Photo by Jake McNeill Above: Marshall defensive end and tight end JR Vierstraete (front row, center) signs his letter of intent to play football at Southwest Minnesota State University, Wednesday in Marshall.

Photo by Jake McNeill
Above: Marshall quarterback and defensive back Levi Maeyaert (front row, center) signs his letter of intent to play football at Southwest Minnesota State University, Wednesday in Marshall.

MARSHALL — JR Vierstraete and Levi Maeyaert both finalized their commitment to play football with the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs on Wednesday morning. The pair of Marshall High School seniors helped the Tigers to the state tournament each of their last two seasons with the team.

Vierstraete was a three-time Skyway Copper District Defensive Lineman of the Year during his time as a defensive lineman with the Marshall High School football team, and he was the Independent’s Player of the Year after his senior season.

“It feels good [to be committed]. It’s been a lot of work, it’s been a good process, but I’m excited to get to SMSU and get work done,” Vierstraete said.

This past season, Vierstraete rewrote the Minnesota prep record books, setting a state record with 118.5 career tackles for loss.

As a senior, Vierstraete also carved out a larger offensive role as a tight end, coming up with a handful of big plays as a pass-catcher throughout the season after earning minimal offensive snaps in his first three seasons.

Maeyaert was a two-way player for the Tigers, starting at quarterback each of the last two seasons as well as being a key defensive piece for the team at safety. He will be playing safety at SMSU in the fall, saying that he just wanted to play whatever position gives the Mustangs the best opportunity to win and he determined that safety was that position after talking with the Mustang coaching staff.

“[SMSU has] a good community over there, coaching staff and players, the whole thing. It just kind of reminded me of Marshall, and I want to continue to grow and play next year,” Maeyaert said.

Maeyaert finished the regular season with 14 total touchdowns on just two interceptions, throwing for 994 yards and running for 135 over eight games.

On the defensive side of the ball, Maeyaert was one of 11 Tigers with an interception during the regular season and logged 16 total tackles, including a tackle for loss.

Marshall hasn’t had a shortage of talent join the SMSU football roster over the last few years. The Mustangs had three former Tigers on the roster last year, and a combination of signings and transfers gives the Mustangs a total of another four joining the team last year, including new additions Jake Allex and Kieler Rhea, who graduated from Marshall in 2025.

“I’ve talked to [2025 graduates] Jack [Meier] and Gavin [Schafer] and they love it,” Maeyaert said. “They don’t think it’s too close to home, they just love what they’re doing at SMSU and I think we’re going to keep building on that.”

Maeyaert is planning on studying exercise science at SMSU while Vierstraete intends on studying business.

Marshall High School won each of its first 11 games last season, reaching the state semifinals for the second consecutive season after ending a seven-year state tournament drought in 2024. The Tigers were a play away from advancing to their first state championship game, but eventual state champion Orono converted a 2-point conversion in overtime to end the Tigers’ season with a 15-14 loss.

Both Vierstraete and Maeyaert have older brothers playing Division II sports in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Levi’s older brother, Tyler, has appeared in 11 games for the Sioux Falls baseball team since his graduation in 2023, while JR’s older brother Jonah played six games for the Minnesota State University-Moorhead football team in his 2024 redshirt freshman season before injuries cost him the remainder of that season as well as his 2025 season.

“[Jonah] hasn’t really said much [about playing against each other], but I know we’re both looking forward to the day when we can play each other,” JR said.

Southwest Minnesota State’s football team finished last year 1-10 after ending the season on a nine-game skid. The Mustangs’ week 2 win over Jamestown ended a 12-game losing streak for the program after it went winless in 2023. The Mustangs will look to continue to make progress next season in head coach Scott Underwood’s fourth year at the helm.

The Mustangs open the 2026 season at home against Valley City State (N.D.), an NAIA team. The game is scheduled to be played at Mattke Field in Marshall on Aug. 27, with a kickoff time yet to be determined.