Happy Hour with John Gaskins

A couple of veteran USD players who faced each other in youth football in Miami about a decade ago explain what they see and go against every day in the DakotaDome or the outdoor practice field next to it. Running back Charles Pierre Jr. and linebacker Gabe Hardman also share this in common — being raised on football from an early age by fathers who played their sons' positions at the FBS level. Pierre Jr. also shares a bond with fellow running back Keyondray Jones-Logan — the heartbreak and headache of early-season injuries that kept them off the field for a bunch of 2025 and the motivation of making up for lost time in '26. The former details to the Happy Hour host the injury at Lamar that ended his season and subjected him to the training room while backup running back L.J. Phillips burst right out of the gate and finished as the top FCS rusher in the nation, which earned him an assumed hefty payday at Iowa. After over an hour of insight, it will become clearer why the present and future look bright at USD despite the mysterious cloud of change once again circling the DakotaDome.

The seventh-year Voice of the Coyotes has been around the program for nearly 15 seasons and has a broad perspective on what steadies a once-shaky program. And, as someone who has inside-the-ropes access to the spring and August practices, Thayer details with the Happy Hour host what will make the Yotes tick in '26.

If you need a one-hour, one-stop shop to be absolutely armed with the information required for the Jackrabbits and Coyotes 2026 football seasons, this is it. We'll make it fun for you, as well, with both big picture and deep dive conversations. Since New Year's Day, Happy Hour has spent dozens of hours covering SDSU and USD football, conducting comprehensive and periodic interviews with head coaches, program legends and the occasional current player. Sioux Falls Live sports section has also pumped out a plethora of stories about the two Div. I teams in the Rushmore State for several months as well. But if you took an offseason hibernation from Jacks and Yotes content, this is the perfect show for you. If you've been following us step-for-step, this is also perfect for you, with up-to-date nuggets on key developments in August camp. The Happy Hour host and Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer bring over 35 combined years of experience covering State and U football to their weekly "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast. They have spent six years developing it into a entertaining, "must listen" show that brings objective insight and opinions to those fan bases... well, at least they think so. Don't you? Why should we expect an explosive, national championship contending season from Chase Mason and the Jackrabbits? Why aren't the Coyotes generating as much hype... and yet, why could they be just as hot on the tails of the two Montana schools (preseason No. 1 MSU and No. 2 Montana) on the road to Nashville? Enjoy an hour of roster diving, schedule perusing and anticipation of what's to come. Plus, we spared you the trite predictions usually found in a preseason special. We don't want to lose you money.

If you need a one-hour, one-stop shop to be absolutely armed with the information required for the Jackrabbits and Coyotes 2026 football seasons, this is it. We'll make it fun for you, as well, with both big picture and deep dive conversations. Since New Year's Day, Happy Hour has spent dozens of hours covering SDSU and USD football, conducting comprehensive and periodic interviews with head coaches, program legends and the occasional current player. Sioux Falls Live sports section has also pumped out a plethora of stories about the two Div. I teams in the Rushmore State for several months as well. But if you took an offseason hibernation from Jacks and Yotes content, this is the perfect show for you. If you've been following us step-for-step, this is also perfect for you, with up-to-date nuggets on key developments in August camp. The Happy Hour host and Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer bring over 35 combined years of experience covering State and U football to their weekly "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast. They have spent six years developing it into a entertaining, "must listen" show that brings objective insight and opinions to those fan bases... well, at least they think so. Don't you? Why should we expect an explosive, national championship contending season from Chase Mason and the Jackrabbits? Why aren't the Coyotes generating as much hype... and yet, why could they be just as hot on the tails of the two Montana schools (preseason No. 1 MSU and No. 2 Montana) on the road to Nashville? Enjoy an hour of roster diving, schedule perusing and anticipation of what's to come. Plus, we spared you the trite predictions usually found in a preseason special. We don't want to lose you money.

If you need a one-hour, one-stop shop to be absolutely armed with the information required for the Jackrabbits and Coyotes 2026 football seasons, this is it. We'll make it fun for you, as well, with both big picture and deep dive conversations. Since New Year's Day, Happy Hour has spent dozens of hours covering SDSU and USD football, conducting comprehensive and periodic interviews with head coaches, program legends and the occasional current player. Sioux Falls Live sports section has also pumped out a plethora of stories about the two Div. I teams in the Rushmore State for several months as well. But if you took an offseason hibernation from Jacks and Yotes content, this is the perfect show for you. If you've been following us step-for-step, this is also perfect for you, with up-to-date nuggets on key developments in August camp. The Happy Hour host and Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer bring over 35 combined years of experience covering State and U football to their weekly "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast. They have spent six years developing it into a entertaining, "must listen" show that brings objective insight and opinions to those fan bases... well, at least they think so. Don't you? Why should we expect an explosive, national championship contending season from Chase Mason and the Jackrabbits? Why aren't the Coyotes generating as much hype... and yet, why could they be just as hot on the tails of the two Montana schools (preseason No. 1 MSU and No. 2 Montana) on the road to Nashville? Enjoy an hour of roster diving, schedule perusing and anticipation of what's to come. Plus, we spared you the trite predictions usually found in a preseason special. We don't want to lose you money.

