Mount Vernon natives Mike and Jake Steffen certainly aren’t the only brothers playing college football together this season. But you’d probably be hard pressed to find a pair of brothers having a bigger impact anywhere in the country this year than the Steffen brothers are having for South Dakota State.

Mount Vernon natives Mike and Jake Steffen certainly aren’t the only brothers playing college football together this season.

In fact, South Dakota State coach John Stiegelmeier says it was far from uncommon to have a set of brothers playing for him back when his Jackrabbits still played at the Division II level.

But the Division I level, Stiegelmeier admits, is a bit of a different story. Stiegelmeier says that the athletic gifts needed to play NCAA Division I football make it a bit more rare to see two brothers having so much success at the same time — and especially at the same school.

In fact, you’d probably be hard pressed to find a pair of brothers having a bigger impact anywhere in the country this year than the Steffen brothers are having for South Dakota State. Jake, a sophomore defensive end, has 22 tackles in four games this year, and has already been named the Missouri Valley Football Conference defensive player of the week once. Mike, a senior wide receiver, has 17 catches for a team-high 337 yards and three touchdowns.

With the Jackrabbits nationally ranked and off to a 3-1 start to the season, both Steffens say its exciting to be able to share that experience with their brother.

“Not many people get to have that opportunity,” Mike Steffen said. “We have some guys on our team now where their brothers are also playing in college, but they don’t ever get to see their games. Not only do I get to play, but I get to watch my little brother play. It’s an exciting time, and it’s definitely unique.”

As much fun as the Steffens say they’ve had playing with each other, they say the fact that they’re teammates might work out even better for their parents, who don’t have to split up or choose which son to watch on a given weekend. So far, the Steffen parents have gotten a chance to see both of their sons enjoying breakout seasons for the Jacks as Jake continues to progress in a new position and Mike continues to work his way back from a serious injury two years ago.

As a freshman last season, Jake Steffen had four tackles. This year, he’s more than quintupled that total already, while adding two sacks and in an interception. He was named the conference’s defensive player of the week after he had 10 tackles — including 3.5 for a loss — and an interception in SDSU’s 38-17 win over Illinois State on Sept. 26.

“It kind of comes with age and experience,” Jake Steffen said of his breakout season at defensive end, adding that a new defensive line coach, Clint Brown, has aided his development as well.

“Some of his styles and philosophies have opened things up for me and the things we do,” Steffen said. “We lost a few guys to graduation too, so that’s opened up some playing time and given me some more opportunities.”

Familiarity with the position might also be helping Jake Steffen this year. As a freshman, he was still learning and making adjustments to playing on the line as opposed to the linebacker position he played in high school. Steffen said the biggest changes have been adapting to the physical nature of the position, which included gaining a lot of weight. However, learning to get down in a stance, as well as the fundamentals and footwork of the position, was also a challenge.

“It’s a lot different, but I just tried to do the best I could to adapt,” Steffen said. “It’s a lot different game — a lot more physical — but right now I probably wouldn’t want to play anywhere else.”

For Mike Steffen, the challenge hasn’t been learning to play a new position, but rather, to relearn how to play his old position after a gruesome leg injury two years ago. Steffen broke his tibia and fibia and also dislocated and broke his ankle, and spent most of last season trying to work his way back into form. Steffen finished last year with 33 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns.

“I have quite a bit of metal in there, and it’s one of those things where I can’t really cut very well,” Mike Steffen said. “I had to relearn how to run routes, and I can’t jump off it anymore and I can’t really land on it because it causes pain. Last year it was more just nagging pain, but this year it feels pretty well.”

The results have been positive for Steffen, who already is halfway to last year’s reception total, and with 337 yards and three touchdowns, has already set career highs in both categories. With a team-high 19.3 yards per catch, he is also quickly establishing himself as a go-to receiver after the graduation of JaRon Harris.

“It’s not like he’s doing something different or we’re doing something different,” Stieglemeier said of Mike Steffen’s increased numbers. “The fact is (quarterback) Ryan Berry hooked up with JaRon a lot last year. It was a good combination, and a credit to Mike and his teammates that they accepted their roles. Now with Ryan Crawford at quarterback, he’s got a new set of receivers. He finds the open guy, and many times that’s Mike.”