SDSU football: Jackrabbits bring energy, intensity to Spring Game

Thue missed last spring to injury, and recognized the importance of taking advantage of every rep he could get this year.

"For guys like me who are in that (backup) position this is kind of like our Super Bowl," Thue said. "Prepare like it's a game. Take it super serious and show out if you can. It was great to be out there playing with the guys. It felt good to get a chance to get on the field and show what I can do."

Another highlight came when Thue connected with John Eichhorn, a recent walk-on to the team. Eichhorn is unlikely to ever see significant action, but made a contested catch over the middle and was swarmed by teammates when he came off the field.

In addition to McKinney's big play the running backs played well, with a makeshift offensive line doing a solid job. Senior captain Quinten Christensen and potential starters Kenyon Big Bow and Cooper Starks all sat out the spring season recovering from injuries but that opened the door for more reps for guys like Kyan Rauk, John Pica, Jackson Kerstin and others.

Defensively the Jacks showcased their depth in the box. It's obvious Wayne State transfers Jes Krcil (linebacker) and Carter Sitzman (edge) are going to force their way onto the field, while in-state products Luke Krempges and Maverick LeBrun look poised to contribute on the edge.

The linebacking corps is just absurdly deep, as Krcil, Matt Goehring, Casey Larson, Kytan Fyfe, Bryce Johnson, Jack Nash and Boden Schiller join returning starters Joe Ollman, Cullen McShane and Chase Van Tol.

In the secondary, cornerbacks Ife Current, Henry Pickens and Paul Kim are pushing returners Noah St. Juste and Myles Green. Current and Pickesn impressed on Saturday, with Pickens blocking a field goal.

Tank Farr, a true freshman from Wisconsin, turned heads at safety this spring, adding to a room that returns veterans Dontay Johnson and Noah Thompson and added experienced transfers in Amaje Parker and Jack Johnson.

Lastly, the Jacks appear to be in good shape at kicker. Nebraska transfer Tristan Alvano drilled every kick on Saturday but so did returning sophomore Ryan Harrington, including a 47-yarder.

"There was a lot of good back-and-forth today," said coach Dan Jackson. "You saw flashes from players we needed to see flashes from. And today was a lot about getting the younger players and transfers comfortable and some game experience. Because we still have 70 players on this roster that are in their first or second year."

But at least those 70 will be the only ones in that situation. There won't be any last-minute additions. There are no new position coaches. Everything has been in place for more than a calendar year.

It's clear the renewed sense of familiarity has this team excited about its potential.

"(Not having a spring window) allowed us to focus on our team, create an identity," Jackson said. "Because with a second portal window, you kind of wait till June before you really start establishing, knowing what you have. And so we know what we have. We know what they can do. And it's helped me design practices that are allowing us to grow and evaluate and not just hope that this roster's still together. So who we got's who we got, and they're good enough."