Table of Contents
If you’re a Jackrabbits faithful, you probably saw a post blowing up this week on Twitter and Facebook. Dallas Goedert and Tucker Kraft, two South Dakota State studs, are racking up touchdowns like it’s their birthright. And yeah, it’s viral for a reason.
These aren’t just any tight ends. They’re the gold standard, proving once again that Brookings breeds beasts who thrive on Sundays. As of Week 7 in this wild 2025 season, their combined 13 receiving scores top the charts for any pair of pass-catchers from the same college. No other school in the country can top that. It’s the kind of stat that makes you puff out your chest at the next tailgate, because damn, SDSU’s tight end pipeline isn’t a fluke. It’s a factory. Especially crazy to think about with how many great LSU receivers and Iowa tight ends are currently in the NFL.
Dallas Goedert: The veteran anchor
Let’s start with Goedert, the veteran anchor who’s been tormenting defenses since he walked on at SDSU back in 2013. Now in his eighth year with the Eagles, Dallas is on pace for a career explosion. Through seven games, he’s hauled in 30 catches for 289 yards and hold onto your helmets, seven touchdowns!! That’s tied for the most among tight ends league-wide, putting him in rarified air with the likes of George Kittle and Travis Kelce.
Remember when he was that lanky kid from Britton, South Dakota, earning his spot on the roster through sheer grit? Fast forward, and he’s the red-zone nightmare QBs dream of targeting. Jalen Hurts has leaned on him hard this year, and it’s paying off in spades. Goedert’s not just scoring. He’s doing it with that trademark efficiency. 9.6 yards per grab, turning short slants into house calls.
Dallas Goedert is now tied for the most touchdown receptions in the NFL 🔥🔥
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 26, 2025
He has 7 TD catches in 8 games
pic.twitter.com/Y3T5lxYUHG
What stands out to me, as someone who’s covered enough NFC North bloodbaths to know a real weapon when I see one, is how Goedert embodies that SDSU ethos: tough, unflashy, and relentlessly productive. He told reporters after a recent Philly win that his college days at SDSU taught him to block out the noise, literally and figuratively. “Brookings winters build character,” he quipped once in a pre-draft sit-down, crediting those brutal practices for his pro polish. And Eagles fans are eating it up.
Goedert’s success screams small-school pride to anyone who’s ever rooted for the underdog.
Tucker Kraft: Taking the league by storm
Then there’s Tucker Kraft, the Timber Lake tornado who’s taken the league by storm in just his third season with the Packers. If Goedert’s the steady vet, Kraft’s the lightning bolt. Explosive, elusive, and already a top-5 terror at his position. He’s notched 30 receptions for 469 yards and six touchdowns, tying for second in scoring grabs among all receivers. That’s not hyperbole. It’s box-score reality. Jordan Love’s found a security blanket in No. 85, especially on those third-and-mediums where Kraft’s 15.6 yards-per-catch average turns chains into daggers.
Tucker Kraft with the coolest touchdown moment in Packers lore since "I still own you" pic.twitter.com/rooC3Cp7bL
— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) October 27, 2025
Kraft’s rise feels like destiny scripted for the Green Bay Packers. Drafted in the third round out of SDSU in 2023, he hit the ground running, but 2025? This is his coronation. He’s not just catching balls. He’s contorting mid-air, snagging contested grabs like they’re low-hanging fruit. And don’t sleep on his blocking. Those pancake seals in the run game have Green Bay’s backfield humming.
As Kraft himself put it in a heartfelt nod to his roots when asked if he was going to hit the transfer protal, “South Dakota State made us who we are. Who are we to go somewhere else and have a different school reap the benefits of what they built in us?” Chills, right? That’s the Jackrabbit loyalty shining through, the kind that binds alumni from Brookings to the bright lights of Lambeau.
SDSU is becoming Tight End U
What makes this duo so special isn’t just the numbers. While 13 combined TDs from one program’s tight ends is absurd, eclipsing even the vaunted factories like Notre Dame or Iowa. It’s the narrative. SDSU’s tight end tradition isn’t some happy accident. It’s engineered. From Steve Heiden’s long pro career in the ’90s to Zach Heins grinding in Chargers camp this preseason, the Jackrabbits have churned out NFL-caliber blockers and hands since the days of Division II ball. Goedert and Kraft? They’re the crown jewels, proof that SDSU’s program, emphasizing versatility and blue-collar ethos, translates to Sundays.
Imagine the stories these two can tell over a post-game beer in Brookings. Goedert, the walk-on who redshirted his first year and emerged as a Mackey Award finalist by 2017, leading SDSU to the FCS semifinals. Kraft, the 9-man football phenom who exploded for 991 receiving yards and 12 scores as a Jackrabbit senior, capping it with a national title run. Kraft even shouted out his predecessor on draft night: “Guys like Dallas paved the way, man. He had incredible film.” That’s not just respect. That’s a torch-passing moment for every SDSU kid dreaming of the next level.
Goedert and Kraft putting SDSU on the map
As we hit the midway mark of 2025, with playoff implications heating up, Goedert and Kraft aren’t slowing down. Philly’s chasing another Lombardi, and Green Bay’s sniffing NFC North glory. Their success ripples back to campus, inspiring the next wave of tight ends like the depth pieces raved about in fall camp previews. SDSU’s not just winning games anymore. They’re exporting superstars who are redefining the position at the next level. Think about that for a second.
So here’s to Dallas and Tucker, the Jackrabbits who run right through NFL secondaries. If this season’s taught us anything, it’s that Jackrabbit pride doesn’t fade. It just scores more often. This is much more than a flex for South Dakota State. It’s a legacy in pixels. Go Big, Go Blue, Go Jacks.
