Happy Hour with John Gaskins

With John on Vacation in Palm Springs, we've decided to take a look back at some of our best interview since the show officially began last January. 
 
On May 23rd, 2025, we sat down with one of SDSU's all-time great Taryn Christion. Here's how the conversation went: 
 
He rewrote South Dakota State and Missouri Valley Football Conference record books as part of a juggernaut offense that vaulted the Jackrabbits into FCS national championship contention for the first time.
Then, he had brief brushes with NFL royalty — Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Mike Tomlin — before coming back to start his new life and family back in his hometown. Before all that, he lit up South Dakota's largest class of high school football while developing under the state's all-time prep wins leader Kim Nelson.
Through it all, there were legendary games — like the breakthrough win over No. 1 North Dakota State in the Fargodome his sophomore year — and deflating setbacks, including a devastating injury that ripped away his high school senior season and a turnover-heavy nightmare in the 2017 FCS semifinals. Taryn Christion sits down to tell all about it for over an hour with Happy Hour host John Gaskins at The Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls.
While he is forever a warm spot in Jackrabbit hearts, the heartbreaks along the way make his story as human as it gets. A connective tissue to this day — the other SDSU quarterback legend Christion will be forever interwined, Zach Lujan, who is now the offensive coordinator at Northwestern and still a good friend. And, of course, there are stories about SDSU icons John Stiegelmeier, Dallas Goedert, Eric Eidsness, Jake Weineke, and more.
And there is no way we could end the conversation without Christion's observations of the program's shakeup this past winter, what new head coach Dan Jackson will bring, and how the Jackrabbit Former Players Association is helping to keep SDSU on the forefront of the ever-changing FCS landscape.

After some technical difficulties with our chat involving Aidan Bouman, we are finally able to bring it to you with only minor issues.
 
The USD Quarterback joined us Monday afternoon after recieving word from his agent that the Green Bay Packers have offered him a tryout with the team. He walks us through the conversations he had leading up to draft night, including his tempered expectations. 
 
The Packers are an organization that Bouman's father was a part of during his stint in the NFL, which furthers his excitement.
 
Bouman also walked us through his pre-draft preparation. He took a trip down to Florida and trained with legendary former coach Jon Gruden. 
 
Bouman's tryout begins Friday, and his future with the team remain to be seen, but he enters it with a healthy mindset.

Why does Kurtiss figure Kalen DeBoer got a huge salary bump from $8.5 million to $12.5 million, landing him in top four? How competitive is Alabama in NIL against other top Big Ten and SEC teams?
What does our QB guru think of Tide QB Ty Simpson going to the Rams to back up Matthew Stafford, the Vikings reaching to take an injured defensive tackle, his overall NFL Draft views, Cooper Terwilliger (Pierre) committing to Penn State, standouts from Riggs prep combine?

Why a 10-year streak of a player from South Dakota (native or college player) being drafted to the NFL end this year?
 
North Dakota State's Cole Payton played for only one season while South Dakota State/Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski (5) and South Dakota's Aidan Bouman (3) played multiple seasons, both finishing among the best their school's history in both wins and production?
 
So, why was Payton drafted and not the other two?
 
Gronowski was invited to the NFL Combine out of South Dakota State last year, but not out of Iowa after this past season. Did playing for the Hawkeyes hurt his draft stock?
 
Payton was taken in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles. Gronowski signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Miami Dolphins. Bouman was invited to the Green Bay Packers' mini-camp, which starts Thursday.
 
Which of those three is the best fit with their organization and has the best chance to make the 53-man roster?
 
How certain is Chase Mason to receive an NFL Combine invitation and be a Draft pick in 2027, barring injury or abysmal performance?
 
What should we make of NDSU hiring USD football's general manager?

Why a 10-year streak of a player from South Dakota (native or college player) being drafted to the NFL end this year?
 
North Dakota State's Cole Payton played for only one season while South Dakota State/Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski (5) and South Dakota's Aidan Bouman (3) played multiple seasons, both finishing among the best their school's history in both wins and production?
 
So, why was Payton drafted and not the other two?
 
Gronowski was invited to the NFL Combine out of South Dakota State last year, but not out of Iowa after this past season. Did playing for the Hawkeyes hurt his draft stock?
 
Payton was taken in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles. Gronowski signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Miami Dolphins. Bouman was invited to the Green Bay Packers' mini-camp, which starts Thursday.
 
Which of those three is the best fit with their organization and has the best chance to make the 53-man roster?
 
How certain is Chase Mason to receive an NFL Combine invitation and be a Draft pick in 2027, barring injury or abysmal performance?
 
What should we make of NDSU hiring USD football's general manager?