South Dakota State adds 11 to football recruiting class

Brady Mengarelli. Chris Balster. Dallas Goedert.

Those are just a few recent South Dakota State football graduates who began their careers as non-scholarship recruits. Mengarelli and Balster became starters. Goedert is soon to be an NFL draft pick. All came to SDSU as preferred walk-ons (a ‘preferred’ walk-on is one whom the team actively recruits but just doesn’t offer scholarship money, as opposed to a true walk-on, who is merely a student who tries out for the team).

SDSU added 21 players to their 2018 recruiting class in December’s early signing period, and that included all their top targets (save for Washington linebacker Seth Benson, who ended up decommitting from SDSU and enrolling at Iowa).

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On Tuesday’s national signing day the Jacks added 11 more, and while Argus Leader Elite 45 co-captains Jadon and Jaxon Janke were told that one will likely be put on scholarship next year, all 11 of Tuesday’s signees are, for now, non-scholarship recruits.

But as names like Goedert, Mengarelli and Balster make clear, that doesn’t mean these 11 are necessarily afterthoughts.

“We sell kids on the idea that they can be the best they can be here,” said SDSU recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach Dan Jackson. “They can get a great degree and they’ll have an opportunity to prove they can play, and the biggest reason is they can see so many guys here that have done it. Dallas is the easy one to point to and we use him as a poster boy for that, but there are so many others that were (walk-ons) or even partial scholarship guys that turned into some of our best players.”

National Signing Day:Madison seniors Jadon and Jaxon Janke commit to South Dakota State Jackrabbits

The Janke twins are 6-foot-3 wide receivers who put up huge numbers with the Madison Bulldogs, and they’re the highlights of Tuesday’s haul, but Jackson said the coaching staff will also have an eye on linebacker Kinser Madison of Higginsville, Mo., fullback Michael Morgan of New Lenox, Ill., and Jefferson Lee, a speedy running back from Marshall, Minn.

The Jacks also added a junior college defensive end in Alex Parrella, a Lincoln, Neb., native who played at Iowa Western Community College. He likely would’ve earned a scholarship somewhere if it hadn’t been for an injury suffered last year.

SDSU went 11-3 last year, advancing to the FCS semifinals, their sixth consecutive playoff appearance. Jackson said the Jacks were pleased with the scholarship athletes they signed in December, but the interim period between then and Tuesday gave them a chance to reconsider the roster and adjust accordingly.

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“We kind of evaluated where we were at in some positions and decided we wanted to increase some of our depth with quality non-scholarship guys,” Jackson said. “We ended up getting some guys that I didn’t think would be available, and honestly when that happens, you have to take ‘em.”

SDSU's Tuesday signings:

• Matthew Borowicz, 6-4, 255, defensive tackle, Lakeville, Minnesota;
• Zach Collins, 6-3, 295, offensive lineman, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota;
• Josh Fenske, 6-3, 195, linebacker, New Hampton, Iowa;
• Jadon Janke, 6-3, 190, wide receiver, Madison;
• Jaxon Janke, 6-2, 195, wide receiver, Madison;
• Alexander "A.J." Johnson, 6-0, 215, linebacker, Omaha, Nebraska;
• Myles Johnson, 6-2, 180, punter/kicker, Plymouth, Minnesota;
• Jefferson Lee, 5-9, 190, running back, Marshall, Minnesota;
• Kinser Madison, 6-2, 205, linebacker, Higginsville, Missouri;
• Michael Morgan, 6-3, 210, fullback, New Lenox, Illinois;
• Alex Parrella, 6-3, 225, defensive end, Lincoln, Nebraska (transfer from Iowa Western CC)