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  • FULL CHAT: Behind the NIL curtain with local agency scout Noah Clair

    FULL CHAT: Behind the NIL curtain with local agency scout Noah Clair
    2026/07/01
    Few letters are more of a lightning rod in sports right now than "NIL." It is difficult to have a discussion about the state of college sports without bringing up "Name, Image, and Likeness" which has seemingly transformed from, "let's give athletes a chance to pocket money that is rightfully theirs from, say, endorsements and jersey sales" to, seemingly, this is their salary—this is what it costs for them to play at your school and there are no limitations to it. The nature of both NIL money — and the transfer portal that allows college athletes to change schools without redshirting and without a limit on how many schools they can play for during their eligibility — has frustrated fans and driven away legendary coaches from Nick Saban and Chris Klieman in college football, to Jay Wright and Dusty May in hoops. Last week, May left one of the best and most lucrative gigs in the college ranks at Michigan to take an NBA job with the Dallas Mavericks, reportedly so he didn't have to deal with the headache of NIL and constantly rotating rosters. NIL has certainly affected college teams in South Dakota. Div. I and Div. Division I and Division II teams more frequently lose their best players, who leave for schools that can offer them more NIL money. Of course, NIL has led to a new industry: NIL agents and agencies. Like the pro athletes, these college athletes seek representation to potentially land the best NIL deal. Dollars aren't the only thing at stake for the athletes. Their agents also get a cut of the NIL money, similar to how a real estate agent receives a percentage from selling a home or business property. At this point, NIL agents appear to generally have a negative reputation in the public eye. NDSU coach Dave Richman lashed out about one agent last season while on local television, telling a story about that agent trying to get in the ear of one of his players during the season. Some NIL agents have been called nothing short of slimeballs, scumbags, or snakes by some coaches. Other coaches, like SDSU football's Dan Jackson and USD basketball's Eric Peterson have told us here at Happy Hour there are good eggs in the NIL agency basket— people who mean well and genuinely want to help athletes, coaches, and schools do it "the right way," whatever that means.
    Coaches work with NIL agents, as well. While athletes look for pay raises or other places to play, coaches look for athletes to transfer into their program to improve their squads. So, it's about time the South Dakota sporting public meets someone from an NIL agency to learn more about the business and how the process of gaining, keeping, and benefiting from clients works. "CSG" is a South Dakota-based agency that represents not only college athletes seeking NIL opportunities but also currently represents NFL players, most notably Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. A new thoroughbred has joined the CSG stable. Perhaps you've heard of him—South Dakota State quarterback Chase Mason. Back in early March, a scout from CSG reached out to the Happy Hour host about joining the show to help illuminate how NIL scouting and agency works for the public. That day has arrived. Noah Clair is CSG's director of scouting, athlete relationships, and NIL. Over 85 minutes, he gave us a glimpse into the world most fans know little about. We hope you find it informative.
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    1 時間 24 分
  • Happy Hour All-American Show: USD's Charles Pierre, Jr. & SDSU's Quentin Christensen

    Happy Hour All-American Show: USD's Charles Pierre, Jr. & SDSU's Quentin Christensen
    2026/07/06
    Happy Monday and Happy Sixth of July! As we continue to celebrate America's 250th & the holiday, enjoy conversations All-American football players: USD running back Charles Pierre, Jr., before his season-ending injury and SDSU's Quentin Christensen, the cattle farming offensive lineman who became a folk hero among Jackrabbit fans even before an outstanding 2025 that led to million dollar deals at major conference schools he decided to turn down so he could return to Brookings with best friend Chase Mason and chase a national title in 2026. These chats are a terrific primer to next Tuesday's Missouri Valley Football Conference Media Days, where Sioux Falls Live and KSFL-TV will be providing a bunch of live interviews with the top players and coaches in the league to get ready for the 2026 season— chats that will also be posted on Happy Hour. Happy Hour will return with new shows tomorrow (Tuesday). Get ready for an all-time SDSU legend on Wednesday! Charles Pierre, Jr. - June 3, 2025 Remember this guy? He was the MVFC's top rusher and the first USD player to rush for over 1,000 yards when he sprang for 1,244 yards in his sophomore season of 2024, earning him Third Team All-America honors from Phil Steele and honorable mention All-America from the Associated Press. Of course, he was also first team All-MVFC. In Happy Hour's enjoyable and engaging chat with the laid back Orlando native in early June 2025, Pierre gave us a glimpse into his childhood in Florida, his "alien leg," how he ended up in Vermillion, and how he was ready to tear it up in 2025 as a junior. Three months later, in USD's second game, Pierre suffered a season-ending injury at Lamar that cleared the way for backup L.J. Phillips to immediately skyrocket his way to the top of the MVFC and FCS rushing charts, earning Phillips All-America honors and an NIL payday at Iowa. This chat with Pierre will wet your whistle for his reset in 2026, and for a near-future conversation with him about going through the injury and his hunger to burst back on the field. Quentin Christensen - Jan 22, 2026 Why in the world would he do that? So many have asked that question about South Dakota State quarterback Chase Mason and All-American offensive lineman Quinten Christensen after learning both players turned down at least one offer of $1 million in NIL money to transfer to a Power Four school. Mason explained his decision to stay at SDSU in a Happy Hour conversation in December. Thursday, January 22, was Christensen's turn. Playing a position in such high demand in the SEC and the Big Ten, the in-state senior-to-be from Wessington Springs (two hours from Brookings) could have taken life-changing money and potentially raised his NIL stock by competing at a higher level. Christensen explains why his SDSU experience and the connections he has made with the program outweighs finances. One of those connections is with former teammate and current Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Mason McCormick, who took Christensen under his wing when "Q" was a freshman. Hear about what Christensen learned and continues to learn from McCormick along with what the "605 Hogs" and the 2025 Jackrabbits learned in a topsy-turvy 9-5 season, the first under Dan Jackson. It included the death of running back Nate White before the season started and the foot injury to Mason that started a four-game losing streak after a 7-0 start. "Q" offers his perspective on Jackson and the influence coach John Stiegelmeier still casts on Christensen and the players three years after "Stig" retired. The Happy Hour conversation begins with a trip back in time to Christensen's upbringing on the family cattle ranch in Wessington Springs and the influence his parents — both athletes — had on his development in football and wrestling.
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    2 時間 8 分
  • South Dakota Sports Lounge: Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack, MS+ Zach Borg, Thor Nystrom from SKOR North, and Midwest Made season 2

