoff appearances already in its pocket, and it also hosted a postseason game for the 10th straight season. That kind of continuity raises the standard even further. Once a team has lived at that level for this long, spring is about preserving the edge, not merely keeping the floor from falling out.

The 2026 schedule leaves little room for a slow start

The schedule gives Jackson a real chance to prove his roster can convert spring progress into fall production. South Dakota State’s 12-game slate includes seven home games, starting with Stetson on Aug. 29, 2026 and followed by a road trip to Northwestern on Sept. 5, 2026. The rest of the home board brings New Haven, Youngstown State, Eastern Illinois, Murray State, and South Dakota to Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, and Jackson said the setup gives the program a chance to “reach its goals” and could even lead to seven sellouts.

That is the kind of detail that makes this season more than a local story. Seven home games create a built-in runway, but Northwestern on the road immediately tests whether the Jackrabbits can carry their form outside the MVFC calendar. If South Dakota State wants to look like a true national contender again, it has to handle both the routine home heavy lifting and the early nonconference test.

The league race still tells the truth

If there is any doubt about what needs to change, the 2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings provide it. South Dakota State went 4-4 in league play and finished sixth, behind North Dakota State, South Dakota, Illinois State, Youngstown State, and North Dakota. That is a reminder that the Jackrabbits were not just unlucky last fall; they were also behind the conference’s top tier in the standings.

That is what gives the spring updates their weight. South Dakota State is not rebuilding from scratch, and that is exactly why the questions are sharper. Can Mason stay upright? Can the added transfer depth hold up if the injury luck turns again? Can Jackson’s second-year structure move the Jackrabbits back up the MVFC ladder? The answer will decide whether a 9-5 season was a dip or the beginning of a more complicated climb. In Brookings, anything less than a healthier, steadier run still leaves the biggest goal unfinished.