Contributing Writer/Editor
When college football’s top programs are mentioned, South Dakota State is seldom mentioned with the likes of Alabama, Georgia and other championship-winning teams.
That’s an extreme oversight.
Since 2020, the Jackrabbits have won two national championships – albeit at the FCS level – and played for another, putting them clearly in dynasty status.
Steelers’ fourth-round draft pick Mason McCormick was a big part of all of that.
A native of Sioux Falls, S.D., McCormick walked into the South Dakota State program in 2018 as a fresh-faced 18-year-old and zero-star prospect.
The 24-year-old left the program as a two-time national champion and four-time FCS All-American, the glue of what held national championship teams in each of the past two seasons together.
“He was probably the most impactful leader I’ve had, as a position coach anywhere I’ve been,” South Dakota State offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Ryan Olson said. “Just in terms of consistency, getting the best out of everybody around him. He did that every day.”
It would be one thing if McCormick were a quarterback. A three-time team captain, McCormick set the tone for the South Dakota State program as a guard.
That’s rare.
“His personality, the way he went about things, he really commanded a lot of respect from his teammates and he earned it,” Olson said. “It wasn’t like he came in here right away and was telling anybody what to do. He earned the right to lead by the way he went about his business. He was that guy every single day, which is pretty hard to do.”
It’s something that made him very attractive to the Steelers.
Even though the Steelers had selected offensive tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round and center Zach Frazier in the second round of this year’s draft, they couldn’t pass on the opportunity to add McCormick in the fourth round. It marked the first time in 40 years the team used three of its first four picks in the draft on offensive linemen.
But McCormick was just too good to pass up.
“The kid’s tough. He plays football the right way. He loves football,” said Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer. “He wanted to be a Steeler, I know that, just talking to him and working the kid out. So we’re obviously excited to have him.”
Just wanting to be a member of the Steelers is one thing. Impressing the coaching staff enough to make that happen is another.
McCormick was able to do that, making an impression on Meyer and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in a private workout.
“I know the Steelers, I think it was like Tuesday before the draft, the OC and the o-line coach came,” Olson said. “They worked him out and just spent a couple of hours with him. We really wanted him to be a Steeler.”
At that point, the Steelers were looking at McCormick as a center prospect, as well, even though he had never really played the position in a game.
In center Gus Miller, the Jackrabbits have the best center in FCS football the past two seasons. Prior to that, South Dakota State had a longtime starter at the position, as well.
But McCormick took snaps at center during practices and spring games, to show he could do it in case of emergency.
“If anything had happened to our center, I would have moved over,” McCormick said.
As it happened, that never occurred.
Instead, McCormick appeared in 70 games in six seasons, starting 57, all at left guard thanks to gaining an extra season because of COVID-19.
“We’ve been really good (at center) his whole time here,” Olson said. “We had the FCS Rimington Award winner there. And the kid before that kid was like a four-year starter. So we’ve just always kind of been pretty locked in at that spot. And when I transitioned to the o-line job, we had to introduce three new starters. He was by far our best coming back two years ago. So you don’t really want to move your best guy.”
But that doesn’t mean McCormick didn’t get plenty of reps at center.
“He kind of knew that was something that was out there that people were asking about him getting to snap, getting play center,” Olson said. “So in spring ball and a little bit fall camp, like I’d let him snap it just because I knew it was going to be good for his development. You want to help the kid have the best shot moving forward. So we made sure to do a little bit in practice and got a little bit of it on tape so that we can actually show teams, ‘OK, here’s 2-30 snaps of him playing center.'”
That versatility could help McCormick in the long term. But for now, the Steelers are using him at guard. And that’s where they see him in the future.
In fact, they not only see him as a guard, they gave him a number that’s near and dear to Steelers fans when it comes to guard play.
McCormick was given the No. 66, making him the first player since David DeCastro to have that number. Prior to DeCastro, some others who have worn 66 have included Pro Football Hall of Fame guard Alan Faneca, along with Super Bowl-winning guard Ted Petersen and Bruce Van Dyke.
“I have heard a little bit about the history of the number,” McCormick said. “I’ve got some big shoes to fill. And that’s super exciting.”
It’s some added pressure for the rookie, but it’s nothing that’s going to make him blink.
McCormick is a football player’s football player. He’s strong, tough and not afraid of a challenge.
“No question,” Olson said. “I say he’s a throwback guy. He loves practice. And you can’t say that about a lot of people. There’s a lot of kids, a lot of guys and even there’s a lot of coaches too, that are like, ‘Oh, I love football. Yeah, I love the practice. I like being around again.’ And then they get out there in summer camp and they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m tired. I don’t want to practice today.’ He’s a football junkie. He wants it all the time. That is rare.”
That passion for the game shows up in McCormick’s play.
He was at his best in the FCS playoffs last season. The Jackrabbits found themselves in a battle with Villanova in the quarterfinals and led just 10-9 at the half.
McCormick took matters into his own hands in the second half in what would turn into a 23-12 victory as running back Isaiah Davis rushed for 192 yards on 27 carries, many of them coming behind his big left guard.
“It was not a typical first half for us,” Olson said. “And we hadn’t run the ball well at all. They were blitzing like crazy and stuff. And we had a couple of younger guys that had a couple bad series and stuff in the middle. He came out in the second half and just played unbelievably physically and kind of rallied everybody. It was kind of a really cool moment to see. As a younger player, he would get frustrated when other guys were not playing well. You know? It’d be like visible frustration.
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“So that was something that we worked on a lot as he was coming up, channeling that into how to actually lead and not just yell at other people. And so to see him kind of grab the group and take him with them. He was an elevator, raised his level in the second half and he played lights out.”
Those lessons McCormick learned along the way were one reason he chose to stay at South Dakota State. With NIL money what it is now in college football, good players at smaller programs are often tempted to leave for greener pastures or higher-profile programs.
McCormick had offers to go elsewhere. But he chose to stick things out at South Dakota State.
“I had offers but the temptation was not there,” McCormick said. “South Dakota State gave so much to me and developed me into who I am now. Who am I to leave South Dakota State? They poured so much into me. I feel like they should be able to reap the benefits of what they helped create. And, you know, sure, some money would be cool or whatever, but it’s just ultimately my loyalties lie with the people that are good to me.”
It’s one of the things that, as Meyer said on draft day, made McCormick want to be a member of the Steelers.
The team had shown a lot of interest in him, and he wanted to be part of what he feels is a top-notch organization.
“It’s the culture that I’ve seen forever,” McCormick said. “This team has been one that embodies a super-hard work ethic. I’ve met a lot of good people and from everything I’ve heard this place is amazing and the people are awesome. And it’s definitely something that I wanted to be a part of.”
That’s the mentality with which McCormick approaches the game and his craft.
And it’s what makes him such an attractive prospect.
The loyalty to which McCormick referred to when sticking with South Dakota State makes Olson proud.
“That loyalty is a reflection of who he is as a person,” Olson said. “He’s kind of a throwback. He’s an old-school guy in a younger person’s body. There just aren’t a lot of those left any more, and it certainly means a lot to hear him say stuff like that. It is good to have a guy like that in your program.”
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