SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Hundreds of football players are participating in college football this fall in South Dakota state schools. How many are from South Dakota?
Dakota State University, the NAIA team in Madison, leads with at least 60 players with a hometown listed in South Dakota on the website roster.
Northern State, a NCAA Division II school in Aberdeen, has at least 40 players from the state.
The state’s two NCAA Division I schools, South Dakota State University in Brookings and the University of South Dakota in Vermillion also have in-state players. SDSU has 25 listed on the roster, while USD has 13.
USD’s number is similar to the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City which as at least 10 and Black Hills State University in Spearfish with 11. Both are NCAA Division II schools
Those rosters have a total of at least 159 in-state players in college football at state schools. That does include players on private universities like Augustana, Sioux Falls and Dakota Wesleyan.
Players from Sioux Falls are the most common. For example, DSU has at least five from Sioux Falls. USD and SDSU have at least five.
Rapid City is also well represented. The NSU roster has five players from Rapid City, as an example.
Outside of the largest pubic school districts in the state, players come from the next largest districts like Aberdeen or Watertown. The small schools also have players on rosters.
DSU has three players from Emery. SDSU has at least one player from the Viborg-Hurley School District. BHSU players include those from Philip, Belle Fourche and Faith.
The enrollment at Faith is 183 students K-12. The enrollment for one of the Faith player’s teammates from Los Alamito High School in California is 3,055.
