Colleges release list of new football recruits on National Signing Day

WATERTOWN — Two athletes from Watertown and six from Aberdeen are among 13 area high school football standouts who made their college choices known on National Signing Day on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2026.

It was National College Signing Day for NCAA football teams, but some NAIA schools also released a list of recruits.

Information was received from emails, college web sites or social media so the names of other area signees could be released in the coming days.

Here's a list of known recruits from northeastern South Dakota:

Kaden Decker & Cole Hansen, Watertown

The two Watertown High School seniors announced their plans to continue playing football in college with both players heading to the Great Plains Athletic Conference.

Decker, a two-time Class 11AA all-state linebacker, is headed to Morningside University in Sioux City, IA. He'll join former Arrow standout Juven Hudson, a running back who rushed for 521 yards and six touchdowns last fall. In 10 games for the Arrows last fall, The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Decker recorded 81 tackles (31 solos, 50 assists) with 6.5 quarterback sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and a blocked kick.

Hansen, a 5-10, 160-pound defensive back, notched eight solo tackles and seven assists in eight games. He also intercepted a pass and caught two passes on offense for 6 yards.

Northern State Recruits

ABERDEEN — Northern State University head coach Mike Schmidt announced the addition of six collegiate transfers and 40 incoming freshmen to the Wolves' roster.

Included in the group are six players from Aberdeen and one each from Webster and Frederick. They are:

• James Behan, 6-0, 185-pound, WR — The former Aberdeen Roncalli player where he recorded 720 yards receiving with eight touchdowns and earned All-Northeast Conference honors on offense and defense. He is a transfer from Liberty University in Va.
• Jesiah Baum, 5-10, 165, RB — Baum, who is from Aberdeen, was a four-year starter and team captain at Warrner where he tallied 2,587 rushing and 1,462 receiving yards and scored 70 TDs in his career. He earned Class 9A all-state honors twice and All-Lake Region Conference (LRC) honors three times, including being named the league's MVP in 2024. Baum played on a state Class 9A championship team in 2023 and a state Class 9A runner-up team in 2022 with the Monarchs.
• Karson Borge, 6-1, 170, WR — Borge was a three-year starter at Aberdeen Central High School where he compiled more than 1,000 all-purpose yards in his career, including leading the Golden Eagles in receiving and total yards last fall. His mom Amber (Pickrel) is a Watertown native and former Arrow athlete.
• Jack Bertsch, 6-5, 220, DL — Bertsch was a three-year starter and team captain for Aberdeen Central and led the squad in sacks in 2025, earning the Spirit of the Eagle Award.
• Felipe Gonzalez, 6-3, 295, DL — A three-year starter and team captain for Aberdeen Central, he produced 63 tackes including 11 for a loss over his final two seasons. He earned both Class 11AA all-state and All-Eastern South Dakota Conference (ESD) honors.
• Joey Dallmann, 6-1, 215, LB — Dallman is another Aberdeen Central senior and three-year starter for the Golden Eagles. As a senior, he notched 44 tackles including six for a loss to go along with 2.5 sacks. He earned Class 11AA all-state, All-ESD and Academic All-State honors.
• Matthew Mount, 6-0, 225, LB — Mount was a four-year starter and team captain at Webster Area High School and finished his prep career with 313 tackles, including 21 tackles for a loss and seven sacks. He earned Class 11B all-state honors and made the All-NEC football team three times.
• Westyn Thorpe, 5-11, 170, DB — The Frederick Area senior was a three-year starter and team captain for Leola-Frederick Area. Thorpe recorded 198 career tackles in his four seasons, as well as nine interceptions. Playing on both sides of the ball, he added 1,578 yards rushing. He earned Class 9AA all-state and Academic All-State honors along with being a two-time All-LRC selection.

