COLLEGE FOOTBALL August 27, 2025 0 Comments

SDSU Football’s Starting Lineup Locked In—But Could a Last-Minute Shakeup Change Everything?

BROOKINGS — The much-anticipated two-deep roster for South Dakota State’s season opener against Sacramento State is finally out, and it’s stirring up all sorts of excitement. This isn’t just any lineup—there are fresh faces making their debut in the starting slots, under a brand-new coaching regime led by Dan Jackson. The whole roster has a different vibe compared to last year’s Jacks squad, and Jackson’s made it crystal clear: things are fluid, especially in these early days of the season. Depth is the name of the game here, with fierce competition at running back, wide receiver, and linebacker—and don’t overlook the battle shaping up across both offensive and defensive lines, plus the secondary. Yet, the tight end spot, while deep, still begs for a standout leader. Jackson’s strategy? Play a deep rotation, keep players fresh, and expect some surprises when the lights hit on game day—because the guys who shine in practice don’t always steal the show under stadium lights. The Week 1 clash with Sac State could weigh just as much as the whole preseason grind, with the head coach eager to unleash creativity and trust his players to find their groove on the field. It’s a season full of promise and possibility, with no depth chart set in stone. LEARN MORE

By
Matt Zimmer

“And, you know, we have confidence in our entire roster,” Jackson added. “Every one of our players brings value, and it’s our job as coaches to find that value, bring it out of them, and then trust them and put them in the game. And even from a special team standpoint, the amount of guys that will play, you may see a freshman out there on a special teams unit make a great play, and then he’s playing a lot for you by week two, three, or four. So there’s some positions I certainly expect depth charts to be just kind of moving and growing as guys get comfortable. And I’m really excited to see who steps up on a big stage. I have a feeling we have some guys that are a little bit wired that way. They practice really hard, but when the lights come on in the games, they’re just going to get better on Saturdays.”

BROOKINGS — South Dakota State has released their two-deep for Saturday’s season opener against Sacramento State.

The Jacks are uncommonly deep at running back, wide receiver and linebacker, and have had healthy competition on the offensive and defensive lines and in the secondary. Tight end is deep but lacking an obvious leader/playmaker.The coaches have been evaluating all through camp, but Week 1 against Sac State could carry as much weight as the last month.Here it is: “We’re going to run starters out there, (but) we’ve got twos and threes and guys that we have scripted to play X number of plays,” Jackson said. “But, you know, practice is one thing, and then there’s guys that get into games and can just elevate their game a little bit more. And with the new staff and new players, you know, I think I have a good gut feel as to who those players are going to be, but there’s certainly going to be two, three, four, five guys that play a little bit better on Saturday or get out there under the lights and show what they can do. And so we will be flexible with the depth chart throughout the entire season. We’ll be creative with how we’re using our players on offense, defense. I want to play, you know, over 25 guys on defense, I think that’s a really good number to be able to stay fresh throughout an entire season and certainly a game.”And with the success the Jacks have had in playing deep rotations on defense they certainly want to keep doing that. Plenty of guys not starting Saturday and maybe not even on the Week 1 two-deep will end up contributing, and maybe even moving into the starting lineup at some point. Nothing is set in stone, and Jackson seems to almost expect some players to show things on Saturdays they maybe haven’t in practice.Several players are stepping into the starting lineup for the first time. It’s a new coaching staff and markedly different roster than the Jacks had just one year ago, and coach Dan Jackson has made clear since the start of camp that the depth chart would be fluid, especially early in the season.