The Jackrabbits are in the thick of it with winter workouts and spring ball really isn’t THAT far away with the spring game slated for Saturday, April 12th.  The roster is set for now with the possibility of further additions through the transfer portal after adding 12 guys through the portal this winter.  However, this roster is pretty dang complete already and will be bolstered by 40+ 2025 commits.  As we think about spring ball and the current state of the roster, here are things that I’m wondering about.

Who emerges at wide receiver?

The Jackrabbits have had a dominant wide receiver for over a decade.  The Jacks have gone from Jason Schneider to Jake Wieneke to Cade Johnson, to Jaxon/Jadon Janke, and to Griffin Wilde but there is certainly a question who will be the top-dog in 2025.  The surprise of the 2024 season was the emergence of walk-on true freshman #80 Lofton O’Groske.  He has the physical traits (6-2, 200) to be “The Guy” but it is a big step to go from 15 rec and 212 yards to what will be expected next season.  He showed incredible hands, route running, and was just plain reliable in 2024.  Can he take that next step?  #12 Grahm Goering has made some big plays over the last two seasons but he has also had a maddening case of the drops and battled injuries in 2024.  If he can clean up the drops, his speed allows him to be a true difference maker that stretches the defense.  #6 Elijah Ervin certainly looks bigger than his 6-1, 195 listing.  The senior played a role as a physical blocker in the run game in 2024 but he finished with just 2 receptions for 13 yards.  #13 Ky Oday Jr. remains a player that I just want to stay healthy.  The former Colorado State player had elite speed prior to his injuries (and may still).  Jacks fans have yet to see him in action though.  Hopefully this is the year.  #8 Sammy Dresie and #19 Jack Smith certainly look to build on successful freshmen campaigns where they both earned numerous “Scout Player of the Week” awards but their experience is obviously limited.

The Jacks have already been aggressive in the portal by adding Reese Osgood (Iowa) and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda (Nebraska).  Osgood did not record any stats at Iowa but his highlight tape from practice shows an incredible route runner with great hands.  He is also from a really solid high school program in Franklin, WI.  Garcia-Castaneda was limited in his opportunities at Nebraska over the past few years but had 98 passes for 1,592 yards across three seasons spread between Saddleback College and New Mexico State.  Isaiah was the primary punt returner at Nebraska this past season and that tells me he has reliable hands, sound decision making, and good quickness.

Yes, I fully expect incoming freshmen Landon Dulaney and Luke Womack to compete for reps with this crew next fall.  But for now, as we look ahead to spring ball this position group is WIDE open.  Players will need to emerge as reliable options or the Jacks could hit the portal again.

What happens on the interior of the OL?

The Jackrabbits lose veterans Gus Miller, Evan Beerentsen, and Ethan Vibert. Obviously replacing two multi-year starters and all-conference caliber players as well as a key depth piece and 1 year starter is no easy task.  I think the tackle position is solid with both starters returning and a slew of younger guys who have a ton of upside.   The center position is crucial to get right, especially with a new starting quarterback.  I believe that redshirt freshmen #74 Shane Willenbring (6-4, 285) and #73 Caden Hotz (6-2, 280) have a chance to really compete for that center position.  Former OL coach, Ryan Olson, was really excited about each of them prior to the season.  Willenbring had appearances in four regular season games, was on the playoff rosters, and was recruited by the Washington State staff.  To his credit, Hotz racked up 3 player of the week awards in 2024.  Former offensive line coach, Ryan Olson,

At the guard spots, I anticipate #77 William Paepke (6-5, 295), #62 Kenyon BigBow (6-5, 295) and transfer John Pica (6-3, 295) to battle it out.  Paepke started and played in stretches last season when Vibert was out.  He is a great athlete and it shows in his movement skills.  Strength and finishing power are areas that I’m sure he is growing in this offseason.  BigBow hasn’t seen a ton of action  but I have really liked what I have seen in the limited end of game samples over the last two seasons.  Pica dominated in his only two seasons at Dakota Weslyian.  Can he do it at the FCS level?  We will find out soon enough!  Another guy I anticipate to be in the running is #67 Ian Mutchler (6-4, 280).  He earned four straight Scout Player of the Week awards during the 2024 season.  If two of these guys don’t emerge, it wouldn’t shock me to see the Jacks ask either Sam Hagen or Marcus Hicks to kick inside if that can create a combination that results in “the best five guys” seeing the field.

For the 2025’s, we all know that the trenches in the MVFC is a VERY VERY tough place for true freshmen to succeed.  If anyone can do it, I think it may be Lincoln Semchenko or Micah Hach.  We won’t know anything about them as college players until summer but I think they could be two guys that could possibly contribute.

What does the running back room look like?

