Episodes

  • NLA: Zim on NDSU's latest FBS "footsie" with MWC, CFB Playoff future's effect on SDSU's FCS-or-FBS future, early portal news, DeBoer & Alabama move on despite Michigan murmurs

    NLA: Zim on NDSU's latest FBS "footsie" with MWC, CFB Playoff future's effect on SDSU's FCS-or-FBS future, early portal news, DeBoer & Alabama move on despite Michigan murmurs
    Dec 23 2025
    Merry Christmas Eve Eve! Go ahead an unwrap our Happy Hour with John Gaskins early Christmas present to you — nothing much different than any other Tuesday with Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer on the show. No "Top 5 Christmas Movies" or "Most Overrated Christmas Songs" lists, or "Egg Nog — Yea or Nay?" No "Year in Review" chronological stroll down memory lane of the biggest sports stories of 2025. (That's for tomorrow's Happy Hour — our Christmas Eve present!) Instead, Zim and the host give the gift that keeps on giving the whoooooooole year for the last five years of the weekly "Nobody's LIstening Anyway" podcast — brutal honesty and candor (with some humor) about the most intriguing current sports topics of the Sioux Empire and South Dakota. In this week's case, yet another discussion about what the future may look like for both NDSU and SDSU in college football, thanks to the latest internet whispers about the Bison's "playing footsie" with the Mountain West Conference. While nothing has been confirmed as fact, it's an open door to discussing which level of football is more desirable for NDSU and SDSU — the FCS or FBS. Did the humiliation of James Madison and Tulane by Power Four schools with far more resources and NIL money signal the beginning of the end to a "seat at the table" for the "rest of the FBS" beyond the Big 10, SEC, ACC, and Big 12? It certainly appears so. If that's the case, do the Bison and Jackrabbits really have a reason to move up? Well, maybe if there is ever the splitting of P4 from Non-P4, creating a new sub-level Div. I fusion of Group of Six FBS programs with some of the more established FBS-ish operations in the FCS like NDSU, SDSU, Montana, Montana State, and USD. As usual, Zim moves to the beat of his own drum on this topic. Then, a dive into the splashiest early pre-transfer portal headlines — heavy hitters who have announced they are staying at SDSU (Chase Mason, Quentin Christensen) and leaving USD (L.J. Phillips and Larenzo Fenner). It isn't just a conversation about the retention of players, but the types of players the two South Dakota programs recruit. Nuance is necessary and provided. Nuance would have been nice as rumors exploded about the possibility that Kalen DeBoer would ever leave Alabama for Michigan. Zim, a former teammate of DeBoer's in South Dakota amateur baseball who also covered DeBoer's five-year run of NAIA dominance at the University of Sioux Falls, sheds his own light on watching the speculation ignite in a ball of flames during the Crimson Tide's 17-point comeback playoff win at Oklahoma. Stocking stuffer — a glimpse into a weekend of South Dakota State's women's basketball that featured the two marquee games on the non-conference schedule within four days of each other. Duke and Texas both soundly beat the Jackrabbits. What might this mean in March for SDSU's possible NCAA Tournament seeding? Is it too early to just assume the Jacks will reach the Big Dance, which feels like an annual rite of passage? Stocking stuffer II — Now what for Minnesota Vikings fans like Zim if J.J. McCarthy is done for the season with his new hand injury? It seemed like tracking the quarterback's progression to see if there is something to be optimistic about in 2026 has likely been replaced with the QB quandary that has stunted the team's growth for most of our lives. Merry Christmas. Bah Humbug!
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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • FULL SHOW: Dan Jackson, Kurtiss Riggs, and early big SDSU & USD portal comings, goings and stayings

    FULL SHOW: Dan Jackson, Kurtiss Riggs, and early big SDSU & USD portal comings, goings and stayings
    Dec 22 2025

    FULL SHOW: Dan Jackson, Kurtiss Riggs, and early big SDSU & USD portal comings, goings and stayings
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    1 hr and 50 mins
  • Portal Update! SDSU's best players staying, while USD's All-Americans leaving... what can we make of it?

    Portal Update! SDSU's best players staying, while USD's All-Americans leaving... what can we make of it?
    Dec 22 2025

    Host John Gaskins breaks down SDSU first team All-American Quinten Christensen staying at SDSU instead of taking potential life-changing FBS offers, while USD All-Americans L.J. Phillips and Larenzo Fenner decided to jump in the portal. Is this something SDSU can pump its chest about, or is more nuance required to tackle this topic?
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    25 mins
  • Kurtiss Riggs on Kalen DeBoer-to-Michigan buzzkill, Alabama vs Indiana, G6 in CFB Playoff, FBS future for NDSU/SDSU?

