South Dakota State lands Iowa tackle Alexander Huhn over regional FCS rivals

South Dakota State added another long-term piece in the trenches when Cedar Falls offensive tackle Alexander Huhn committed on June 11, and the pledge says as much about the Jackrabbits’ recruiting model as it does about one lineman’s ceiling. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Huhn arrives as a 2027 prospect with room to grow, the kind of body type SDSU has leaned on to keep its Missouri Valley Football Conference standard intact.

The Jackrabbits won out over South Dakota, Drake, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, Illinois State and New Mexico, a regional offer list that showed how far Huhn’s profile had climbed in a short stretch. 247Sports lists him as a hard commitment to South Dakota State, while On3/Rivals also tracked him as a Class of 2027 tackle from Cedar Falls with a broader FCS market circling the same frame and upside.

That market kept moving even after his pledge. 247Sports’ timeline shows Northern Iowa extended an offer on June 23, after Huhn had already committed to SDSU, a late reminder that his recruitment remained active across the Upper Midwest. He also drew attention from North Dakota after attending the Fighting Hawks’ junior day, another sign that Valley programs were tracking the Iowa lineman closely as his stock rose.

What made South Dakota State stand out was not only the football. Huhn pointed to the engineering program, the program’s winning culture, its place at the top of the FCS, and his connection with head coach Dan Jackson and offensive line coach Mike Bangston. Jackson was named the 22nd head coach in South Dakota State history on Dec. 31, 2024, and Huhn’s commitment gives the new staff another early marker that its message is landing with recruits who value both development and championship expectations.

Prep Redzone described Huhn as one of Iowa’s offensive linemen whose recruitment has been on a roll, and the label fits the way his offers came in clusters. The important part for South Dakota State is not simply that Huhn chose the Jackrabbits, but that he fits the school’s preferred profile: big enough to project upward, technical enough to trust in the run game and pass protection, and still young enough to be molded.

Huhn said he plays physical, stays technically sound and finishes through the whistle, while also working to add weight and strength the right way. For South Dakota State, that is exactly the sort of developmental bet that keeps the roster cycle healthy, protects the identity up front and gives the program another chance to reload without backing off its standard in Brookings.