SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Though South Dakota State football has had some historically great NFL alums, including one Hall of Famer in Jim Langer and another soon-to-be in Adam Vinatieri, there is no question that the program is in the midst of it’s best stretch of producing talent.
More than a third of the 38 all-time NFL alumni in Jackrabbit football history have come since SDSU made the Division One transition in 2004 (14).
Specifically, since 2015, 12 have gone on to play in the NFL, by far the most State has ever sent to football’s highest level during a ten year stretch, and that number could go up this season.
Christian Rozeboom, himself about to begin a fifth NFL campaign, began playing at SDSU at the start of this run. He never would have expected to see so many fellow Jackrabbits on Sundays, which is why it’s easy to still root for them even when he has to play against them!
“It’s such like a norm now you don’t even think of how crazy it probably is to have a small school with that many guys in the league. So obviously root for each and every one of them even if they’re on the other team. Obviously now some of the guys coming out I haven’t even played with. So that’s another layer of it which is really weird but yeah obviously it’s a thing where you’re proud of where you came from.“ Rozeboom says.
Christian reports to his first training camp with the Carolina Panthers on July 22nd.
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