Top South Dakota sports storylines to watch for in 2024

As we continue to ring in the new year, we’re breaking down some of the biggest South Dakota sports storylines of 2024.

With South Dakota State football coming off their second consecutive FCS national championship, South Dakota having their most successful season at the FCS level, and both universities’ basketball teams vying for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, there’s going to be plenty to watch for and look forward to.

The Argus Leader has laid it out for you. Here are the top South Dakota sports storylines in 2024.

Will any SDSU, USD basketball teams make it to the NCAA Tournament?

Both South Dakota State basketball teams have a better chance of winning their respective conference tournament and earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament than they do getting an at-large bid. 

Both USD basketball teams are in rebuilds under first or second-year head coaches. The men’s team is 8-10 overall and 1-2 in conference under the direction of first-year head coach Eric Peterson. It’s still early, but the men’s team doesn’t look like conference contenders thus far.

The USD women’s team has had a more promising start, going 12-6 through their first 18 games but are also 1-2 in Summit League play under second-year head coach Kayla Karius. The Coyotes have talent, they’re led by junior guard Grace Larkins, who is one of two Summit League players named to the Becky Hammon Player of the Year award watchlist, so I still give them a shot to put together a run.

More: South Dakota women’s basketball suffers soul-searching defeat against Oral Roberts

The South Dakota State men’s basketball team currently has a 9-8 overall record. The Jackrabbits are currently 2-0 in conference play and coming off a season in which they made it to the Summit League semifinals.

The Jackrabbits women’s team won the Summit League last season and made a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They’re looking poised to make another run in 2024 despite some early-season injury woes. SDSU lost Kallie Theisen and Haleigh Timmer to season-ending injuries in late September and have had to deal with shorter-term injuries throughout non-conference play and are still five games over .500. South Dakota State is currently 2-0 in conference and has strong coaching and talent to contend for another Summit League title.

Does South Dakota State football have the depth to replace seniors after dominant 2023?

The Jackrabbits football team had a perfect year.

They didn’t lose a single game in the calendar year and are still in the midst of a 29-game winning streak that extends back to 2022. They won another FCS national title, adding that to their expanding trophy cabinet. Junior quarterback Mark Gronowski also became the program’s first Walter Payton Award winner.

More: Mark Gronowski is South Dakota State’s most accomplished football player after prolific 2023 season

South Dakota State was a senior-laden group this season that capitalized on their experience, but they’ll lose team cornerstones in Mason McCormick, Garret Greenfield, Jason Freeman, Isaiah Davis and the Janke twins, just to name a few, to the NFL Draft. There have also been questions about whether Gronowski will return to SDSU. Getting him back is crucial to any FCS championship conversations.

Aside from the Gronowski piece of this, do they have the talent and depth to make up for those senior losses?

Next season will look different than 2023. It’s hard to imagine the Jackrabbits extending the 29-game winning streak past their season opener against Big 12 Conference foe Oklahoma State, but the conference season will also test SDSU.

It will be on 2023 Rimington winner and Jackrabbits center Gus Miller to anchor the offensive line for running backs Amar and Angel Johnson, who will take on larger roles with Davis no longer on the team. On defense, tackle Jarod DePriest, linebackers Graham Spalding and Adam Bock, and defensive backs Dalys Beanum and Tucker Large will be returning.

SDSU will be young at the wide receiver position, but they have talent. Rising sophomore Griffin Wilde showed real flashes as a true freshman and should slide into one of the open wide receiver slots. Devon Cole and Grahm Goering both received limited runs at wide receiver and should have a shot at that second spot next season. The Jackrabbits also bring in Lincoln wide receiver Jack Smith, who could have a real opportunity to get playing time right away.

Can USD football improve on a historic season?

After going 3-8 a season ago, South Dakota responded with their best season in program history.

The Coyotes won 10 games for the first time in the program’s time in the FCS, this was also the first time they entered the FCS playoffs as a seeded team, and the first time they played in a quarterfinal.

More: South Dakota’s dream season comes to an end: Bison dominate in the DakotaDome

USD finished the regular season 9-2 with three wins over top-10 teams and went 7-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The big question is where do they go from here?

The Coyotes are expected to return most of their starters on offense, with quarterback Aidan Bouman, running back Travis Theis and wide receiver Carter Bell running it back with South Dakota. They lost Nate Thomas to Idaho but have great depth in the running back room.

Another year in Josh Davis’s offensive system should make the team better offensively and defensively they have a solid base to build off of in 2024 with Myles Harden, and Shahid Barros among others returning.

Who will emerge as 11AAA favorites after Lincoln’s dominant run?

Lincoln football completed their dream season in 2023, going a perfect 12-0 en route to the 11AAA state championship. The Patriots were led by quarterback Tate Schafer and wide receiver Jack Smith, but next year Schafer and Smith will be playing at the University of Sioux Falls and South Dakota State respectively. On defense, they also graduate key starters Brycen Mitchell and Sawyer Tolk.

More: Lincoln completes perfect season, wins 11AAA state football championship over O’Gorman 31-7

That begs the question, will Lincoln be able to remain competitive without the cornerstones from their 2023 season? Or will a new team emerge? It certainly feels wide open.

Harrisburg and Brandon Valley return talented players in Tigers quarterback Sam Knuth and Lynx wide receiver Landon Dulaney while Washington and Jefferson both bring back senior play-callers with another year of experience under their belt.

Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31