    South Dakota Sports Lounge: Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack, MS+ Zach Borg, Thor Nystrom from SKOR North, and Midwest Made season 2
    2026/07/03

    Happy 4th of July Weekend. It's time for another South Dakota Sports Lounge, where we take you to the best segments of the week across our Forum for an inside look at sports in the Midwest.



    Hot Mic with Dom Izzo kicks off our show with guest Jeff Kolpack.



    It was a big week for NDSU, which officially became an FBS football team on Wednesday according to the NCAA calendar. Expectations could not be higher for the Bison, as most analysts are predicting they'll make a bowl game appearance in their first year, with some even expecting them to win the Mountain West.



    Kolpack and Izzo dive into what's new at this level.



    Happy Hour with John Gaskins dives into the Summit League coaching landscape.



    It's a game of comparison between the two Dakotas. BOTH Bison basketball coaches, Jory Collins and Dave Richman, had their contracts extended 5 years through the 2031 season. Meanwhile, the University of South Dakota Men's coach, Eric Peterson, enters the final year of his contract.



    Zach and John talk about what Peterson has to do to earn an extension of his own; however, what he needs to do could lead to him taking a bigger job elsewhere.



    The Nate Brown Show talks NFL this week with Thor Nystrom from SKOR North.



    It's a confusing time to be a Minnesota Vikings fan, as they prepare to enter the 2026 season with a quarterback battle. This has analysts split on what to expect from the team this season.



    Nystrom and Brown break down what sportsbooks believe the Vikings' win total may be, as well as if another disappointing season could lead to the departure of Kevin O'Connell.



    Lastly, Midwest Made: Season 2 makes its debut with high school Clay Trap Shooting in Mitchell.
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    42 分
  • Disabled American Veteran of the Year '23: Staff Sgt. Kim Hubers on her service in Iraq, for Hurricane Katrina, and coming back to New Orleans for the Super Bowl & meeting Justin Jefferson

    Disabled American Veteran of the Year '23: Staff Sgt. Kim Hubers on her service in Iraq, for Hurricane Katrina, and coming back to New Orleans for the Super Bowl & meeting Justin Jefferson
    2026/07/04

    The last time Staff Sgt. Kim Hubers was in New Orleans, she spent six weeks helping clean up the wreckage of Hurricane Katrina as a member of the South Dakota Army National Guard. People who had lost everything in their lives literally fell into her arms.

    Twenty years later, the lifelong Vikings fan was wrapped in Justin Jefferson's arms as part of a Super Bowl trip rewarded to her through the USAA (United Services Automobile Association).

    Hubers brought 18-year-old daughter Aubrey to experience not only the suite life in the Superdome for the big game itself, but the Saturday Fanfest, where they met and shared a few minutes with the Vikings' All-Pro receiver.

    Hubers, the 2023 Disabled American Veteran of the year, tells vivid memories of her Katrina experience and explains the emotions of returning to a place that was so devastated and is now "electric" with people, music, art, culture, and the buzz of the Super Bowl.

    In an encore publishing of a Happy Hour chat from the spring of 2025, Hubers also describes the physical and mental pain suffered her entire life from her year in the Iraq War and six weeks in Katrina, and how she channels it into serving other disabled veterans.

