While South Dakota might be tiny in population, it has produced its fair share of football talent. In addition to many in-state players part of SDSU’s recent back-to-back FCS national championships, several have gone onto play at the FBS level.

Mount Vernon’s Chad Greenway (Iowa), Aberdeen Central’s Josh Heupel (Oklahoma), Parkston’s Riley Reiff (Iowa) and Sioux Falls Washington’s Nate Gerry (Nebraska) are a few former South Dakota prep stars that enjoyed success at the FBS level. 

This season, South Dakotans from both big and small towns are playing at the highest level of college football. 

Here’s a rundown of South Dakotans currently on FBS college football rosters:

Max Baloun, Redfield, Washington State: A 6-foot-6, 285-pound senior defensive tackle, Baloun is listed as a starting defensive end for the Cougars. Last season, Baloun totaled 18 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks for South Dakota State University. 

Rich Benenge, Harrisburg, Akron: A 2023 Harrisburg High School graduate, Benenge originally signed with Army out of high school, spurning scholarship offers from Arizona, San Jose State, UNLV and Akron. But Benenge entered the transfer portal in Oct. 2023 and signed with Akron during the early signing period in Dec. 2023. A 6-foot-1, 215-pound linebacker, Benenge is listed as a sophomore linebacker for the Zips. Last season, he appeared in eight games and recorded 12 tackles. 

Jaxton Eck, Brookings, New Mexico: A 6-foot-1, 224-pounder, Eck is a junior linebacker for the Lobos after transferring from FCS Idaho. Eck earned FCS All-American honors last season, recording 134 tackles and interceptions. Eck’s father, Jason, is the head coach at New Mexico after previously being at the helm in Idaho. 

Elias Gillen, Rapid City Stevens, Texas Tech: A 6-foot-6, 300-pound lineman, Gillen is a freshman offensive lineman for the Red Raiders. He joined Texas Tech after starring in football and track and field at Stevens. 

Shawn Hammerbeck, Winner, Nebraska: A 6-foot-6, 265-pound lineman, Hammerbeck is a freshman offensive lineman for the Huskers. He joined Nebraska after an outstanding career at Winner, where he excelled in football, basketball and track and field. 

Thomas Heiberger, Sioux Falls Jefferson, Wisconsin: A 6-foot-4, 237-pound redshirt freshman, Heiberger is a backup linebacker for the Badgers. He did not play in Wisconsin’s season opener, a 17-0 win over Miami (Ohio). In 2024, Heiberger played in four games on special teams after missing time to start the season due to a lower body injury. 

Angel Johnson, Viborg-Hurley, Washington State: A 5-foot-9, 195-pound senior, Johnson is listed as Washington State’s starting running back. Last season, Johnson rushed for 646 yards and three touchdowns on 91 carries for South Dakota State University. 

Lincoln Kienholz, Pierre, Ohio State: The state’s all-time leading passer is Ohio State’s second-string quarterback, losing out to Alabama transfer Julian Sayin for the No. 1 spot in fall camp. A 6-foot-2, 214-pounder, Kienholz is in his third season at Ohio State and played in two regular season games for the Buckeyes for a total of 21 snaps: vs. Michigan State and Minnesota during the 2023 season. He did not see any game action in 2024.

Jacob Knuth, Harrisburg, Kansas State: A University of Minnesota transfer, Knuth is now a junior quarterback for the Wildcats. After redshirting for the Golden Gophers in 2022, Knuth transferred to K-State and did not see any game action in 2023. Last season, Knuth played as a reserve quarterback against UT Martin and BYU. This season, Knuth is listed as the backup quarterback to starter Avery Johnson. 

Randolph Kpai, Sioux Falls Washington, New Mexico: After spending three seasons at Nebraska, Kpai transferred to New Mexico last season. A former four-star recruit, Kpai redshirted in 2021 at Nebraska and did not see any game action in 2022 and ‘23. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker is a senior for the Lobos. Last season, the 6-foot-2, 219-pound Kpai finished third on the team with 80 tackles and posted a career-high 17 tackles in a loss against Air Force. 

Tucker Large, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Washington State: A 5-foot-11, 188-pound senior, Large is listed as a starting safety for the Cougars. He posted 34 tackles, seven pass breakups, three interceptions and one fumble recovery last season at SDSU. 

Jason Maciejczak, Pierre, Nebraska: A 6-foot-3, 310-pound sophomore, Maciejczak is the Huskers’ second string left guard. Maciejczak, who began his college career as a defensive lineman, played in nine games in 2024 for the Huskers. 

Sullivan Schlimgen, Sioux Falls O’Gorman, Washington State: A one-time SDSU commit, Schlimgen is already on Washington State’s depth chart as a true freshman. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound middle linebacker is listed as the backup middle linebacker for the Cougars. Schlimgen was a four-start prospect in high school, finishing with 247 tackles on defense and racked up more than 2,500 offensive yards with 29 touchdowns over three seasons.

Navarro Schunke, Brandon Valley, Kansas State: Schunke, one of the state’s most decorated high school wrestlers, is a redshirt freshman for the Wildcats. A 6-foot-6, 323-pound offensive lineman, Schunke is currently not on the K-State depth chart.