Football '26: USD Coyotes hope to keep building momentum under Matt Vitzthum

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Aug. 25—VERMILLION — The Coyotes are under their third different head coach in the last three years, and need to replace some of the most important players from last year's 10-win squad.

There may have been a time when that meant a rebuilding year or a steep step back, but USD has built the program up to where, like the other Dakota powers before them, the expectation is to be a playoff team and title contender every single year, no matter who's wearing the uniform.

So despite some legitimate questions heading into 2026, the Coyotes are going about their business, eschewing slogans and hashtags and simply putting in the work to be where they want to be in December.

Here's what to know about the 2026 Coyotes:

The Yotes got off to a slow start under Travis Johansen but rallied to go from 2-3 to 10-4, at which point they headed to Montana for a berth in the semifinals. They fell short, but ended up being the last of the four Dakota schools standing in the FCS playoffs, reaching the postseason for the third consecutive season.

Johansen left to be defensive coordinator at Rutgers.

Star quarterback and team leader Aidan Bouman graduated, while rushing leader LJ Phillips transferred to Iowa and dangerous receiver Larenzo Fenner went to Cincinnati.

Linemen Jacob Arop and Caden Crawford and defensive backs Roman Tillmon and Mikey Munn also bolted for the FBS level.

Charles Pierre was one of the best running backs in the FCS but lost last year to injury. That allowed Phillips to emerge, and now that he's gone, Pierre is back, leading a loaded running back room that also counts the explosive Keondray Jones-Logan and the underrated Reid Watkins and Carson Fletcher.

Jesse Miller and Caden Frey are promising tight ends while Tysen Boze is a reliable target at wideout. Brock Woolf is the only returning starter on the O-line though guys like Grant Chapman and Caden Ellingson have played valuable snaps.

On defense, Chris Dixon and Nathan Laperi are top-flight returners on the line, while Gabriel Hardman and Wade Abrams solidify the linebacking corps.

Tim White and RJ Stewart return to a secondary that's been one of the highlights of training camp.

The secondary loaded up on promising transfers with Kael Kolarik (Iowa), Harrison Brun and Ethan Carrier (Minnesota) and Kevin Dodard (Lafayette), while John Starman (Brown) and Isaiah Wray (Concordia-St. Paul) have been impressive additions to the D-line.

The two Jakes (Utley and Riggs) join the offensive line with FBS experience (UTEP), while quarterback Jackson Proctor joined the quarterback room as a one-year transfer from Northern Illinois by way of Dartmouth, where he has starting experience.

Well, the coach, obviously. James Bain is the new offensive line coach, coming in from Minnesota, and he's made a palpable impact already.

Oh yeah, there was also a three-way quarterback competition, and redshirt freshman Austyn Modrzewski beat out a pair of seniors — returner Nevan Cremascoli and transfer Jackson Proctor — to win the job. The two-time Colorado prep player of the year will make his college debut in the opener Saturday at the Dome.

Modrzewski proves he's the right choice for the job and the offensive line gels quickly, allowing the ground attack to dominate games and make the QB's job easier. The defense is near the top of the Valley, and the Yotes rally around Vitzthum to claim the conference crown and make a deep playoff run.

Modrzewski struggles through growing pains and the offensive line struggles to come together. The defense is good but not great, and while the Yotes make the playoffs they don't have what it takes for a deep run.

It's tempting to say that a team with a new coach, new starting quarterback and mostly new offensive line has too much to overcome to reach Nashville, and that may prove to be the case. But the Yotes will be able to run the ball, and if they can stop the run, too, they've already taken a ton of pressure off their quarterback.

With NDSU out of the picture and the rest of the FCS still pretty mediocre, there's no reason the Yotes shouldn't be shooting for their first trip to the national championship game.

"There is a culture here and I feel like all three head coaches knew it and followed that and then made sure they brought us within with that culture. Obviously the goal is to win the championship but we got to take it one game at a time. Not getting ahead of ourselves because that's how you're going to trip yourself up. So we're just trying to take it one step at a time." — defensive tackle Chris Dixon

"We're really putting in the work out here so that we're ready on Saturdays. If you're out here treating everything like a game rep when you get to those games, if you do mess something up, you're going to be prepared for it. I think we're going to be a really physical football team because everybody's really been working their butts off. I like where we're at." — offensive lineman Grant Chapman

"I can honestly say with 1000 percent confidence that this is one of the best defenses I've ever seen. Coming from an explosive offense they do things that make it hard for us to do the things we want to do, so I feel like any team we go against is gonna have a hard time trying to break them down." — running back Charles Pierre

South Dakota Coyotes

Last year: 10-5 (lost in FCS quarterfinals)

Coach: Matt Vitzthum (1st year)

Opener: Saturday vs Central Connecticut State

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