    Kurtiss Riggs on Kalen DeBoer-to-Michigan buzzkill, Alabama vs Indiana, G6 in CFB Playoff, FBS future for NDSU/SDSU?
    Dec 22 2025

    Kurtiss Riggs on Kalen DeBoer-to-Michigan buzzkill, Alabama vs Indiana, G6 in CFB Playoff, FBS future for NDSU/SDSU?
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    46 mins
  • Dan Jackson on Mason & others staying, friendship with Jimmy Rogers (and last year's WSU-SDSU portal pillage), why NFL scouts advise Jacks to stay, FCS or FBS future

    Dan Jackson on Mason & others staying, friendship with Jimmy Rogers (and last year's WSU-SDSU portal pillage), why NFL scouts advise Jacks to stay, FCS or FBS future
    Dec 22 2025

    Dan Jackson on Mason & others staying, friendship with Jimmy Rogers (and last year's WSU-SDSU portal pillage), why NFL scouts advise Jacks to stay, FCS or FBS future
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    39 mins
  • L.J. Phillips Re-Release! All-American running back describes journey to USD after his 301-yard breakout game in September

    L.J. Phillips Re-Release! All-American running back describes journey to USD after his 301-yard breakout game in September
    Dec 19 2025

    Where did that come from?

    L.J. Phillips burst seemingly out of nowhere to rumble for 301 yards in South Dakota's absolutely-had-to-have-this overtime win over Northern Colorado in September.

    The backup running back to All-American Charles Pierre, Jr., to start the 2025 campaign came within seven yards of breaking Amos Allen's 18-year-old school record.

    Not bad for a first start!

    But it didn't come out of nowhere. Phillips had offers from Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and other Power Four squads by his junior year of high school at Wichita Northwest (Kansas). But a torn ACL in the playoffs that season made all those offers and Division I recruiters vanish.

    Except USD. So, how did the redshirt sophomore get here? And in a day and age where players can — and so many do — jump ship to another school if they aren't named the starter, why did Phillips stay in Vermillion and stay in the stable to play behind a thoroughbred?

    Obviously, for a moment like Saturday. But there's a lot more to it, and to him. Enjoy this 35-minute chat with the smiling, engaging Phillips about his life, journey to and through USD, and... wait, he is a cousin of Chiefs legend Priest Holmes?!
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    34 mins
  • FULL SHOW: Travis Johansen, FCS analyst Samuel Akem, Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast with John Gaskins and Trent Singer

    FULL SHOW: Travis Johansen, FCS analyst Samuel Akem, Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast with John Gaskins and Trent Singer
    Dec 18 2025
    To say agents and FBS coaches are like vultures circling upon top-end players from top-end FCS schools like North Dakota State is a "massive understatement," Bison coach Tim Polasek said last week in a Fargo sports talk interview. Polasek called the days after a season ends "gut-wrenching" because of the re-recruiting he feels he needs to do with some of his best players in hopes they won't be allured by the NIL money and prestige that could come from transferring up to the next level. South Dakota State coach Dan Jackson told Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer these postseason exit interviews can be "tiring and draining," particluarly with players he is trying to talk out of entering the transfer portal, which officially opens Jan. 2 and lasts through Jan. 16. (It is understood and openly discussed that coaches and agents illegally reach out to players throughout the calendar year). Some meetings get so intense, "there would be guys that I would not let out of my office," Jackson said. "The door would get locked." USD's Travis Johansen has been going through one-on-one postseason player interviews this week — one week after the Jacks' exit from the FCS playoffs and two weeks after the Bison were finished. If there is anything "gut-wrenching" or "tiring and draining" about convincing players to stay in Vermillion, Johansen didn't express it in his weekly half-hour chat on "Happy Hour with John Gaskins." "I don't think any of those adjectives hit what I feel," Johansen said. "In the last calendar year, when those things happened, we were able to rebound." Several players from USD's 2024 FCS semifinal squad took six-figure NIL deals at FBS schools, including Missouri Valley Football Conference defensive player of the year Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace (Kentucky), leading tackler Gary Bryant (Syracuse) and a pair of Power Four offensive linemen including Joe Cotton, who was named All-Big 12 at Cincinnati. All the Coyotes did was finish 10-5, good for second place in the rugged MVFC behind NDSU, and become the only FCS team to reach the quarterfinals for the third consecutive season in 2025. After Johansen mentioned that USD was "the best place" for USD players to return in 2026, Cotton's story of FBS success was presented. "The unfortunate part of that is it is an exception to the rule these days," Johansen said, noting he follows players who leave the MVFC for the FBS and tracks reps played, Pro Football Focus grades, and other factors to determine this conclusion. The top receiver in the FCS, Trey Lance, stayed at North Dakota State this past season and is currently projected as a third or fourth round NFL Draft pick by one prospect by NFLDraftBuzz.com. On Monday, SDSU quarterback Chase Mason announced on Happy Hour he would be staying in Brookings for his senior season despite Power Four schools previously offering him over $1 million (according to coach Dan Jackson). Mason said NFL scouts have told him it will serve him just fine to continue playing against FCS compeition, that his 6'4, 230 lb. bodybuilding frame, cannon arm, and impressive open field speed will be no less attractive to NFL teams if he stays at SDSU. Asked if the examples of Lance and Mason can or will be used as a tool to keep some of the Coyotes' best players them at USD, Johansen brought up his own quarterback, Aidan Bouman, turning down multiple FBS offers to come back and lead the Yotes to a third straight deep playoff run and cap off one of the most prolific quarterback careers ever at the school. "The guys that were in our building were secure with our mentality and what we're doing, and there's enough people that love this place and want to be a part of it," Johansen said. "Our entire locker room does." Does "entire locker room" include USD's two breakout All-American offensive weapons — running back L.J. Phillips and wideout Larenzo Fenner, each with two years of eligibility? Which other underclassmen is Johansen particularly excited to see return to the Yotes in 2026? What did he learn the most in his first year as a head coach? What will it take for the Coyotes to close the gap on national title contenders like Montana and Montana State, the teams have eliminated USD from the playoffs the last two years? Johansen tackles all those questions with thoughtfulness and candor in the 35-minute chat. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies and Bobcats will wage their second "Brawl of the Wild" arch rivalry grudge match in Saturday's semifinals, with the winner moving on to January's national championship game. Which players and matchups will make the difference? Skyline Sports FCS analyst Samuel Akem, a top five all-time Montana wideout, digs in to the storylines and matchups. Sioux Falls Live sports reporter Trent Singer gives his own slant and predition on the game, plus observations from his first-ever trip to Missoula to experience the "Mecca of the FCS." Singer...
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    2 hrs and 20 mins
  • Travis Johansen on transfer portal, USD's big comeback year, Bouman's last hurrah, closing gap toward national title