ALL-STATE FOOTBALL 2025: Hamlin's Jackson Wadsworth, Elkton-Lake Benton's Colt Beck & Warner's Jesiah Baum share P.O. Player of the Year honor

Braylen Bowsher, Milbank

JAMESTOWN, ND — The 5-11, 170 Bowsher, a safety, is one of 34 signees announced by University of Jamestown coach Brian Misto. He was involved in 25 tackles for Milbank last fall with three interceptions. A two-time team captain, Bowshere started three years on defense and two on offense as a quarterback.

Bowsher made the All-NEC football team and received honorable mention on the Class 11A all-state team.

Micah Tostenson, Milbank

VALLEY CITY, ND — The 6-1, 195-pound defensive lineman from Twin Brooks and Milbank High School, is one of 32 new additions announced by Valley City State coach Dennis McCulloch.

Kyson Arndt, Canby

SIOUX FALLS — Kyson Arndt lists Canby as his residence but played for Minnesota High School. The 6-5, 225-pound defensive lineman, is one of 26 student-athletes announced by Augustana University coach Jerry Olszewski.

The four-year letterwinner, three-year starter and senior captain was part of a dynasty at Minneota, winning four state championships and closing his prep career with 45 consecutive victories. He recorded 20 tackles for a loss, 13 sacks and four blocked kicks his final two years.

2024-25 SIGNEES: Which Watertown and Aberdeen area athletes have signed or committed to play in college?

Other Sports

A handful of other area student-athletes have announced or been part of news releases announcing college recruits in recent days. The group includes:

• Allison Konrad, Watertown — Konrad will wrestle for the University of Sioux Falls. The 190-pound senior has been an important part of the relatively-new girls wrestling program at WHS, which is in its fourth year. She is already a three-time state placewinner with a career record of 142-21. She capped a 42-2 season last winter with a state championship at 185 pounds and is currently 32-1 at 190 pounds this winter.
• Gage Lohr, Watertown — Lohr will wrestle for South Dakota State University. The junior standout is already a three-time state Class A champion looking to become only the second wrestler to win four state titles in the rich history of Watertown's boys program. He also has a chacne to become the first Arrow to win five state titles. He is currently 15-0 at 157 pounds this winter, upping his career record to 143-5.
• Holden Hawkins, Sisseton — Hawkins is one of 12 student-athletes announced as recruits this week by Northern State University wrestling coach Josh Nolan. The four-time state placewinner (once in Class B and three times in Class A) capped a 42-2 season last winter by winning the state Class A 157-pound title. He is currently 32-1 at 165 pounds this winter and has tallied more than 225 wins in his career.
• Hayden Heig, Rapid City — The senior golfer from St. Thomas More, who won the state Class A individual champonship last fall, will play college golf for the University of Sioux Falls. He is the son of Watertown native and former WHS golfer Nick Heig.

Other Known 2025-26 Area Commits/Signees

• Black Hills State Women's Basketball — Blake Thompson, Mobridge-Pollock.
• Dakota State University Baseball — Braden Danzeisen, Sioux Valley.
• North Dakota State Men's Basketball — Chance Schoenfeld, Deubrook Area.
• North Iowa Community College (Mason City, IA) Baseball — Markus Pitkin, Watertown
• Northern State Men's Basketball — Travis Wadsworth, Hamlin.
• Northern State Women's Basketball — Addison Neuendorf, Hamlin.
• Northern State Women's Track & Field — Breckan Santjer and Catelynn Weig, Aberdeen Central and Madisyn Gellhaus, Ipswich.
• Sioux Falls Women's Golf — Molly Halverson, Lac qui Parle Valley (MN).
• South Dakota State Women's Basketball — Lauryn Burckhard, Aberdeen Central (junior commitment).
• Southwest Minnesota State Baseball — Jackson McClemans, Watertown.
• Valley City (N.D.) State Baseball — Watson Grantham, Hamlin.
• Jamestown (N.D.) University Women's Basketball — Isabelle Freidt, Oakes (N.D.).

College Recruits

This list will be updated throughout the 2025-26 school year with new signees and other recruitment details. Please email us ([email protected]) with information on any signings or commitments.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Area football recruits sign on National Signing Day