South Dakota State football redshirt freshman Brenden Begeman flashes potential in Spring Game

On April 22, 2023, South Dakota native Brenden Begeman and the rest of the 2023 South Dakota State football recruiting class were unveiled in front of the Jackrabbits faithful at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in the annual Spring Game.

Begeman joined the team a highly touted, record-setting running back out of Herreid/Selby. As he stood on the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in front of hundreds of SDSU fans, Begeman envisioned himself playing in the Spring Game and all the success he hoped to achieve in the blue and gold.

More: South Dakota State Football: Offense trumps defense in Spring Game, 21-17

Last Saturday, the redshirt freshman offered a glimpse into his promising future. Begeman made the winning play in this year's Spring Game, narrowly squeezing past two tackle-hungry defenders, shuffling past another and then exploding to the house for a 70-yard touchdown run that secured the 21-17 win for the offense.

“It really just kind of came full circle,” Begeman said of the moment. “It felt amazing and celebrated with the boys. All glory to God. Man, it was just really fun to get my first big run.”

Begeman is no stranger to success on the football field. He broke the state's high school single-season rushing mark with 2,976 yards to go along with 42 touchdowns as a senior and is the state's all-time rushing leader with 6,807 yards. As a South Dakota native and a lifelong South Dakota State fan, suiting up in the Jackrabbits blue, yellow, and white is a dream come true.

“It means everything,” Begeman said of representing the state on the SDSU roster. “To come here and play for my dream school, it's just been a blessing.”

Begeman redshirted last season and spent the year learning from the talented running backs on the roster including Amar Johnson, Angel Johnson and Isaiah Davis. He learned a lot from simply just watching Davis, specifically how to approach every practice and be intentional with the reps he gets. Begeman’s also adopted the soon-to-be NFL player’s mentality of keeping his head down and putting in the work.

Begeman has impressed in spring practices with that mindset. He aims to improve every day this season and his coaches have noticed his development from year one to year two.

“I’m proud of him. He’s taken huge jumps,” South Dakota State football coach Jimmy Rogers said. “He competes on special teams. (He’s a) really serious kid that tries to get better and he's done a great job because he's taken a large jump from where he started to where he's at right now.”

Saturday may have been a glimpse into the future, but it’s still likely the distant future. South Dakota State appears to be set in their running back rotation with both Amar and Angel Johnson returning with significant experience. Begeman could receive spot opportunities but he’s still young, raw and brimming with potential.

“I'm really excited and faithful that I'll get a chance to shine,” Begeman said. “But also Amar and Angel will do a really good job this season … If I could just back them up in any way that'd be all I can ask for.”

The Jackrabbits will look to win their 30th consecutive game when they open their season in Stillwater, Oklahoma. South Dakota State will take on Oklahoma State in their season opener on Saturday, Aug. 31.

Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota State football: Brenden Begeman flashing his potential