In recent years, the South Dakota State football team has become a perennial FCS power.

The Jackrabbits won the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship in 2016, 2020, 2022, and 2023, and have made twelve consecutive FCS playoff appearances (13 overall).

The Jackrabbits repeated as national champions on January 7, 2024 by defeating the Montana Grizzlies 23-3 and finishing a perfect 15-0.

The 2011–2012 season marked the fifth-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Jackrabbit women's basketball team, capping a season in which the Jackrabbits won the regular-season Summit League title and their fifth consecutive Summit League Tournament title.

South Dakota State has some of the best athletic facilities in their region, The Summit League, and the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Some of the university's venues compete as some of the finest in the nation (Sanford Jackrabbit Athlete Complex and the Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium).

The Sanford Jackrabbit Athlete Complex, a state-of-the-art indoor practice and competition facility opened October 11, 2014.

New and improved locker rooms and offices are also a part of the design for the renovated arena, which will have an estimated capacity of 5,500.