SDSU spring football: Jackrabbits feeling confident about backup quarterbacks
· Yahoo Sports
Apr. 7—BROOKINGS — Even after all the turmoil that surrounded them in the aftermath of a coaching change, the South Dakota State football team came flying out of the gate to start the 2026 season, winning their first seven games.
They were 7-0 with a road win at eventual national champion Montana State, and starting quarterback Chase Mason was leading the way.
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But an injury early in that seventh win, at Murray State, would sideline the talented signal-caller, and the Jackrabbits soon discovered one of their weaknesses — experience at quarterback behind Mason.
Luke Marble, a redshirt freshman who had transferred in from Northern Illinois, got the first crack at replacing Mason, and battled injuries of his own and inconsistency.
Redshirt freshman Jack Henry was next, and while he played better than Marble, Henry was clearly learning on the job, and flashes of his talent were interspersed with mistakes. He definitely looked like he had a bright future, but he wasn't ready, and the Jacks lost their first four games without Mason.
Henry got them a win in the regular season finale at North Dakota, though, throwing a dramatic overtime touchdown pass to win that game and send the Jacks to the playoffs, at which point Mason returned.
Now as the Jacks look ahead to 2026, their quarterback room is deeper and more experienced.
It's clear that head coach Dan Jackson and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Eric Eidsness made it a priority to be better equipped if something were to happen to Mason again this year, and suddenly an area of weakness looks like a sure strength.
Mason is healthy and looking as dangerous as ever, but Henry has taken significant strides physically and mentally, while the Jacks brought in others to fill out the room.
Josh Holst transferred in from Northern Illinois, where he started three games in 2024 and was named the MVP of the Idaho Potato Bowl.
And Anthony Rezac joins the Jacks from Notre Dame, where he spent two seasons with the Fighting Irish after being named the Nebraska high school player of the year in 2023.
Rounding out the group is former Brandon Valley sophomore Jack Thue, who continues to show the kind of improvement that is earning more and more trust from the coaching staff. Marble transferred to West Georgia.
The ideal scenario for SDSU is obviously a healthy, All-American season for Mason, but if he gets hurt again, the Jacks won't be turning to youngsters with no real college experience.
"Where they're starting at compared to where we were at is at a much higher level," Eidsness said. "Henry's growth during the season was really good. Josh coming in, having started FBS games, he's fit in well — he hasn't come in acting like he's the guy or anything like that. Anthony coming in from Notre Dame, he never really got a shot there and now he's got a shot and I think he's excited about that. His starting point is a little further behind because he hasn't played, so he's learning as well. This is really Thue's first opportunity to really grow and we're seeing that out of him. Right now we're keeping the reps very even and giving them all opportunities to grow and do some things."
Henry completed 59-of-107 passes for 605 yards and five touchdowns with six interceptions in six games last year. A baseball star and a run-first quarterback at Dell Rapids, he was sort of being thrown to the wolves last year, joking that the 51 passes he attempted in a loss to Illinois State were as many as he threw his entire senior year of high school.
But while Henry took his lumps, he impressed teammates with his toughness and resolve and coaches with his eagerness to learn and improve.
He enters this season determined to solidify himself as the QB2, which would give him a head start on winning the starting job next year. He's better for having played last year, and making strides in the playbook as he continues to develop behind Mason.
"Where I'm at now is I can say the play, I know the play, know the motions and don't have to think about that so much," Henry said. "So now I can start thinking about the defense and their scheme. Coach Eidsness talks about D-E-L, depth, eyes, leverage — safeties, corners and linebackers, and now I'm starting to sprinkle that into my pre-snap plan. Those are things I couldn't even think about a year ago."
It seems as though Henry and Holst are the frontrunners to be Mason's backup. A 6-4, 205-pound junior, Holst threw for 1,282 yards and rushed for 385 in his time at NIU, so he's got production and experience under his belt. Coming from an FBS school is one thing. Having actually started and played and played well at that level is another, and previous SDSU transfer quarterbacks didn't have that.
What Eidsness has liked most about the quarterback group, however, is the way they've worked together and how they root for each other while pushing each other.
"The exciting thing is the room gets along really well together, and I think that's really important," Eidsness aid. "You know you've got a good room when they can be excited about teammates making plays. You know, Josh threw a long touchdown pass at practice the other day and you got guys running down the field that are in his room being excited about it. I always tell the guys, you don't want to win the job because somebody else failed. You want to win because you're the best guy."
As for Mason, he was so good in his first true stint as the QB1 after previously serving as a utility player that it almost feels like his potential for his senior season is being overlooked.
He completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,005 yards and 15 touchdowns with four interceptions in nine games last year while also rushing for six touchdowns. With his size, speed and arm talent he's a legit NFL prospect, and the Jacks think he's only scratched the surface of how good he can be. As much as it derailed their season last year, Eidsness thinks Mason's time on the sideline injured will be a major benefit to him.
"Great players get better when they're not in," Eidsness said. "While Chase was injured he got better. Stepping back, once you've played at a certain level and then you get to step back and observe it, he was able to see it like, 'boy, this is easy, (the ball) should go there'. That's helped slow his game down even more. He was able to watch film and prepare in a way that was different and there was really good growth there."