Happy Hour with John Gaskins

First the Jackrabbits and now the Coyotes.   For a second consecutive year, a first team All-America FCS offensive player from South Dakota is headed to Iowa to play for the Hawkeyes.   Many South Dakota State backers turned into Hawkeye fans as Mark Gronowski, the all-time winningest quarterback in college football history, piloted a 10-win season with several memorable clutch plays.  Presumably, some USD fans will tune into Iowa games more often — if they weren't already peeking on Gronowski's games — to see how Phillips' game translates to the Power Four level.   The thickly-built, strong-as-an-ox Phillips, with his rugged running style, led the FCS with over 1,900 yards this past season. He appears to be a "fit" at a place that loves to run. Iowa was in the top third in the FBS in rushing attempts and among the ten lowest teams in the country in passing attempts and passing yards.   But how often we even see Phillips carry the ball? He is presumed to be the No. 2 running back behind Kamari Moulton, last season's RB1 who rushed for 80 yards a game and over five yards per attempt, earning Big Ten All-Conference honorable mention honors as the No. 8 rusher in the league.   Moulton appears to be staying in Iowa City and has two years of eligibility, like Phillips, who presumably slides in at RB2.    We don't know who else had interest in Phillips nor his other NIL offers, but we can wonder what kind of a move this is for the sophomore from Wichita, who initially had interest from places like Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State before he tore his ACL in the last game of his junior season of high school.   Despite his nation-best performance in 2024, Phillips would have had to battle to be USD's top running back this upcoming season with the return of Charles Pierre — a first-team FCS All-American in 2023 whose injury in USD's second game this season paved the way for Phillips to become the guy.   So, was this the right move? It is a fascinating topic ripe for discussion on Monday's Happy Hour.    The show's "Monday Afternoon Quarterback" Kurtiss Riggs — the 11-time indoor league champion coach of the Sioux Falls Storm, a national championship winning quarterback and coach at USF, a local college and prep TV analyst, and the director of football for the Sanford Sports Academy — weighs in on that plus:   * How well will Brandon Valley offensive lineman Hudson Parliament fit into Iowa's scheme?   * How good of a fit is Cincinnati for former USD wideout Larenzo Fenner, who committed to the Bobcats last week?   * What is in store for former Sioux Falls Jefferson wideout Griffin Wilde at Northwestern after he got an NIL pay raise (according to Riggs) after a Top 10 receiving performance in the Big Ten this past year? Wilde will have a new offensive coordinator — former Oregon, Eagles, and 49ers coach Chip Kelly — after former SDSU OC Zach Lujan was fired.   * What are some of these college football player agents really like?   * Kurtiss teed off on Illinois State's coaching decisions late in a heartbreaking FCS national championship game loss to Montana State   * What impresses Kurtiss most about Indiana coach Curt Cignetti and quarterback Fernando Mendoza?    * Who will win the CFP championship game between the Hoosiers and Miami?   * Would the presence of Tucker Kraft have made a difference in the outcome of the Packers-Bears playoff game?   * Is Dallas Goedert and his Eagles teammates being short-changed by "basic" play-calling?   * Who will win the four NFL divisional playoff games next weekend?  

First the Jackrabbits and now the Coyotes.   For a second consecutive year, a first team All-America FCS offensive player from South Dakota is headed to Iowa to play for the Hawkeyes.   Many South Dakota State backers turned into Hawkeye fans as Mark Gronowski, the all-time winningest quarterback in college football history, piloted a 10-win season with several memorable clutch plays.  Presumably, some USD fans will tune into Iowa games more often — if they weren't already peeking on Gronowski's games — to see how Phillips' game translates to the Power Four level.   The thickly-built, strong-as-an-ox Phillips, with his rugged running style, led the FCS with over 1,900 yards this past season. He appears to be a "fit" at a place that loves to run. Iowa was in the top third in the FBS in rushing attempts and among the ten lowest teams in the country in passing attempts and passing yards.   But how often we even see Phillips carry the ball? He is presumed to be the No. 2 running back behind Kamari Moulton, last season's RB1 who rushed for 80 yards a game and over five yards per attempt, earning Big Ten All-Conference honorable mention honors as the No. 8 rusher in the league.   Moulton appears to be staying in Iowa City and has two years of eligibility, like Phillips, who presumably slides in at RB2.    We don't know who else had interest in Phillips nor his other NIL offers, but we can wonder what kind of a move this is for the sophomore from Wichita, who initially had interest from places like Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State before he tore his ACL in the last game of his junior season of high school.   Despite his nation-best performance in 2024, Phillips would have had to battle to be USD's top running back this upcoming season with the return of Charles Pierre — a first-team FCS All-American in 2023 whose injury in USD's second game this season paved the way for Phillips to become the guy.   So, was this the right move? It is a fascinating topic ripe for discussion on Monday's Happy Hour. 

