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BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO) – The energy was high in Brookings on Thursday as the Jackrabbits opened fall camp.
“For the guys that came back for this year, I mean it’s just, there’s so much fuel in everybody that we just can’t wait to get back and get going again,” senior defensive lineman Dawson Ripperda said.
“Fall camp is great because you never even really know what day of the week it is, it’s just the next day,” South Dakota State head coach Dan Jackson said. “Last night was tough to sleep. Fall camp is my favorite time of the year. 8 a.m. in the morning to eight at night of just pure football is awesome.”
This year marks the second fall with coach Jackson at the helm.
“The biggest difference is I had a lot to grow, I needed to grow, and so did the team,” Jackson said. “I’m seeing more than I saw a year ago because you’re not trying to save the program every day. And that’s been fun and that’s where I’ve grown the most.”
SDSU is the preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They return quarterback Chase Mason, who was named to the Preseason Walter Payton Award Watch List.
“We have a great group of guys here, super talented. It’s just keeping our head down, keep working,” said Mason. “We got a chip on our shoulder at all times. Preseason rankings and preseason awards don’t matter at all unless we win it in Nashville. That’s all that I care about right now.”
Coach Jackson is focused on the little things that go into getting a team to the National Championship.
“We’ve got to go 1-0 every day. And for us, that’s winning everything,” Jackson said. “Winning every drill, winning how we eat lunch, winning how we take a nap in between here, winning how we hydrate. It’s doing the thing day-to-day with a focused mindset on winning.”
Day one is in the books for the Jacks who will try to get the most out of each day.
“I love this team. I love the guys on this team. I love our staff. I want to maximize every single second that we have together,” Jackson said. “So, we’re never going to look ahead because I’m not going to want it to be over anyways.”
The Jacks will kick its season off on Saturday, August 29 as they host Stetson. The game will be broadcast on KELOLAND-TV.
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