    It is an hour full of heartache and heartwarmth.

    Happy Independence Day!
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    1 時間 4 分
  • NLA: Zim's MVFC Pre-Media Day primer! Where do Jacks & Yotes fit in NDSU-free picture?

    NLA: Zim's MVFC Pre-Media Day primer! Where do Jacks & Yotes fit in NDSU-free picture?
    2026/07/07
    Goodbye, lakeside grillouts, fireworks and family reunions.

    Hello, pigskin. The second the Fourth of July hits the rear view mirror, it feels like it is time to talk football.

    And just to ensure there is no confusion regarding which football we're talking about on this week's "Nobody's Listening Anyway" podcast with Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer this week, the American soccer team put itself and its World Cup title hopes in the rear view on Monday night. Nope, we're looking through the windshield. And we see the Missouri Valley Football Conference media day on the horizon, just a week away. Sioux Falls Live (yes, this website via this link) and KSFL-TV (Ch. 36 over-the-air and Ch. 616 on Midco) will carry interviews with every player and coach representing every team in the league next Tuesday starting at 9 a.m. This gave Zim and the Happy Hour host an opportunity to prime for the event by discussing the MVFC's biggest storylines heading into the 2026 season. Namely: * Who is not coming to Media Day is the biggest story. NDSU will be eerily absent now that the Bison are in the Mountain West. And when you're the 800 lb. gorilla of a league, everyone will notice the absence as much (if not more) than when the green and gold were a part of the festivities.

    * Who is the favorite to win the league now that the path is way clearer without NDSU? * OK, spoiler aleart— it is SDSU. Well, that's what Zim and the host think. Why? And what kind of contenders will USD, eternally up-and-coming UND, and defending national runner-up Illinois State be? * How much will Jacks & Yotes fans care about NDSU's maiden voyage in the FBS? * Should Jacks & Yotes fans root for the Bison to be successful? Meanwhile, the lingering LeBron James free agency continues to give us an excuse to dream about the "King" taking his court to Minnesota? Would this be a royal flush? And, then, there's the other football. Team USA once again flopped in an early knockout stage. Why does the host compare the Americans to the Minnesota Vikings? Enjoy.
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    55 分
  • Former SDSU coach Mike Daly's football life (full chat)

    Former SDSU coach Mike Daly's football life (full chat)
    2026/07/08
    The man who changed the face of South Dakota State football isn't John Stiegelmeier. It was the head coach who preceded Stig: Mike Daly. At least, that is what Stig said in his recently-released biography book Stig & The Rise of South Dakota State Football. Daly hired Stig twice. First, as a volunteer student assistant when Daly was the Jackrabbits defensive coordinator in 1977. Fourteen years later, when Daly was hired as head coach after a decade away, he elevated Stig from defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator to defensive coordinator. After six winning seasons — SDSU won six or seven games every year, was 40-24 overall and 31-22 in the North Central Conference — Daly walked away from the school and from coaching for the rest of his life. He was just 46 years old and had 20 good coaching years left in him. Instead, Stig took over. Solid but not elite level football continued until administration and boosters got serious in 2003 and decided to make the leap to Div. I. The rest is history. SDSU became a powerhouse and eventually a national champion under Stig. Does Daly regret walking away so soon? Why did he do it in the first place? What kind of pride does he take in Stig crediting him for laying the championship foundation? More importantly, how did Daly do it? Before Daly arrived as head coach in 1991, SDSU was usually an afterthought in North Central Conference football, regularly smothered by titans like North Dakota State and North Dakota. Even arch rival South Dakota reached the national semifinals twice in a row in the 1980's. The Jackrabbit awakening all started with a TV show — The Mike Daly Show — and an absolute conviction that football should be taken seriously by players and coaches, even if the administration wouldn't. The stories of the turnaround in Brookings are just a fraction of Daly's rich football life. There was growing up in Fairmont, Minnesota, without his father — a World War II Presidential Unit Citation honoree who died of polio when Mike was a year old. There were his college days and early coaching days at Augustana, where he met and enjoyed the beer-tapped refrigerator of fellow assistant Don Morton. There were a few years in the 1970's as an assistant at SDSU, where Daly hired Stig, before Morton became NDSU head coach and whisked Daly away. In the next decade, with Daly as Morton's defensive coordinator, the Bison would win a Div. II national title, Div. I Tulsa would have one of its best teams in school history, and Wisconsin would give the duo a Big Ten opportunity of a lifetime. The Badgers were not a football-first institution. Morton went 6-27 in three years and was fired after the 1988 season. Daly was left unemployed until a chance encounter at a grocery store during a summer fishing trip changed everything. Now 76, Daly describes all this on a lazy Tuesday afternoon in Gateway Lounge — one of his regular Sioux Falls haunts — in the affable ease that made him a popular coach. Come for the story about meeting Richard Nixon at a high-end restaurant in Miami the night before Tulsa played the No. 1 ranked Miami Hurricanes in 1986. Stay for the emotional story about how the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers may have saved the life of his only child, who is now the CEO of a hospital in Wisconsin. Enjoy the revival of The Mike Daly Show. It's must-see TV... and must-listen podcast.
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    1 時間 39 分
  • Mike Daly, Part 2: The SDSU Years (1991-96) and everything after

