South Dakota State football opens training camp ready for another title run
After a 2021 season that saw South Dakota State play 25 games, appear in their first national championship in the spring and then go back to the FCS semifinals in the fall, the Jackrabbits were back on the turf at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Friday for the first day of practice in 2022.
They got a full offseason of rest and preparation this time, and coming up short of a return trip to Frisco by way of a convincing season-ending loss to Montana State sent SDSU into the winter dejected but determined. After spending spring practice acclimating to multiple coaching changes and the graduation of a sizeable senior class, the Jacks appear to have had a productive summer, because they clearly shifted right into full gear in Friday’s camp opener.
Position coaches were demanding in individual drills, and live sessions were competitive. For a team that still hasn’t claimed its first national championship despite years of being serious contenders, there’s a sense of urgency permeating every second of their work.
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“Every one of these reps is like gold, you guys,” offensive line coach Ryan Olson said to his troops at one point. “We can’t afford to waste a single one.”
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That might make it sound like the environment is a stressful or tense one, but after 10 straight playoff appearances and multiple trips to the FCS’s final four, it’s just Jackrabbit training camp.
“I’d say it’s a little bit of both, actually,” said senior cornerback Malik Lofton. “There’s pressure. Obviously with this being my last go-round, I want to get that (national championship), and we have one of the best teams we’ve ever had on paper. That means the pressure is there. But that’s become the standard now. We’re right there. We’ve been so close. We just have to break through that wall.”
That task is now fully underway, with the season opener against last year’s Big Ten West Division champion Iowa Hawkeyes less than a month away. And though this team has a number of key starters to replace, there are several outstanding returners, and those veterans liked what they saw on Friday.
“I thought it was a phenomenal first day,” said wide receiver Jaxon Janke. “I was real happy with how the young guys were attacking every rep and attacking every drill. For them, those drills are the most important thing right now. And for the upperclassmen and returners there was a lot of good stuff going on today, too. We were definitely able to hit the ground running.”
Mark Gronowski is back
First things’s first – spring season Valley MVP Mark Gronowski, is back to 100 percent and looked sharp in his first official full practice since the week of the national championship in the spring of 2021. He has full mobility back after a knee injury wiped out his 2021 fall campaign, and appears to have perhaps improved his arm strength as well.
He’ll be working with running back Isaiah Davis, a preseason all-conference pick after missing much of last year with a shoulder injury, as well as a wide receiver and tight end corps so deep that one of the most common questions early on has been whether there will be enough balls to go around. Virtually everyone on the offense, players and coaches, simply admits that there aren’t. So they’re just not going to worry about it.
“Realistically there’s probably ever enough balls to go around,” said Janke, who had 72 catches for 1,165 yards last year and enters the season as one of the FCS’s top NFL prospects. “But this team – at the end of last season we all went in and talked to (head coach John Stiegelmeier) and everyone was on the same page that we all know and are comfortable with the fact that there’s one ball, and the main goal is to win a national championship, and we need to do that however we can and be happy with whatever opportunities we get.”
Scouts from the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins and Super Bowl champion Rams were on hand Friday, and they appeared to spend most of their time watching the Jacks offensive skill players, in particular tight ends Tucker Kraft and Zach Heins.
The Jacks said goodbye to three starters on the offensive line, several key members of the D-line, four-year starting linebacker Logan Backhaus, star running back Pierre Strong and much of their secondary (not to mention 1-year stopgap quarterback Chris Oladokun), so there are plenty of opportunities for new faces to step into larger roles. While the Jacks are confident in the talent they’re asking to do that, they acknowledge they need some guidance early on.
The veterans plan to stay on top of that for as long as it takes.
“You’re seeing a lot of coaching on the sidelines (from players),” Lofton said. “You know, pulling guys aside and helping them out, showing them what the veterans see and giving them the knowledge they need. We have a lot of talent, but we’re gonna need guys to step up. If they do we’ll be more alright – more than alright.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota State football opens training camp ready for another title run
