Wednesday is national college football signing day and below is a running list of South Dakota athletes that have signed to play with college football programs. (Note: The early signing period for Division I college football programs was in December). 

SDSU adds Iowa State transfer

The defending FCS national champs added a familiar name to the program.

Beresford High School graduate and Iowa State University transfer Blake Peterson will join the South Dakota State University football team. Peterson is a 6-foot-4, 255-pound defensive end that graduated from Iowa State with a bachelor’s degree in business management and will pursue an advanced degree in animal science at SDSU.

He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. His father, Brandon, lettered at SDSU from 1997-99. 

At Iowa State, played in 28 games over the past three seasons and tallied 21 tackles and two sacks. 

Former Gayville-Volin standout Andrew Gustad joins the Jackrabbits this spring after enrolling last fall. Gustad was a three-time all-conference and all-state selection in 2021. He tallied 114 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks as a senior. 

The Jacks also added five preferred walk-ons, including Sioux Falls Jefferson’s Beau Giblin. The all-state defensive back helped the Cavaliers win the Class 11AAA state championship this past fall. He was a two-time team captain that totaled 60 tackles with five interceptions, including two pick-sixes. 

Dakota State signs 32 South Dakotans 

The Dakota State University football team inked 32 South Dakotans, including two Northern State University transfers in Beau Bertram (Colome) and Kaden Eng (Castlewood). 

The rest of the future Trojans include: Colin Bauman (Deubrook Area), Ronald Begalka (Deuel), Gavin Benck (Deuel), Matthew Birkeland (Jones County), Zach Boden (Beresford), Caden DeVries (Madison), Elliott Devries (Huron), Gavin Folkers (White River), Dylan Fuoss (Jones County), Gannon Gruenhagen (De Smet), Noah Harrison (De Smet), Owen Heath (West Central), Tray Hettick (Selby Area), Kaden Hofer (Howard), Maddox Kihne (Freeman Academy), Dylan Langerock (Brandon Valley), Anthony Moser (Douglas), Ethan Nehl (Lemmon), John Parker (Sioux Falls Roosevelt), Landon Puffer (Hitchcock-Tulare), Keontay Rawls (Sioux Falls Roosevelt), Luke Schacher (Douglas), Landon Schurch (Beresford), Aaron 'AJ' Siemsen (Mitchell), Cruiz Vaughn (Sioux Falls Roosevelt), Ashton Wienk (Lake Preston), Terel Williams (Sioux Falls Roosevelt), Logan Williams (Douglas) and Niyongabo Yohana (Sioux Falls Jefferson). 

DWU signs 15 athletes from South Dakota

Dakota Wesleyan University signed 15 South Dakotans to national letter of intents. The group includes: Aidan Brower (Sioux Valley), Braeden Wulf (Lennox), Carson Kruggel (Sioux Falls Jefferson), Carter Skogsberg (Vermillion), Gabe Beman (Lennox), Hadley Wallace (Hanson), Jackson Jarding (Hanson), Jackson Knuth (Sioux Falls Jefferson), Jayden Huber (Sioux Falls Roosevelt), Jed Jenson (Rapid City Stevens), Landon Iverson (Hot Springs), Quade Parker (Custer) and Xzavian Ferris (West Central). 

Aidan Brower: Brower was a two-year starter at Sioux Valley High School. Was named Class 11B First Team All-State, Big East All-Conference and also All-Register Team. His team finished 9-1 his junior season and 5-4 during his senior campaign. Competed in track earning three letters.

Braeden Wulf: Wulf was a three-year letterwinner in football at Lennox High School. He finished career with 3,526 passing yards, 31 passing TD, 692 rush yards and 12 rush TD. Named to the All-State team and the All-Conference team twice. Was elected as a captain in all four sports he competed in throughout his high school career (football, baseball, basketball and track). Was on the honor roll and was a four-year starter in track and baseball while earning three letters in basketball. 

Carson Kruggel: Kruggel was a two-year starter at center and played a big part in his team going 12-0 and winning the championship his senior year at Jefferson. 

Carter Skogsberg: Skogsberg was a 2022 All-State Honorable Mention and 2021 & 2022 All-Conference award winner, also earned the 2022 Dennis Henseth award. Finished the 2021 season with 53 total tackles, 8 sacks and had 4 sacks in one game. On the National Honors Society and Academic All-State. Also competed in basketball.

Gabe Beman: Beman finished senior year with 25 total tackles and 2.0 tackles for a loss while compiling 21 total tackles, 4.0 tackles for a loss and 1 blocked kick his junior season. Also competed in wrestling earning two letters.

Hadley Wallace: Wallace earned All-Conference honors three years during his playing career while also collecting an All-State Honorable Mention. Finished career with 3,373 total yards, 41 total touchdowns, 158 total tackles and two interceptions. 