    Travis Johansen on transfer portal, USD's big comeback year, Bouman's last hurrah, closing gap toward national title
    Dec 18 2025
    To say agents and FBS coaches are like vultures circling upon top-end players from top-end FCS schools like North Dakota State is a "massive understatement," Bison coach Tim Polasek said last week in a Fargo sports talk interview. Polasek called the days after a season ends "gut-wrenching" because of the re-recruiting he feels he needs to do with some of his best players in hopes they won't be allured by the NIL money and prestige that could come from transferring up to the next level. South Dakota State coach Dan Jackson told Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer these postseason exit interviews can be "tiring and draining," particluarly with players he is trying to talk out of entering the transfer portal, which officially opens Jan. 2 and lasts through Jan. 16. (It is understood and openly discussed that coaches and agents illegally reach out to players throughout the calendar year). Some meetings get so intense, "there would be guys that I would not let out of my office," Jackson said. "The door would get locked." USD's Travis Johansen has been going through one-on-one postseason player interviews this week — one week after the Jacks' exit from the FCS playoffs and two weeks after the Bison were finished. If there is anything "gut-wrenching" or "tiring and draining" about convincing players to stay in Vermillion, Johansen didn't express it in his weekly half-hour chat on "Happy Hour with John Gaskins." "I don't think any of those adjectives hit what I feel," Johansen said. "In the last calendar year, when those things happened, we were able to rebound." Several players from USD's 2024 FCS semifinal squad took six-figure NIL deals at FBS schools, including Missouri Valley Football Conference defensive player of the year Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace (Kentucky), leading tackler Gary Bryant (Syracuse) and a pair of Power Four offensive linemen including Joe Cotton, who was named All-Big 12 at Cincinnati. All the Coyotes did was finish 10-5, good for second place in the rugged MVFC behind NDSU, and become the only FCS team to reach the quarterfinals for the third consecutive season in 2025. After Johansen mentioned that USD was "the best place" for USD players to return in 2026, Cotton's story of FBS success was presented. "The unfortunate part of that is it is an exception to the rule these days," Johansen said, noting he follows players who leave the MVFC for the FBS and tracks reps played, Pro Football Focus grades, and other factors to determine this conclusion. The top receiver in the FCS, Trey Lance, stayed at North Dakota State this past season and is currently projected as a third or fourth round NFL Draft pick by one prospect by NFLDraftBuzz.com. On Monday, SDSU quarterback Chase Mason announced on Happy Hour he would be staying in Brookings for his senior season despite Power Four schools previously offering him over $1 million (according to coach Dan Jackson). Mason said NFL scouts have told him it will serve him just fine to continue playing against FCS compeition, that his 6'4, 230 lb. bodybuilding frame, cannon arm, and impressive open field speed will be no less attractive to NFL teams if he stays at SDSU. Asked if the examples of Lance and Mason can or will be used as a tool to keep some of the Coyotes' best players them at USD, Johansen brought up his own quarterback, Aidan Bouman, turning down multiple FBS offers to come back and lead the Yotes to a third straight deep playoff run and cap off one of the most prolific quarterback careers ever at the school. "The guys that were in our building were secure with our mentality and what we're doing, and there's enough people that love this place and want to be a part of it," Johansen said. "Our entire locker room does." Does "entire locker room" include USD's two breakout All-American offensive weapons — running back L.J. Phillips and wideout Larenzo Fenner, each with two years of eligibility? Which other underclassmen is Johansen particularly excited to see return to the Yotes in 2026? What did he learn the most in his first year as a head coach? What will it take for the Coyotes to close the gap on national title contenders like Montana and Montana State, the teams have eliminated USD from the playoffs the last two years? Johansen tackles all those questions with thoughtfulness and candor in the 35-minute chat.
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    37 mins