RAPID CITY ---The South Dakota School of Mines and Hardrocker football head coach Stacy Collins are pleased to announce the signing of eight top-notch football recruits and welcome them to the program Wednesday as part of the NCAA National Signing Day.

The Hardrockers did very well, getting talent from not only South Dakota, but even more locally as two recruits are from Rapid City --- Taton Bolton (St. Thomas More) and Mike Norberg (Rapid City Central). They will be joined by Brookings High School standouts Jacob Erikson and Bryson Nelson. SD Mines also brought in talent from Wyoming, Arizona and Colorado on the NCAA National Signing Day.

“I’m excited to announce our initial class of Hardrockers,” Collins said. “This is a quality group of young men, both on and off the field.  We were able to sign four South Dakota High School Seniors and two of them from Rapid City.”

SD Mines also signed Brady Wilkison (defensive end) from Laramie, Wyo., Jason Cox (kicker) from Vail, Ariz., Jason Pelkey (defensive end) from Fort Collins, Colo., and Kyle Hudson (defensive lineman) from Gilbert, Ariz.

“The three defensive linemen prospects that we inked will help fill an immediate need,” Collins added. “Jason Cox gives us a talented kicker who has a huge upside.  This list is just a start to our recruiting efforts and I expect several letters to come across in the following days.

“We will continue to work the recruiting trail throughout the month of February and we will sign a well-rounded class that gives us depth at all positions as we make the transition into NCAA Div. II.”

Name: Brycen Nelson Position: Running Back Home Town: Brookings, S.D.
Height: 6-0 Weight: 175 Major: Engineering
High School Honors: Varsity scholar football; Most Improved sophomore; Most Valuable Player as a junior; 2010 and 2011 Brookings Football Team Offensive Player Award; All-Conference player in 2009; Brookings Register Play of the Year senior season.
Interesting Facts: Brycen fishes and hunts, plays guitar and has been wrestling for 11 years in addition to playing football.

Name: Jason Pelkey Position: Defensive End Home Town: Fort Collins, Colo.
Height: 6-2 Weight: 210 Major: Chemical Engineering
High School Honors: National Honor Society member; athletic letter in baseball, basketball and two in football; Academic All-State First Team in baseball, basketball and twice in football; Conference Player of the Year for baseball; Special Teams Award in football; and Most Improved Football Player Award
Interesting Facts: Jason finished third in State at the Science Olympiad Building Competition and his competitive baseball team placed fifth in Triple Crown World Series at Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Name: Mike Norberg Position: Quarterback / Wide Receiver Home Town: Rapid City, S.D.
Height: 6-4 Weight: 205 Major: Undecided
High School Honors: Team captain for football and basketball; have received various player of the week awards; All-Conference Honorable Mention; Academic All-State two consecutive years.
Interesting Facts: Mike has two brothers, a dog and a cat and loves to go pheasant hunting with his family. He considers the Black Hills "home" but loves the mountains and lakes of Montana too.

Name: Kyle Hudson Position: Defensive Line / Defensive End Home Town: Gilbert, Ariz.
Height: 6-1 Weight: 250 Major: Mechanical Engineering / Physics
High School Honors: Was a varsity starter on both offense and defense for three years during football; 2010 All-Region Offensive Lineman; 2011 All-Region Defensive Lineman; Three-time team captain; led his high school team in tackles and sacks as senior. Also was a three-year varsity starter and team captain for lacrosse and led the team to the semifinals of the state championship in 2011.
Interesting Facts: Kyle is a member of the "Big Brother / Big Sister" program from 2008-present; was an assistant Pop Warner football coach from 2009-2011 for kids ages 7-9; and a member of the "Best Buddies Program" from 2008 to present.

Name: Brady Wilkison Position: Defensive End Home Town: Laramie, Wyo.
Height: 6-5 Weight: 235 Major: Mining Engineering
High School Honors: Was named to the First Team All-Conference and First Team All-State as a defensive tackle as a senior; earned All-Conference Second Team honors as defensive end; was a team captains a senior for both football and basketball; was a Scholar Athlete and won the Laramie High School Dewey McConnell Award for most outstanding football player; is a member of the National Honor Society; was selected to the South Team for the 2012 Wyoming Shrine Bowl.
Interesting Facts: Brady enjoys cross country as well as downhill skiing, playing basketball and camping. He has an older sister, Amanda, who is getting her doctorate at Creighton University and his older brother, Kolby, who plays football at SD Mines and is pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering. Brady was also recruited by Harvard, Princeton, Sioux Falls, Missouri S&T and Montana Tech.

Name: Jacob Erickson Position: Offensive Lineman Home Town: Brookings, S.D.
Height: 6-1 Weight: 270 Major: Chemical Engineering
High School Honors: Academic All-State; is a three-year letter winner; helped the team earn the most rushing yards in a game.
Interesting Facts: Jacob likes to go fishing, lift weights and play baseball and basketball.

Name: Jason Cox Position: Kicker Home Town: Vail, Ariz.
Height: 6-4 Weight: 200 Major: Engineering
High School Honors: Holds his high school record for most consecutive PAT's at 62; hold his high school record for most career PAT's at 138; All-Southern Ariz., First Team Kicker; Division II Section II First Team Kicker; All-Arizona Division II First Team Kicker; helped his high school team to a 13-1 record and state runners-up in 2011.
Interesting Facts: Jason enjoys hiking, biking, swimming, paintball and he really looks forward to kicking at the college level.

Name: Taton Bolton Position: Running Back Hometown: Rapid City, S.D.
Height: 6-1 Weight: 185 Major: Chemistry
High School Honors: In his final season, Taton rushed for 832 yards and 13 touchdowns and helped his team to the semifinal Class 11B appearance and an 11-2 record.
Interesting Facts: None available at the time of this article.