Happy Hour with John Gaskins

What a difference a year makes.
 
Last January, Dan Jackson was just trying to keep his head and the South Dakota State football program above water after his predecessor and one of his best friends Jimmy Rogers jumped ship and took the entire SDSU staff and boatload of Jackrabbits to Washington State.
 
There was an entire staff to hire — including the ever-underrated strength and conditioning coach — plus a full throttle operation to prevent even more Jacks from leaving for the Palouse or another program, not to mention a heavy lift recruiting blitz to bring in new players.
 
This January, Jackson isn't exactly tilting back and putting his feet up on the desk all day, but things are a lot more stable. A lot.
 
In fact, it is abnormally stable if not gravity-defying in the world of FCS football. While other top programs like North Dakota State and South Dakota dealt with the losses of some of their top playmakers for six figures (if not seven) to FBS squads, Jackson lost one starter and retained arguably his two most talented players and program pillars — homegrown quarterback Chase Mason and offensive lineman Quinten Christensen.
 
Yes, part of not losing as many top players to the FBS might be because those rival schools had more accomplished players worth more irresistible NIL money (like USD's L.J. Phillips and Larenzo Fenner) while Mason and Christensen are lifelong South Dakotans with a lifelong investment in the program.
 
But denying Jackson, in a short time, has effectively created a culture that makes SDSU more difficult to leave than most FCS schools would be delusional.
 
So, how did he do it? Jackson digs into that and unveils the process and philosophies that led to the new players he took in from the transfer portal, including a Notre Dame quarterback, an SEC offensive lineman, and a bunch of proven Div. II studs.
 
Other topics covered in the 75-minute conversation:
 
* The Class of '26 high school signees most likely to make an immediate impact
 
* His coaching staff retention and shifts
 
* How (and how much) he deals with NIL agents
 
* How SDSU goes about packaging NIL deals to attract or keep its best players
 
* His continued friendship with Rogers, who has ironically consulted Jackson about taking over a program that lost a heap of players to the transfer portal
 
Before the Jackson conversation, the host dares to tackle an idea most Minnesota Vikings fans may find absurd until you break it down —
 
Perhaps the Vikings should take a swing at trading multiple first round draft picks for the Las Vegas Raiders' coveted No. 1 draft pick... and take Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza fresh off yet another spectacular performance against future NFL prospects in Monday's national championship victory.
 
If Kurtiss Riggs thinks Mendoza would be an ideal and instant fit for Kevin O'Connell, perhaps the idea doesn't seem so farfetched. 

The host navigates the reality of the possibility and why PTSD from the Hershel Walker Trade should not steer the Vikings away from the idea.

If Kurtiss Riggs thinks Mendoza would be an ideal and instant fit for Kevin O'Connell, perhaps the idea doesn't seem so farfetched. 

The host navigates the reality of the possibility and why PTSD from the Hershel Walker Trade should not steer the Vikings away from the idea.

Dan Jackson on retaining all but one starter, portal additions, how agents work, which HS '26 signees might see field

If the Hoosiers — the most losing program in the history of major college football — can turn from trash to treasure in two years, why not the Huskers, Hawkeyes, or Gophers?
 
The three FBS programs with the most devout followings in eastern South Dakota and northwest Iowa had all been historically way better than Indiana until Cignetti and his NIL/transfer portal lever-pulling lapped them.
 
So, who is the closest of these three former "Big Ten West" rivals to becoming the next Indiana? What does it take?
 
Kurtiss Riggs has his own angle, with some more intimate insight into how Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota operate based on his relationship with some of the top talent in the Sioux Falls area who have been recruited to those spots.
 
* Did South Dakota State offensive lineman Quentin Christensen really have a $1,000,000 offer from an SEC school? 
 
And why is it a good thing he turned it down? Also, why did 10 other Jackrabbits reject FBS offers while eight NDSU starters are bolting? Is that an indictment on the Bison? 
 
Time for more education on how all this modern day wild west portal/NIL stuff works from someone heavily connected to some of the best players in the region and the coaches at every relevant high school and college program in the region.

Topics: Why the Minnesota Vikings should trade a heavy haul to go after Indiana QB and Heisman Trophy winner Fernanado Mendoza, who Riggs' favorite team, the Raiders, are expected to take No. 1  
 
* The Bills firing a successful coach in hopes of breaking the Super Bowl barrier with a generational quarterback
 
* The Broncos trying to reach a Super Bowl with a backup QB that barely ever plays
 
* If the Bears are here to stay in the battle for NFC supremacy with Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson
 
* Where do the Vikings, Lions, and Packers figure to come out in the mix in '26?
 
* Will the Rams or Seahawks win the NFC?
 
* Who should be the NFL MVP?