JCC's Weston Rowe Commits to South Dakota State

At the beginning of April, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, as well as the Missouri Valley Football Conference's budding 2026 recruiting scene, was rocked by a tsunami of recruiting news, the epicenter of which was located in Brookings, South Dakota. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits, a season removed from sitting on the FCS throne as the reigning back-to-back national champs, struck gold in the Minnesota 2026 class, earning the commitment of four high-profile juniors from all over the state and dripping with upside, athleticism, and talent. As with any great recruiting class, the Jacks got a major verbal from a top-tier regional offensive tackle prospect, the anchor of both the offensive line and a growing commitment class, and SDSU landed an especially fun one out of the reigning Minnesota Class AA state champions, Jackson County Central High School. Weston Rowe, a 6'7 left tackle who held seven D1 offers and doubles as a 1,000 point scorer on the hardwood for the Huskies basketball team, was a key piece to the Huskies undefeated state championship run on the gridiron this fall and is a ball of athletic, beefy clay with his best football in front of him, especially in the hands of the Jacks OL coaches. Get to know Weston, what it means to represent the town of Jackson, what lead him to shut down his commitment and verbal to SDSU early, and more, in this PrepRedzoneMN Commitment Report. Go Jacks!   --   Rowe, a native of Jackson, located only an hour-and-a-halfish from the South Dakota border and two hours from Brookings, was always quieter on the recruiting trail in terms of camp appearances and social media presence, so PRzMN was not quite aware of just how deep Rowe's SDSU roots really are. Rowe told PRzMN, "I've always been a massive fan of SDSU, and my parents went there. But when I went to their junior day, the moment I stepped through that door was when I realized I wanted to be a Jackrabbit." This was in early April, after Rowe had been offered by the likes of Navy, Cornell, Dartmouth, South Dakota, Army, Air Force, and MSU-Mankato, and the day after visiting the Dana J. Dykhouse, meeting with Head Coach Dan Jackson, and the rest of the staff, Rowe shut down his recruitment and committed to South Dakota State.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/WestonRowe7/status/1908728882745819204 </div></figure>   It seemed as if the stars aligned and things were meant to be. Although he was still gaining steam on the recruiting trail, he knew the time was right, and the Jacks had already been putting in work behind the scenes. Rowe told PRzMN, "I was talking to the other schools that offered me and NDSU before my commitment. However, SDSU was texting me way more often than the other schools." The deciding factor? Rowe stated that: "I love the coaching staff at SDSU. Every coach brings a lot of energy, and they will be honest with me. I think SDSU's program and culture are the top in FCS football." Already stroking the rivalry, PRzMN asked Rowe what he was most excited about once he gets to Brookings, and the 6'7 junior replied that "I can't wait to play NDSU, they are SDSU's biggest rival and those games bring just as much energy as an FBS game does." Well said from the future cornerstone tackle.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/Weston-Rowe-SDSU-2-2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1660583" style="width:420px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1255125' first='Weston' last='Rowe'], with his parents, donning SDSU gear as a newborn *photo courtesy of [player_tooltip player_id='1255125' first='Weston' last='Rowe']*</figcaption></figure>   In terms of his senior year, his hometown of Jackson, and the lineage of prep superstars the Huskies have pumped out, Rowe made sure to note that: "I love Jackson, the town was been supporting me throughout this whole journey, and every home game is packed. My favorite player to watch was Rudy Voss growing up, and then when he went to SDSU, [and] I went to go watch him there too. I think this upcoming year will be another special year for JCC. We did lose some seniors, but we are returning a lot of talent. And our goal is to win another state championship." Go Jacks!

At the beginning of April, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, as well as the Missouri Valley Football Conference's budding 2026 recruiting scene, was rocked by a tsunami of recruiting news, the epicenter of which was located in Brookings, South Dakota. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits, a season removed from sitting on the FCS throne as the reigning back-to-back national champs, struck gold in the Minnesota 2026 class, earning the commitment of four high-profile juniors from all over the state and dripping with upside, athleticism, and talent. As with any great recruiting class, the Jacks got a major verbal from a top-tier regional offensive tackle prospect, the anchor of both the offensive line and a growing commitment class, and SDSU landed an especially fun one out of the reigning Minnesota Class AA state champions, Jackson County Central High School. Weston Rowe, a 6'7 left tackle who held seven D1 offers and doubles as a 1,000 point scorer on the hardwood for the Huskies basketball team, was a key piece to the Huskies undefeated state championship run on the gridiron this fall and is a ball of athletic, beefy clay with his best football in front of him, especially in the hands of the Jacks OL coaches. Get to know Weston, what it means to represent the town of Jackson, what lead him to shut down his commitment and verbal to SDSU early, and more, in this PrepRedzoneMN Commitment Report. Go Jacks!