Jackson Jarding: Jarding was a four-year starter on the football team. Was named three time All-Conference, 2022 All-State, 2021 All-State honorable mention, 2022 Elite 45 honorable mention. Finished the season with 846 rush yards, 10 TD and four catches for 98 yards and 1 TD while on the defensive side having 47 tackles, two INT and 206 return yards with and 1 TD. 

Jackson Knuth: Knuth earned a varsity letter his senior year playing on the Class 11AAA Championship team that finished the season 12-0.

Jayden Huber: Huber recorded one interception and one forced fumble for the Rough Riders this past season. 

Jed Jenson: Jenson finished this season with 1,997 yards passing, 19 passing TD, 349 rush yards and 5 rush TD. Named to the 2022 All-Conference First Team.

Landon Iverson: Iverson finished his career with 2,217 rush yards, 22 TD, 28 receptions and 387 yards while on the defensive side of the ball had 171 total tackles, 6 sacks, 8.0 tackles for a loss, 10 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. Named 2020 most valuable special teams player and three-time black hills honors. Junior year his team finished 7-2 and senior year 8-3 earning back-to-back Black Hills Conference Champions. 

Quade Parker: Parker was a four-year letter winner in football at Custer. The All-State Honorable Mention was top-5 in 11A in sacks for the 2021 season. Also collected Academic All-State, two time All-Conference and two-time Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Xzavian Ferris: Ferris had 26 receptions for 347 yards and 2 TD for West Central. He was selected for the 2022 Indigenous Bowl. The Trojans went 10-2 senior season finishing as the runner-up.

Northern State adds 12 South Dakota players

The Northern State University football team officially signed 12 South Dakotans to national letters of intents on Wednesday. The future Wolves include: Carson Barnett (Harrisburg), Trenton Peterson (Sioux Falls Lincoln), Julian Scott (Rapid City Stevens), Karson Carda (Aberdeen Central), Matt Larson (St. Thomas More), Jarrett Theisen (Watertown), Noah Hutmacher (Chamberlain), Brian Johnson (Aberdeen Central), Isaac Johnson (Brandon Valley), Gabriel Lindeman (Dell Rapids St. Mary), Gabe Gutierrez (Sioux Falls Lincoln) and Tate Hoffman (Highmore).  

Carson Barnett: Barnett is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound wide receiver out of Harrisburg High School. He was a 2-year starter for the Tigers under the direction of head coach Brandon White. In the fall of 2022, Barnett tallied 750 yards receiving, averaging 26.8 yards per catch. Harrisburg won the South Dakota State Championship in the fall of 2021, the first title in program history. 

Trenton Peterson: Peterson is a 5-foot-11, 185-pound wide receiver out of Lincoln High School. He was a 2-year starter for the Patriots under the direction of head coach Jared Fredenburg. Peterson recorded over 800 yards receiving in his prep career with 11 touchdowns. In addition, he averaged 15.9 yards per reception.

Julian Scott: Scott is a 6-foot, 175-pound wide receiver out of Stevens High School. He was a 3-year starter and senior team captain for the Raiders under the direction of head coach Michael Scott. Scott tallied 801 yards receiving and 115 yards rushing his senior season, with seven touchdowns. He averaged 18.6 yards per catch and 26.5 yards per kick return. In 2022, Scott earned ESD All-Conference and 11AAA All-State awards. 

Karson Carda: Carda is a 6-foot, 220-pound running back out of Aberdeen Central High School. He was a 2-year starter and senior team captain for the Golden Eagles under the direction of head coach Justin Briese. Carda rushed for over 2,600 yards in his final two seasons with a combined 21 touchdowns. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry in his career. Carda was named to the all-state team in both 2021 and 2022. In addition, he earned ESD All-Conference.

Matt Larson: Larson is a 5-foot-10, 180-pound running back out of St. Thomas More. He was a 3-year starter and 2-year team captain for the Cavaliers under the direction of head coach Wayne Sullivan. Larson recorded nearly 2,000 career rushing yards with 26 touchdowns. He averaged 7.1 yards per carry in his career, adding 467 receiving yards. Larson is a 3-time Black Hills All-Conference selection and 2-time all-state linebacker.

Jarrett Theisen: Theisen is a 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman out of Watertown High School. He was a 3-year starter and senior team captain for the Arrows under the direction of head coach John Hodorff. In 366 total career pass plays, Theisen gave up just one sack and allowed 33 pressures. 

Noah Hutmacher: Hutmacher is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound defensive lineman out of Chamberlain High School. He was a 4-year starter and 2-year team captain for the Cubs under the direction of head coach Jeff Rademacher. Hutmacher tallied 381 career tackles, including 64 tackles for a loss and 16 sacks. He added four pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries, one for a touchdown, and one interception. As a senior, Hutmacher was honored on the SESD All-Conference team and All-State team.