In the last 50 years of USD football, only one three-year stretch rivals the success and buzz of the last three. Scott Jones has been a major part of both runs. The Coyotes' starting quarterback of the 1985 and '86 teams — both of which won at least 10 games and reached the semifinals — is also one of the most influential alumni and boosters in the USD stratosphere. Born and raised in Sioux Falls and still living there, Jones is seemingly doing whatever it takes to ensure USD doesn't just extend its three-year streak of reaching the FCS quarterfinals, but breaks through to its first FCS national championship game, which in 2026 would be its first title appearance since Jones led the Yotes to the 1986 Div. II final. In July 2024, the school announced Jones, the president of water tower construction company Maguire Iron, had made the largest private family gift contribution the USD athletic department had ever received (T. Denny Sanford's $20 million a year later would surpass the donation). "Seven figures" went into the newest phase of DakotaDome renovations and the Jones' gift was also poured into "general athletic scholarships and event support for the entirety of the USD athletic department." The offensive coordinator position was renamed "The Scott and Lisa Jones Family Offensive Coordinator," currently held by Tim Morrison. Jones generated offense by the truckload during his time in Vermillion under young head coach Dave Triplett. The O'Gorman alumnus still holds five school records, including career rushing touchdowns (37), most rushing yards by a quarterback in one season (883 in 1986), most rushing touchdowns in a game (5 vs SDSU in 1986) and most points scored in a game (30, same game). His last game at USD was a 27-7 loss to North Dakota State in that 1986 Div. II national championship, after which Triplett famously quipped of the Bison, "I wish they'd get the hell out of Division II." NDSU would win two more D2 titles before moving to the FCS in 2004 with South Dakota State. USD and UND stayed in Div. II for four more seasons before joining their in-state rivals in D1. Now, with the Bison having moved out of the FCS and into the FBS starting this fall, and with plenty wondering if schools like USD and SDSU will join them eventually, Jones weighs in on the arms race he is part of as a high-level donor. How much of his contributions go to NIL? Does does Jones believe USD will have the resources it takes to move up a class like the Bison? In an over 50-minute Happy Hour conversation at Gibs Sports Bar near his home on the east side of Sioux Falls, Jones answers these questions and takes a stroll down memory lane from his days in Vermillion and at O'Gorman, where he played for legendary coach Bob Burns and led the Knights to the first ever Class 11AA state championship of the playoff era in 1981. Before the Jones chat, the Happy Hour host updated the Yotes' current QB situation — the three-horse race appears to be far from done — and walked through SDSU's national championship hopes, which he feels are aided by the high volume of walk-ons who will play key roles in 2026.

In the last 50 years of USD football, only one three-year stretch rivals the success and buzz of the last three. Scott Jones has been a major part of both runs. The Coyotes' starting quarterback of the 1985 and '86 teams — both of which won at least 10 games and reached the semifinals — is also one of the most influential alumni and boosters in the USD stratosphere. Born and raised in Sioux Falls and still living there, Jones is seemingly doing whatever it takes to ensure USD doesn't just extend its three-year streak of reaching the FCS quarterfinals, but breaks through to its first FCS national championship game, which in 2026 would be its first title appearance since Jones led the Yotes to the 1986 Div. II final. In July 2024, the school announced Jones, the president of water tower construction company Maguire Iron, had made the largest private family gift contribution the USD athletic department had ever received (T. Denny Sanford's $20 million a year later would surpass the donation). "Seven figures" went into the newest phase of DakotaDome renovations and the Jones' gift was also poured into "general athletic scholarships and event support for the entirety of the USD athletic department." The offensive coordinator position was renamed "The Scott and Lisa Jones Family Offensive Coordinator," currently held by Tim Morrison. Jones generated offense by the truckload during his time in Vermillion under young head coach Dave Triplett. The O'Gorman alumnus still holds five school records, including career rushing touchdowns (37), most rushing yards by a quarterback in one season (883 in 1986), most rushing touchdowns in a game (5 vs SDSU in 1986) and most points scored in a game (30, same game). His last game at USD was a 27-7 loss to North Dakota State in that 1986 Div. II national championship, after which Triplett famously quipped of the Bison, "I wish they'd get the hell out of Division II." NDSU would win two more D2 titles before moving to the FCS in 2004 with South Dakota State. USD and UND stayed in Div. II for four more seasons before joining their in-state rivals in D1. Now, with the Bison having moved out of the FCS and into the FBS starting this fall, and with plenty wondering if schools like USD and SDSU will join them eventually, Jones weighs in on the arms race he is part of as a high-level donor. How much of his contributions go to NIL? Does does Jones believe USD will have the resources it takes to move up a class like the Bison? In an over 50-minute Happy Hour conversation at Gibs Sports Bar near his home on the east side of Sioux Falls, Jones answers these questions and takes a stroll down memory lane from his days in Vermillion and at O'Gorman, where he played for legendary coach Bob Burns and led the Knights to the first ever Class 11AA state championship of the playoff era in 1981. Before the Jones chat, the Happy Hour host updated the Yotes' current QB situation — the three-horse race appears to be far from done — and walked through SDSU's national championship hopes, which he feels are aided by the high volume of walk-ons who will play key roles in 2026.

Each week, the South Dakota Sports Lounge gives you a look at some of the best sports talk across the state. This week, we focus on football as kickoff is just 2 weeks away.

Happy Hour with John Gaskins: Head coach of the Jackrabbits, Dan Jackson, joins Happy Hour from SDSU Media Day in Brookings. He talks about expectations for the coming season and how he believes depth will help with some of the issues the team saw last year.

Hot Mic with Dom Izzo: We feature an interview with Sam Herder on the state of the FCS as a whole as NDSU moves onto the FBS. Nate Brown Show: Nate has a 1-on-1 with Jon Schemmel, USD's Athletic Director, on the state of USD Athletics heading into the fall. Hog Wild: Zach Borg presents a feature on SDSU's offensive line, which looks to lead a resurgence