Much like the wide receiver room, the Jackrabbits have a long history of producing some high quality running backs.  The two returning players, #24 Brenden Begeman (6-2, 220) and #35 Quinton Renfro (5-11, 185) combined for 27 carries last fall.  Begeman set the South Dakota state single-season rushing record with 2,976 yards and 42 touchdowns in 2022.  He is a big back that also has some juice.  Renfro was a 3 star recruit and national top-100 running back recruit from Joplin , Missouri just a year ago after rushing for 1,600 yards and 18 TDs.  He earned scout offensive player of the week on 3 separate occasions and was a scout special teams player 1 time in 2024.  Joining these two for the spring is Wisconsin transfer Nate White (5-11, 185).  White was unable to find the field in two seasons in Madison but his high school highlight tapes are sure fun to watch.  He put up 1,345 yards and 26 TDs in just 10 games his senior season.   His tape shows a player who has a great combination of speed, quickness, and power with a real ability to make defenders miss.  How these 3 perform during spring ball will go a long way in determining if the Jacks are active in the portal for an experienced running back or not.

The Jackrabbits are brining in 5 very talented running backs as part of the 2025 class.  At this point I’m unsure of who would be “most ready” but Calvin Hughley Jr. (5-9, 190) and Corey Blair (6-3, 200) were 3 star recruits while Josiah Johnson (6-0, 200) , Joshua Myers (6’0, 190), and James Basinger (5’11, 200) were the top running back recruits in Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Colorado respectively.

Who emerges at corner?

In a bit of a surprise, the Jackrabbits did not add a single cornerback in the portal but instead are going to let the currently rostered guys compete it out this spring.  #2 Myles Taylor (6-1, 175) has the most experience of the group and rotated heavily during the 2023 championship run.  His speed and athleticism is certainly there, it really is just a matter of health.  #13 Aydan Dautermann (6-0, 185) has been a strong special teams contributor over the past two seasons but his play at corner has been up and down in limited action.  #6 Jalen Lee (6-0, 200) was called the best press-corner by the previous staff and saw an up-tick in playing time as the 2024 season went along.  *EDIT* We learned on our 2/17/25 live show with Coach Bergstrom that Jalen is moving to the safety room*.  #17 Abe Hoskins III (6-1, 195) is getting one more season of eligibility and contributed on special teams last season. We don’t really know anything about #16 Noah St-Juste (5-10, 175) yet through two seasons but his high school tape showed a terrific athlete who was really fluid.  2025 early enrollee, Myles Green, will be drinking from a firehose this spring to learn the defense and perfect his technique.  Being in Brookings this spring gives him an obvious leg-up.  Like many of the other groups listed in this post, this group has a lot to prove this spring.  Even if they all perform well, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Jacks grabbed a corner out of the portal just for some added depth. It is a long season and the corners in the MVFC must be physical and support in the run game.

*EDIT* We learned that Minnesota transfer, Jackson Powers will be starting in the cornerback room with the potential to kick back to safety.*

The Jacks will bring in two more freshmen this summer in Josiah Young and Justin Kabera but I don’t know if either will be physically ready to contribute in 2025.

Three new starters at linebacker, how will that go?

The Jackrabbits have historically found linebackers pretty easily.  Good, because they need to replace three starters plus 2 key veteran reserves this spring.  In the middle, I think the competition is between #11 Joe Ollman (6-1, 225) and #5 Cullen McShane (6-2, 230). The prior coaching staff always felt like McShane was the better athlete but Ollman was the better student of the game.  I thought that they both played really well when given the opportunity last fall.  McShane played well in back to back weeks vs. UNI and YSU while Ollman played really well against Missouri State after Adam Bock was ejected for targeting.  This is certainly a competition worth monitoring!

I anticipate #28 Chase Van Tol (6-1, 200) to be the SAM linebacker.  He was impressive in his limited action behind Francl and Mcgaughy and the former Jackrabbit head coach called him “The next great Jackrabbit linebacker.” Former Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year, #48 Jack Nash (6-1, 185) is a really intriguing prospect off of raw athleticism alone.  Local product, #45 Boden Schiller (6-1, 200) is also someone to keep an eye on.  He earned scout defensive player of the week two times as well as special teams player of the week 2 times.

The battle at WILL linebacker is really intriguing.  #33 Bryce Johnson (6-3, 215) was my presumed front runner after sitting behind Jason Freeman and Graham Spalding for 3 seasons.  He has flashed in his limited action and he is plenty intelligence as a pre-med student.  Johnson is a freak athlete who has performed well on special teams.  However, the Jacks brought in USF standout Matt Goering (6-1, 220) as competition.  Goering was a two-time All-NSIC honoree and was recruited by Washington State.

Depth at the linebacker position is key as we have seen throughout the years.  The MVFC is just so dang physical that injuries are bound to happen.  Whoever starts and whoever is a reserve is mostly inconsequential as everyone sees lots of time either on defense or special teams.  I don’t anticipate any of the 2025 signees playing base defense next fall regularly but Casey Larson (6’3, 200) and Andrew Price (6’0, 200) are  probably the most ready.

I love spring the spring game as we get a chance to see some of the young guys and new faces.  This year there are plenty of new names and numbers to learn but I really like the roster that Coach Jackson and staff have put together!  This should be fun to follow.

Go Jacks!

Matt