Division I football recruiting roundup: SDSU football announces addition of 18 players for 2023 class

Dec. 22—BROOKINGS — As the first day of the NCAA's early signing window came and went on Wednesday, South Dakota State football announced 18 players set to join the Jackrabbits' roster in 2023.

Included in the recruiting class were six South Dakota talents representing four of the seven football classifications.

"We are excited to add the 2023 recruiting class to the Jackrabbit Football Family," said SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier in a statement. "Our coaches have done an excellent job of finding great student-athletes who fit at South Dakota State University. We had a limited number of spots on our team and our coaches were able to take care of all our needs. We can't wait to get this class on campus."

On offense, the Jackrabbits added Sioux Falls Jefferson wide receiver Griffin Wilde, Herreid/Selby Area running back Brenden Begeman and Rapid City Central offensive lineman William Paepke. Meanwhile, both defensive additions hailed from Tea Area in lineman Reis Kirschenman and linebacker Chase Van Tol. Rounding out the homegrown recruits was Aberdeen Roncalli kicker/punter Jackson Isakson.

One of the top playmakers in the state with the ball in his hands, Wilde hauled in 100 passes for 1,858 yards and 22 touchdowns, while also contributing three kick-return scores on special teams between his junior and senior seasons in the upstart Jefferson program. The 6-foot-2 target ended his prep career with a state championship in Class 11AAA.

Begeman, who holds the state's all-time and single-season rushing records after a mammoth senior season, earned all-state recognition at both running back and defensive back during his time at Herreid/Selby Area. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Begeman brings an element of physicality to the SDSU backfield and knows how to win, having been to three state title games in four seasons.

Paepke, a Jackrabbit legacy (his father, Karl, played linebacker for SDSU in the 90s), was an anchor on the line of scrimmage for Rapid City Central. Though he'll play offensive line in college, he earned Class 11AAA all-state selection along the defensive front this fall, accumulating 95 tackles, seven sacks and four forced fumbles over the past two seasons.

A two-time first-team all-state selection, Kirschenman racked up 58 tackles, including 25 for loss and 12.5 sacks during his Tea Area career, helping the Titans transition seamlessly from Class 11A to 11AA. Selected to play in the Blue-Grey All-American game earlier this month, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Kirschenman recorded 3.5 sacks competing against other top talents from across the country.

In the conversation for the most versatile football player in the state, Chase Van Tol was heavily involved in all three phases at Tea Area. For his career, he gained 2,860 all-purpose yards, converted on 139 of 163 (85.2%) extra-point attempts and 15 of 21 field goals with a long of 51 yards, and made 74 tackles with nine for loss.

Roncalli's starting kicker since the eighth grade, Isakson connected on 18 field goals for his career and was an all-state special teams selection as a junior and senior. This season Isakson made 22 of 25 extra-point tries, booted 24 of 32 kickoffs for touchbacks and dropped four punts inside the 10-yard line with a per-punt average of 37 yards.

The Jackrabbits' other additions included: quarterback Kaden Brown (Midlothian, Texas), wide receivers Joseph Randle (St. Anthony, Minn.) and Joe Roll (Gretna, Neb.), tight ends Joseph Neumann (Antioch, Ill.) and Davin Stoffel (Mosinee, Wis.), offensive linemen Jackson Kerstin (Naperville, Ill.), Noah Atherton (Longmont, Colo.) and Kenyon BigBow (Anadarko, Okla.), defensive linemen Bryce Hawthorne (Osseo, Minn.) and Nicholas Wells (Sioux City, Iowa) and defensive backs Noah St-Juste (Clearwater, Fla.) and Kolten Tilford (North Platte, Neb.).

The University of South Dakota also announced 15 new additions to its football program on Wednesday.

"This is an exciting and talented class for our program," said USD coach Bob Nielson in a statement. "Last year's class was heavy on linemen, so we wanted to address some depth in the skill positions and that's what we did. We have added numbers at every position, which is certainly a plus, and there are talented and skilled players up and down this list. We have a lot of guys who really love football, and we're excited about bringing them in and having them hit the ground running with our returning group."

Mount Vernon/Plankinton's Reed Rus was the lone South Dakotan in the bunch, as the Titans' standout will be a preferred walk-on at linebacker for the Coyotes. During his senior season with MVP, Rus totaled 58 tackles, including 13 for a loss. At quarterback, he ran 145 times for 1,172 yards and 21 touchdowns, while going 26-for-51 passing for 447 yards and four touchdowns.

The Coyotes' other additions included: quarterback Todd Drummond (Pawhuska, Okla.), running backs Keyondray Jones (Orlando, Fla.) and L.J. Phillips Jr. (Wichita, Kan.), wide receivers Larenzo Fenner (Independence, Mo.), Demetrius Johnson (Miami, Fla.) and Curtis Thomas Jr. (Cleveland, Ohio), tight end Jesse Miller (Scranton, Iowa), offensive linemen Caleb Lange (Brainerd, Minn.) and Jac Van Wyhe (Rock Rapids, Iowa), defensive lineman Tayeton Lohaus (Humboldt, Iowa), linebackers Gabriel Hardman (Miami, Fla.) and Lenard Hill (Ocala, Fla.) and defensive backs Noah Smith (Chicago, Ill.) and Roman Tillmon (Independence, Mo.).

Three South Dakota talents from the Class of 2023 opted to pursue out-of-state opportunities and made those commitments official on Wednesday.

Pierre had a pair of Big Ten signees. Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, who recently de-committed from Washington before choosing Ohio State, inked his National Letter of Intent to join the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-3 dual-threat signal caller finished his career as South Dakota's all-time passing leader (9,100 yards) and accounted for 12,602 total yards and 148 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, defensive lineman Jason Maciejczak (formerly of Douglas) is headed to Nebraska to play for the Huskers as part of the first wave of recruits under new coach Matt Rhule. This season, his only in the state capital, the 6-foot-4, 320-pound lineman had 21 tackles (six for loss) with three sacks and a fumble recovery.

Sioux Falls Washington's Abraham Myers, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound defensive lineman, is headed to North Dakota State. Myers notched 34 tackles, including 15.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks and also blocked a punt for the Warriors this season.