BROOKINGS It was one year ago that South Dakota State won its first national championship. The path to their first title was filled with plenty of adversity with losses to conference rivals, playoff heartbreaks, and games that got away.
But that moment in Frisco was so much sweeter because of the challenges they faced to earn that national title and on Sunday, the Jacks made their final step to get back to that championship stage.
After defeating Montana 23-3 to secure a second straight national title, the joy of becoming the fifth team in Football Championship Subdivision history felt like putting SDSU on the map. But it also presented a new wave of challenges just like it did when the Jacks won their first national title.
Repeating as a national champion is one of the biggest challenges in collegiate sports. Where a professional team can rely on LeBron James or Tom Brady to come back every year, a college team only gets a player for four to five years.
Even then, that player might not crack the starting lineup for the first two or three years of their career, giving them a one or two-year window to make an impact.
This season, the Jacks were blessed to have all of their impact players contribute for an extended period. SDSU brought back 20 starters from their 2022 national championship team and it led to a team that was a heavy favorite to repeat from the moment they kicked off against Western Oregon last August.
This team has been battle-tested, SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said after the Jacks defeated Montana on Sunday. This team has gone through a lot of heartache and theyve learned from it and weve stayed consistent in our approach moving forward. Thats largely due to the leadership thats on this football team.
The returning experience gave the Jacks an advantage at every level. Quarterback Mark Gronowski became the first player in school history to win the Walter Payton Award as the FCSs top player. Running back Isaiah Davis cemented himself as one of the best running backs in the country. Wide receivers Jadon and Jaxon Janke are two of the top targets in the country and the offensive line anchored by Mason McCormick and Garret Greenfield took the 605 Hogs nickname to another level.
The defense also stepped up in a big way in 2023. With DyShawn Gales and Dalys Beanum manning the secondary, they were joined by Cale Reeder and Tucker Large to form one of the top secondaries in the FCS.
When Adam Bock went down with a foot injury early in the season, there was a group of players ready to step up. Jason Freeman became one of the nations top linebackers and Saveion Williamson, a player that has fought through his history of injuries, also stepped in.
Even where the Jacks needed to replace players, they had the experience to handle it. All-Americans Reece Winkelman and Caleb Sanders graduated from last years team and the Jacks replaced them with a rotation that featured defensive ends Quinton Hicks, Cade Terveer, Zac Wilson and defensive tackles Ryan Van Marel.
With the mix of experience and players ready to seize the moment, the Jacks passed each challenge with flying colors. They erased a 10-point lead at home against Montana State and ran through the Missouri Valley Football Conference gauntlet for their second straight outright title. When the playoffs arrived, the Jacks hit another gear, out-scoring their opponents 146-15 to get back on that stage in Frisco.
It was another high point for SDSU football in a stretch where theyve continued to raise the bar. But the elite programs dont have a pair of good years only to fall off. They continue to build and aim for a higher standard.
This could prove to be a bigger challenge this time around. Members of the 2018 senior class are set to graduate and othersi could find their way into the transfer portal, which has become college footballs biggest threat toward building a dynasty.
Even the Jacks coaching staff will see changes as offensive coordinator Zach Lujan is reportedly set to become the offensive coordinator at Northwestern.
Rogers has spoken glowingly about SDSUs ability to find players that buy in and invest in the program. While some FCS schools have trouble keeping their players as they look for a path to the NFL, the Jacks have shown they can provide that path with Tucker Kraft, Chris Oladokun and Pierre Strong Jr. becoming draft picks in recent years.
But it all presents a challenge as the Jacks look to become the fourth school in FCS history with three or more national championships and the third school along with Appalachian State (2005-07) and North Dakota State (2011-15, 2017-19) to win three or more consecutive national titles.
It presents a daunting task for SDSU to not only celebrate what theyve done but help it continue moving forward. But if theres one thing the Jacks have done during their run, its been clearing each challenge one step at a time.
I know its somewhat sick, but this is who I am and I will try to reset really quick, Rogers said. Football is what I know. Its what I think about. Its what I eat, sleep and love for and doing it with these guys. Thats what matters to me. Its that the next class walks out with their head high on that stage.
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