First the Jackrabbits and now the Coyotes.   For a second consecutive year, a first team All-America FCS offensive player from South Dakota is headed to Iowa to play for the Hawkeyes.   Many South Dakota State backers turned into Hawkeye fans as Mark Gronowski, the all-time winningest quarterback in college football history, piloted a 10-win season with several memorable clutch plays.  Presumably, some USD fans will tune into Iowa games more often — if they weren't already peeking on Gronowski's games — to see how Phillips' game translates to the Power Four level.   The thickly-built, strong-as-an-ox Phillips, with his rugged running style, led the FCS with over 1,900 yards this past season. He appears to be a "fit" at a place that loves to run. Iowa was in the top third in the FBS in rushing attempts and among the ten lowest teams in the country in passing attempts and passing yards.   But how often we even see Phillips carry the ball? He is presumed to be the No. 2 running back behind Kamari Moulton, last season's RB1 who rushed for 80 yards a game and over five yards per attempt, earning Big Ten All-Conference honorable mention honors as the No. 8 rusher in the league.   Moulton appears to be staying in Iowa City and has two years of eligibility, like Phillips, who presumably slides in at RB2.    We don't know who else had interest in Phillips nor his other NIL offers, but we can wonder what kind of a move this is for the sophomore from Wichita, who initially had interest from places like Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State before he tore his ACL in the last game of his junior season of high school.   Despite his nation-best performance in 2024, Phillips would have had to battle to be USD's top running back this upcoming season with the return of Charles Pierre — a first-team FCS All-American in 2023 whose injury in USD's second game this season paved the way for Phillips to become the guy.       So, was this the right move? It is a fascinating topic ripe for discussion on Monday's Happy Hour. 

Now that the dust has settled on the 2025 FCS season — and now some of the air has cleared on top FCS players coming back or jumping in the portal — how are things looking for 2026?   Will South Dakota State, with Power Four prospects Chase Mason and Quinten Christensen poised to stay and lead in Brookings, bounce back into national championship contention?   Should South Dakota — having lost quarterback Aidan Bouman (eligibility), All-America running back L.J. Phillips (visiting Iowa this week), receiver Larenzon Fenner (committed to Cincinnati), and defensive lineman Caden Crawford (committed to Iowa State) — be trusted again to replace its best players and remain a Top 10 team?   What about national champion Montana State, blue bloods North Dakota State and Montana, and runner-up Illinois State?   If only someone who has covered the FCS full-time for a decade can answer those questions and tackle the extremely nuanced and messy advantages and pitfalls of the mad, mad, wild west portal world.   That man is Sam Herder, the senior FCS analyst for HERO Sports, and he is one of the two guests on Thursday's "Happy Hour with John Gaskins."   The other is former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, who is now an insider and sideline analyst for the Vikings Audio (Radio) Network. Few Vikings media have more access or can understand football situations — on the field and in the locker room — like Leber.   We spent nearly a half-hour with the former Vermillion Tanager and South Dakota Sports Hall of Famer. Topics:   * The Vikings legacy of C.J. Ham, the Augustana alumnus who likely played his last NFL game on Sunday * The good, bad, ugly, and improvable of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and who the Vikings need to surround him with at QB in the offseason — perhaps just keep former NDSU Bison Carson Wentz around?   * The possibility of highly-coveted defensive coordinator Brian Flores remaining in Minneapolis, and who the Vikings should pursue to replace him if he leaves   * The impact of former USD and Rock Valley linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel   Before Herder and Leber, Happy Hour opens from its usual Thursday haunt, Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls, with another Thirsty Thursday chat with Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer.   There are plenty of palpable local sports topics to wash down with Trent's Miller High Life, including:   * Recent portal news * Early Summit League & NSIC hoops * High school hoops * College Football and NFL playoffs predictions * When it is too late to say "Happy New Year!" 

Happy Hour opens from its usual Thursday haunt, Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls, with another Thirsty Thursday chat with Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer.   There are plenty of palpable local sports topics to wash down with Trent's Miller High Life, including:   * Early Summit League & NSIC hoops * High school hoops * College Football and NFL playoffs predictions * When it is too late to say "Happy New Year!"