SDSU lands commitment from Papio Souths Earith
No team at the FBS or FCS level has been more active in recruiting the state of Nebraska this year than South Dakota State.
The Jacks have made nine offers in the state of Nebraska for the classes of 2015 and 2016 and they hosted 53 top Nebraska prospects at their summer camp in June.
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It's been an aggressive approach for an FCS team to take in Nebraska, but it appears to be one that is paying off.
A year ago SDSU signed four recruits from Nebraska and on Thursday they got their first commitment from 2015 Papillion La Vista (Neb.) South defensive lineman Ryan Earith after offering him at their summer camp earlier this week.
"They gave me the option to play either offense or defense," Earith said. "I like defense and for me I just feel like a smaller school is a better fit for me than a bigger school.
"I really like the family setting at South Dakota State and how close everybody is. It just feels like a family instead of a bunch of guys on a team."
The 6-foot-4, 247 pound Earith will start his career out as a defensive tackle, but was also being recruited to play on the offensive line by teams like Nebraska and Wyoming.
Earith has seen his weight go from 180 pounds as a sophomore, 220 pounds as a junior to now 247 pounds heading into his senior season. By the time he gets into college he doesn't see any problem being up to the 280 to 290 pound range.
Besides SDSU, Earith also attended camps at NU and Wyoming, but a hamstring injury prevented him from making any other camp stops.
Former Omaha Burke offensive coordinator Dan Jackson led the recruitment of Earith and is a big reason why South Dakota State has recruited Nebraska harder than ever before.
"(Jackson) is just a great guy and I just love to talk to him," Earith said. "He's straight forward and friendly and lets you know where you stand."
However, Earith did say he still plans to keep his Division I FBS options open this fall, and will attend games at places like Nebraska if he's invited as an unofficial visitor.
"South Dakota State understands that," Earith said. "If a bigger school like Nebraska came on me obviously I'm going to consider that."