Brian Johnson: Johnson is a 6-foot-2, 240-pound defensive end out of Aberdeen Central High School. He was a 3-year starter and senior team captain for the Golden Eagles under the direction of head coach Justin Briese. Johnson tallied over 40 career tackles, including seven sacks. He was named to the ESD All-Conference team and was voted to the all-state honorable mention team.

Isaac Johnson: Johnson is a 6-foot, 300-pound defensive lineman out of Brandon Valley High School. He was a 3-year starter and senior team captain for the Lynx under the direction of head coach Matt Christensen. As a senior, Johnson tallied 23 pancake blocks and allowed zero sacks on the BVHS offensive line. He added eight tackles and two sacks in his first two seasons. In 2022, Johnson earned ESD All-Academic, all-metro, and all-state honors. Brandon Valley won the South Dakota State Championship in 2019 and 2021. 

Gabriel Lindeman: Lindeman is a 6-foot-3, 240-pound defensive end out of Dell Rapids St. Mary High School. He was a 4-year starter and senior team captain for the Cardinals under the direction of head coach Ross Flemmer. Lindeman recorded 171 career tackles, including 22 sacks, as well as seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and one interception. He was a 2-time DVC All-Conference honoree and All-State recipient. Lindeman set two school records with 13 single season sacks in 2021 and 22 career sacks through four seasons. Dell Rapids St. Mary's won the South Dakota State Championship in 2021.

Gabe Gutierrez: Gutierrez is a 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker out of Lincoln High School. He was a 4-year starter and 2-year team captain for the Patriots under the direction of head coach Jared Fredenburg. Gutierrez tallied 199 tackles, including 25 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, and seven forced fumbles in his prep career. He is a 2-time all-conference honoree, all-metro selection, and all-state recipient. In 2021, Gutierrez was honored with the Gerald Tschetter Most Valuable Player award. Lincoln advanced to the South Dakota State semifinal round in his last two seasons. 

Tate Hoffman: Hoffman is a 5-foot-10, 190-pound safety out of Highmore High School. He was a 4-year starter and 2-year team captain for the Pirates. Hoffman tallied 56 tackles, including six tackles for a loss and four sacks, his senior season. He added a pick-6, as well as 680 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns. Hoffman was a 3-time CSDC All-Conference selection and 2022 all-state honorable mention team member. 

University of Sioux Falls sign six South Dakotans

The University of Sioux Falls signed six South Dakota natives on Wednesday.

The six future Cougars include: Christian Busch (Pierre), Aidan Foley (Harrisburg), Sawyer Huntimer (Sioux Falls Jefferson), London Kolb (Sioux Falls Jefferson), Jack Merkwan (Pierre) and Jayden Wiebe (Pierre). 

Christian Busch: Busch competed in football, basketball, and baseball for the Governors. In football, Busch was two-time All-ESD honoree and a two-time All-State athlete while helping lead the Governors to four consecutive state championships.

Aidan Foley: Foley competed in football, basketball, track, and lacrosse for the Tigers. During his time with the Harrisburg football team he was a three year starter, Academic All-State, All-ESD and All-Metro Conference honoree. 

Sawyer Huntimer: Huntimer was a member of the Class 11AAA state champion Cavaliers. During his time on the Cavalier football team he was awarded: First Team All-State, Academic All-State and was the Offensive Lineman of the Game in the state championship. 

London Kolb: Kolb attended Jefferson High School where he competed in football, basketball, and track for the Cavaliers. In football he was awarded Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-State (2x), All-Conference (3x) and Elite 45 (2x). Kolb recorded 245 tackles, 4 interceptions, 3 sacks, 6 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries during his career at Jefferson.

Jack Merkwan: Merkwan competed in football, basketball, baseball and track for the Governors. As a wide receiver Merkwan was a 4x State Champion and was named 2x AllState, 2x All-Conference (ESD), Academic AllState and a Blue-Grey All-American. He holds the South Dakota 11AA All-Time Receiving Yards Record with 2,706 yards. In 2022, he was awarded the 11AA State Championship Back of the Game award and holds the South Dakota record for All-Time Receiving Yards in a State Championship Game.

Jayden Wiebe: Wiebe competed in football, wrestling and baseball for the Governors. In football, Wiebe was named to the Academic All-State team and the All-State Team as a kick returner. He was also awarded the Golden Gov award for being the best teammate. During his time with the Governors he finished with a record of 44-4 and won four consecutive 11AA State Championships. 