    Mike Daly, Part 2: The SDSU Years (1991-96) and everything after
    2026/07/09
    The man who changed the face of South Dakota State football isn't John Stiegelmeier. It was the head coach who preceded Stig: Mike Daly. At least, that is what Stig said in his recently-released biography book Stig & The Rise of South Dakota State Football. Daly hired Stig twice. First, as a volunteer student assistant when Daly was the Jackrabbits defensive coordinator in 1977. Fourteen years later, when Daly was hired as head coach after a decade away, he elevated Stig from defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator to defensive coordinator. After six winning seasons — SDSU won six or seven games every year, was 40-24 overall and 31-22 in the North Central Conference — Daly walked away from the school and from coaching for the rest of his life. He was just 46 years old and had 20 good coaching years left in him. Instead, Stig took over. Solid but not elite level football continued until administration and boosters got serious in 2003 and decided to make the leap to Div. I. The rest is history. SDSU became a powerhouse and eventually a national champion under Stig. Does Daly regret walking away so soon? Why did he do it in the first place? What kind of pride does he take in Stig crediting him for laying the championship foundation? More importantly, how did Daly do it? Before Daly arrived as head coach in 1991, SDSU was usually an afterthought in North Central Conference football, regularly smothered by titans like North Dakota State and North Dakota. Even arch rival South Dakota reached the national semifinals twice in a row in the 1980's. The Jackrabbit awakening all started with a TV show — The Mike Daly Show — and an absolute conviction that football should be taken seriously by players and coaches, even if the administration wouldn't. The stories of the turnaround in Brookings are just a fraction of Daly's rich football life.
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    38 分
  • SD Sports Lounge: Mike Daly (SDSU legend), Mike McFeely (Forum columnist) on NDSU's foray into FBS), Jerry Brewer (The Athletic) on covering World Cup, and Zach Borg on Kairos Volleyball Club

    SD Sports Lounge: Mike Daly (SDSU legend), Mike McFeely (Forum columnist) on NDSU's foray into FBS), Jerry Brewer (The Athletic) on covering World Cup, and Zach Borg on Kairos Volleyball Club
    2026/07/10
    The man who changed the face of South Dakota State football isn't John Stiegelmeier. It was the head coach who preceded Stig: Mike Daly. At least, that is what Stigelmeier said in his recently-released biography book Stig & The Rise of South Dakota State Football by Tanner Castora.
    A Fairmont, Minnesota, and Augustana football standout, Daly was a young SDSU defensive coordinator when he hired Stiegelmeier as a volunteer student assistant in 1977. After Daly spent 12 seasons away from SDSU from 1979-90 — as DC under Don Morton for successful stints at North Dakota State and Tulsa before a three-year disaster at Wisconsin — Daly was hired as Jackrabbits' head coach after the 1990 season. The Jacks had suffered back-to-back losing seasons, including 3-8 in 1990. Daly encountered an underfunded and under-prioritized program and immediately turned it around. After six winning seasons — SDSU won six or seven games every year, was 40-24 overall and 31-22 in the North Central Conference — Daly walked away from the school and from coaching for the rest of his life. Stiegelmeier took over. It took a while, but the rest is history— SDSU became an FCS powerhouse and eventual national champion.

    Daly detailed his time at SDSU and other captivating stories from his football journey in a 100-minute interview on Happy Hour with John Gaskins. A portion of that conversation — Daly creating and producing his own weekly TV show to bring more attention to the Jackrabbits — leads off this week's South Dakota Sports Lounge, a weekly show that features the hand-picked "best" local segments of the week from daily sports programs in the Forum Communications family, concluding with a feature story from Zach Borg. Here are the other shows' picks for July 6-10: Hot Mic with Dom Izzo (Fargo): Veteran Forum of Fargo-Moorhead columnist Mike McFeely previews North Dakota State's maiden voyage in the FBS and next week's Mountain West Conference media days. Will the Bison contend for the title right away? The Nate Brown Show (Rapid City): Jerry Brewer (senior columinst at The Athletic) shares his his experience covering the World Cup. Zach Borg feature: A close-up look at the Kairos Volleyball Club in Sioux Falls, rated as a Top 40 club in the United States. It has pumped out dozens of eventual college players and stars like Nebraska's three-time Big Ten Setter of the Year, Bergen Reilly.
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    35 分