Jul. 31—BROOKINGS — The two-time defending FCS champions kicked off their bid for a three-peat on Wednesday with the first official practice of the 2024 season, and it was hard not to feel the absence of several faces that had become overly familiar at South Dakota State.
Mason McCormick and Garret Greenfield were gone from the offensive line group. Tight end Zach Heins‘ big red head wasn’t there poking above those of his teammates. No Jadon or Jaxon Janke. Zach Lujan had been a presence on the first day of camp every year since 2014, when he was the backup quarterback to Austin Sumner — he’s now in Chicago calling plays for Northwestern.
But after winning two national titles behind a deeply experienced roster, the Jackrabbits now have an opportunity to do it with a somewhat new cast of characters.
There are still plenty of veterans on this team, and as much talent as any in the Championship Subdivision, but new faces will need to step into new roles for SDSU to win again. They’re relishing that opportunity.
“We’ve been saying we’re going to write our own story,” said running back Amar Johnson, who rushed for 801 yards last year as a backup to current New York Jet Isaiah Davis. “There’s obviously a lot of talk about last year’s team and how special it was, but that season is over. We have to move on to the next one. This team hasn’t done anything.”
No, the Jackrabbits aren’t playing the ‘nobody believes in us’ card. They were the consensus pick to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference and will be No. 1 in the first Top 25 polls of the season. They’ll take a 29-game winning streak into their season opener Aug. 31 at Oklahoma State. Everyone believes in them.
But there are new players who must prove themselves and in some cases replace All-Americans, and Johnson says those players will indeed take the field this year with the proverbial chip on their shoulder because, he says, “We have to find something to fuel us.”
For the veterans who are back — namely quarterback Mark Gronowski, linebacker Adam Bock and the other returning starters, there’s an understanding that they must pick up some of the slack in the locker room. There’s no concern about the skill level.
“Losing that leadership is always tough,” said Gronowski, the reigning national player of the year. “Those guys were such great leaders and they were our hardest workers. We’re missing that. But guys are stepping up. Offensively we haven’t lost a stride. We’re gonna keep improving every day.”
So much work is done in offseasons now that players are expected to show up to the first day of camp already in shape and ready to hit the ground running when it comes to rehearsing plays, executing drills and competing. Still, the first day of practice gets them back into the routine of being coached every day and maximizing their reps with the offense or defense.
“Our energy was good, effort was solid,” coach Jimmy Rogers said of the first day. “A little sloppy at times with dropping balls and things, but I felt like the execution of understanding stuff was really good for a first day. Still a ton of practices to go.”
Rogers leaned heavily on those fifth and sixth year seniors last year as a rookie coach, but when asked if he could feel their absence on Wednesday he downplayed it. He seemed far most concerned with the tasks at hand.
“How different is it? I’ll tell you at practice fifteen,” Rogers chuckled. “That’s when practice gets hard. It’s easy to have energy on day one. When it’s hot out and we’re hitting each other, maybe that’s when we miss Mason. As of right now there’s a lot of new guys getting reps and working out kinks. Getting back to some things they know but haven’t had said to them in awhile.”
On the offensive line, center Gus Miller and right guard Evan Beerntsen, both all-conference players, are back, and if the season started today, Quinten Christensen would be the starter at left tackle, Ethan Vibert at left guard and Sam Hagen, a transfer from North Dakota, at right tackle. A 6-foot-6, 320-pound junior, Hagen is already getting high marks from the coaching staff. He started every game at guard last year for UND.
Brendan Begeman saw reps at running back behind Johnson on Wednesday, while Davin Stoffel, a 6-6 redshirt freshman, is seen as a potential breakout player at tight end. The Jacks have almost no experience at that position, but Rogers says the talent within the group is as good as any in FCS.
On defense the Jacks have every intention of continuing to play a big rotation in their front four, while competition in the back end will be fierce. The Jacks are loaded at safety, Dalys Beanum is one of the league’s most reliable cornerbacks, and 6-3 senior Steven Arrell is finally healthy, with a shot to start alongside Beanum.
At linebacker, the Jacks, as usual, have an excess of capable bodies. Bock is an All-American returning at the Mike, while Graham Spalding, another senior, looks poised to be a leader on the defense. Hudson Metcalf is a senior transfer from Colorado Mesa, while Aaron Kusler and Daeton Mcgaughy are also seniors who have been waiting patiently for an opportunity.
When asked which of these groups might feature the fiercest competition for playing time, Rogers was vague, not because he didn’t want to tip his hand, but because he tends not to place great emphasis on who is starting. The goal is to develop depth so that whoever is in the game at any given time can produce at a high level.
“We coach and treat every player as if they’re going to start,” Rogers said. “It has…
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