Augustana Vikings ink five South Dakota natives

Augustana University signed five South Dakota players on national college football signing day. The six future Vikings include: Jack Detert (Harrisburg), Cody Oswald (Yankton), Nate Ratzlaff (Sioux Falls O’Gorman), Elliott Renville (Sioux Falls Lincoln) and Sam Siegfried (Sioux Falls Jefferson). 

Jack Detert: Detert was named a team captain for 2022 and excelled earning All-State, Argus Leader Elite 45 and All-Conference honors. He played under head coach Brandon White where as a junior he helped lead the Tigers to a state championship.

Cody Oswald: Oswald earned All-State honors after catching 52 passes for 719 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a team captain, he earned ESD All-Conference honors. In an All-State junior season, he recorded 41 receptions for 569 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Nate Ratzlaff: Ratzlaff earned All-State honors after totaling 83 tackles for O'Gorman High School in 2022. The team captain helped the Knights to the semifinals while also earning All-Conference and Academic All-State accolades.

Elliott Renville: Despite an injury that derailed his senior season, Renville was named a team captain and earned the Bob Uecker Most Influential Offensive Lineman award. As a junior, Renville earned All-State honors. In all, he is a three-year starter for the Patriots.

Sam Siegfried: Siegfried earned All-State honors after helping lead Jefferson High School to its first South Dakota State Championship in program history with a 12-0 record. He also earned Academic All-State honors as a senior. As a tight end, Siegfried recorded six touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, he recorded eight tackles for loss including three sacks.

Black Hills State inks four South Dakotans

Black Hills State University signed four South Dakota natives on Wednesday.

The quartet includes two transfers in Ethan Nehlich (Minnesota West Community and Technical College) and Morgan Harkless (Chadron State). 

At Minnesota West, Nehlich totaled 31 tackles, 6.5 for loss and two sacks in two seasons. At Tri-Valley, Nehlich was team captain as a senior and also competed in wrestling.

Harkless totaled 916 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior at Hot Springs High School. Over his four years, he totaled 64 touchdowns on offense and nine interceptions on defense. He was a two-time First Team All-Conference honoree and was also named Second Team All-Conference. He was twice named First Team All-State on special teams in 2017 and as a defensive back in 2018.

The other South Dakotans to sign with the Yellowjackets include: Matthew Gray (Faith) and Thomas Salmen (Tulare). 

Matthew Gray: The four-year varsity starter totaled 133 total tackles, 101 solos, two pass breakups and a sack in his senior year. He also recorded two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. On offense he tallied six touchdowns and 533 rushing yards on 110 carries. Gray was a team captain his junior and senior seasons, and also earned All-Conference those years. He also played basketball.

Thomas Salmen: Over his junior and senior seasons at Hitchcock-Tulare High School, he totaled 36 catches for 715 yards and eight touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 36 yards and a touchdown. Salmen helped his team to the 2022 State 9B Football Championship and was a team captain. He was named First Team All-State as a defensive end and also played high school basketball and competed in track.

South Dakotans sign with out-of-state programs

A host of South Dakotans signed with out-of-state schools on national signing day. 

Here’s a rundown of players to sign with colleges out of South Dakota.

August Anderson, Mitchell: A 6-foot-6, 285-pound offensive lineman, Anderson has signed with Wayne State College. He was a two-year starter and three-year letter winner in football and three-year starter and four-year letter winner in track and field for the Kernels. Anderson was a two-year starter on the offensive line and team captain. 

Bennett Dannenbring, Sioux Falls O’Gorman: Dannenbring was a multi-sport standout for the Knights starting multiple years in football, basketball, track and field and baseball. He was named Class 11AAA First Team All-State and All-Metro Athletic Conference as a junior and senior. During his senior season, he passed for 2,694 yards and 30 TD's, leading O'Gorman to 8-3 record and Class 11AAA semifinals. He passed for 468 yards in one game. He finished career with 5,169 passing yards and 52 TD's.

Austin McNulty, Tri-Valley: McNulty was a two-year starter and three-year letter winner in football. He helped the team reach Class 11B state playoffs as a junior and senior. He earned All Dak-12 Conference honors during junior season.

Tyson Brandt, Brookings: Brandt signed with Minnesota State-Moorhead. Brandt was a three-year varsity starter for Brookings High School.. He was named team captain as a senior where he was also an all-state selection. 

Lucas Slack, Brandon Valley: Slack signed with Minnesota State-Moorhead. Slack started 16 games and threw for over 200 yards in eight of those contests. He had 25 total touchdowns for his career. Slack was an All-Conference and All-ESD selection.

Braden Fersdahl, Dell Rapids: Fersdahl has signed with Southwest Minnesota State University. Fersdahl finished senior season with two interceptions. He recorded an interception to help team capture the Class 11A state championship as a senior. He closed with 487 yards and two touchdowns. Fersdahl also played basketball, track & field and baseball.