BROOKINGS Many thought that senior linebacker Adam Bock would be leaving South Dakota State after this season. Thats not the case.
Jimmy Rogers said on Thursday that the senior from Solon, Iowa will use his final year of eligibility next season and continue his storied career for the Jackrabbits.
Bock will have a chance to continue to climb the record books as right now he ranks fifth all time in career tackles with 333. Rogers said hes one of the best to ever do it at linebacker for SDSU.
Well, Adam Bock isnt done yet. But hes one of the best to ever play here, for sure, Rogers said.
The career tackles leader for SDSU is Christian Rozeboom at 475. Should Bock have a fully healthy season next year he has a chance to set the all-time record, which is something he would love to do considering how his past two seasons have gone.
He burst onto the scene during the 2021 spring season with 74 tackles, helping lead the Jacks to their first national championship appearance. He then had a career-high 125 tackles in the fall of 2021, which ranks fifth in a single season at SDSU.
He started the 2022 season strong with 58 tackles in eight games but then suffered a foot injury that caused him to miss four-straight games. He came back in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs and finished the season with 76 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble, and helped the program win their first ever national championship.
Heading into the 2023 season, Bock had the mind set that he would be fully healthy and raring to go. That feeling didnt last long as Bock re-injured his foot in fall camp and missed the first four weeks of the season. He would return against North Dakota and led the team with 10 tackles, but re-aggravated the injury and had to miss two more games.
Its tough, Bock said. You train all year, you train all summer and then have an unfortunate injury that keeps you out of the game. Thats definitely tough, but everyone stepped up throughout the year, regardless of position. Its a bummer when you cant be there for your guys.
While missing that many games during the past two seasons could have been a detriment to the teams play, it didnt seem to affect the Jacks at all. They continued to be dominant and the linebacking core didnt miss a beat. Bock credited that to the continuity and the special bond that the linebacking room has developed over the past two seasons.
We take pride in team success rather than individual success, Bock said. Its awesome. We have a lot of fun on defense and thats one of the main things that keeps us so close. We have a lot of fun at practice, especially in the linebacker unit. I dont think weve had a closer group of guys as far as a linebacker room. That always helps a ton as far as playing great defense.
That close knit bond that Bock has had with the fellow linebackers was something that allowed him to keep his head up during his time out and is something that pushed him to come back for not just this season but next season as well.
When youre injured it really stinks that youre not on the field, but you never feel like youre not a part of the team anymore. Everybody is checking in on you and seeing how youre doing and stuff like that. So, even though youre not on the field, I think this brotherhood is so deep that you dont really feel like youre missing out team-wise on stuff. Thats been a huge part of these past two seasons and being injured and is definitely a part of the reason [Im] coming back, Bock said.
Bock is known as the leader of the defense whether its from fans or the coaching staff, even though he noted that theres a lot of leaders on the defensive side of the ball. Rogers said its Bocks work ethic that makes him one of the best to ever put on the yellow and blue.
Its his work habits, its his study habits. Hes fanatical about improving and he doesnt get complacent. I think thats a rare trait. Credit to his parents, they did a great job of raising just an unbelievable person and a great student. Hes someone that isnt afraid to fail and he works extremely hard both physically and mentally. Hes the total package and Im excited to have him back for one more year, Rogers said.
Since coming back from injury, Bock has had 44 tackles, a tackle for a loss and a sack. Being this is the second straight season that he has had to battle through injury to get to the national championship game, Bock said he feels blessed to be in the position he will be in on Jan. 7 in Frisco.
Its nice to be back. Theres nothing that compares to being out and being at your lowest point and hopefully finishing the season at your highest point. Its definitely two extremes, Bock said.
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