South Dakota ranks No. 4 in HERO Sports’ FCS Preseason Top 25.
The Coyotes finished 11-3 last year, losing 31-17 at Montana State in the FCS semifinals.
Here’s a look at the 2025 USD football squad.
Returning 2024 FCS All-Conference Players (4)
1st Team
RB Charles Pierre Jr.
2nd Team
TE Dallas Holmes (Lafayette transfer)
Honorable Mention
AP Keyondray Jones-Logan
QB Aidan Bouman
D1 Transfer Portal Movement
Transfers Coming In From The FCS (6)
| Player | Pos. | Previous School |
| Almarion Crim | OL | Chattanooga |
| Ty Robinson | QB | Holy Cross |
| Dallas Holmes | TE | Lafayette |
| DeJuan Lewis | DB | Lamar |
| Brandon Smith | OL | Merrimack |
| Will Graunke | WR | St. Thomas |
Transfers Coming In From The FBS (15)
| Player | Pos. | Previous School |
| Calen Presser | DE | Arkansas State |
| Tennel Bryant | WR | Arkansas State |
| Wyatt Lawson | OL | FIU |
| Jeff Bowie | DL | Iowa |
| Caden Crawford | DL | Iowa |
| Tyler Soukhot | DB | Kansas |
| Brock Woolf | OL | Kansas State |
| DJ Kennard | DB | Michigan State |
| Grady Sherrill | WR | North Carolina |
| Nathan Laperi | DL | North Texas |
| Reid Watkins | RB | Texas |
| Jackson Cowgill | DL | Washington State |
| Ashton Paine | DB | Washington State |
| Jaylen Anderson | RB | West Virginia |
| Jackson Accuardi | TE | West Virginia |
Transfers Lost To The FCS (0)
Transfers Lost To The FBS (7)
| Player | Pos. | New School |
| Mi’Quise Grace | DE | Kentucky |
| Bryce Henderson | OL | Vanderbilt |
| Quaron Adams | WR | Cal |
| Joe Cotton | OL | Cincinnati |
| Gary Bryant III | LB | Syracuse |
| Shahid Barros | DB | Iowa |
| Jordan Larsen | OL | Duke |
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Offensive Outlook
USD loses four starting offensive linemen from last year, its top two wide receivers, and its top tight end. The Coyotes bring back their All-American running back and multi-year starting quarterback, returning the top QB-RB duo in the FCS.
The Coyotes looked loaded for an FCS championship push after the winter transfer portal window closed. But many significant changes happened since. Veteran head coach Bob Nielson announced his retirement, and defensive coordinator Travis Johansen was elevated to lead the program. Johansen is a highly-respected coach who was drawing interest from Power 4 schools.
Several key players then departed in the weeks and months after the coaching change, although it was mostly due to NIL offers getting too big to turn down. The Yotes lost three starting offensive linemen (Bryce Henderson, Joe Cotton, and Jordan Larsen), their top returning wide receiver (Quaron Adams), last year’s top tackler (Gary Bryant III), and their top returning defensive back (Shahid Barros) all to P4 programs. The 2024 MVFC Defensive Player of the Year Mi’Quise Grace also departed, but that was during the winter portal window.
Thankfully for USD, it has one thing that the other seven 2024 quarterfinalists don’t have: Its starting quarterback from the playoffs.
Aidan Bouman returns for his sixth year of college football and his fourth at USD. He has started for the Yotes since the end of the 2022 season. Last season, Bouman went 214/312 passing for 2,959 yards, 19 TDs, and four interceptions, earning All-MVFC honors. He finished No. 5 in FCS passing efficiency (165.8) and was graded as PFF’s No. 3 overall FCS quarterback.
Running back Charles Pierre Jr. is another headline name returning. Last fall, the All-American and All-MVFC First Team selection had 167 carries for 1,244 yards (7.4 YPC) and 16 TDs. Pierre also recorded 19 catches for 190 yards and two scores. USD’s other 1,000-yard running back, Travis Theis, has graduated. Two Power 4 transfer RBs look to make an impact — West Virginia’s Jaylen Anderson and Texas’ Reid Watkins. Anderson had 88 career carries for 456 yards and three TDs at WVU.
Keyondray Jones-Logan is a versatile weapon after being named an all-purpose All-MVFC Honorable Mention, although a knee injury looks to sideline him for a good chunk of this fall. He rushed for 248 yards and two TDs last year and had 361 yards and two scores on 10 kick returns.
USD’s offensive line went from projected to be the best in the FCS to now returning only one starter after the transfer departures. Adrian Hawkins (6’6″ 300 lbs) is the lone returner. The Yotes got some help via the transfer portal, though. Brandon Smith (6’1″ 295 lbs) started at center last year for Merrimack. Almarion Crim (6’2″ 286 lbs) started the last two seasons at Chattanooga. USD also added two FBS transfers on the o-line — Brock Woolf (6’5″ 290 lbs) from Kansas State and Wyatt Lawson (6’2″ 303 lbs) from FIU, who saw double-digit starts and more than 1,000 snaps for the Panthers from 2022-24.
Caden Ellingson (6’7″ 310 lbs) played 190 snaps on USD’s offensive line in 2024, and Sam Kohls (6’4″ 325 lbs) added 146 snaps, two guys who look to play a larger role in 2025.
USD has to replace its four leaders in receptions, which included Theis. Wide receivers Javion Phelps, who had 17 catches for 206 yards and a touchdown last year, and Jack Martens (11 catches for 192 yards and one TD) are poised to step into bigger roles. Tight end Zach Witte played more than 180 snaps last year, tallying two catches.
Lafayette TE Dallas Holmes was a great addition via the transfer portal. Holmes caught eight passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Last year, he was selected to the All-Patriot League Second Team after totaling 12 receptions for 112 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensive Outlook
After finishing as the No. 7 FCS scoring defense (17.6 PPG), USD loses its top eight players in reps. The Yotes return their No. 2 tackler and six players who logged 190 or more snaps in 2024.
Linebacker Nate Ewell anchors the defense after finishing No. 2 on the team in tackles, totaling 78 stops, five TFLs, five QB hurries, and four pass breakups.
Elsewhere at linebacker, Gabriel Hardman returns after playing more than 220 snaps in 2024, tallying 28 tackles and two interceptions. Nyle Dickel (15 tackles, 1.5 TFLs) added nearly 200 snaps. And Wade Abrams (26 tackles) played nearly 150 snaps.
On the d-line, USD needs to replace all four starters. Two rotational players return. DE Carter Hooper (6’5″ 265 lbs) totaled 18 tackles and 1.5 TFLs. DT Chris Dixon (6’2″ 305 lbs) added 20 tackles and a TFL. The Yotes landed five FBS transfers that expect to make an impact: Arkansas State’s Calen Presser, Iowa’s Jeff Bowie, Iowa’s Caden Crawford, North Texas’ Nathan Laperi, and Washington State’s Jackson Cowgill.
The secondary also needs to retool its starting lineup but brings back some experience.
Tim White played more than 300 snaps at safety in 2024, recording 34 tackles and an interception. Roman Tillmon added another 220+ snaps and 19 stops at safety. And DeJuan Lewis is expected to be a standout at safety. He transferred in from Lamar after leading the Cardinals with 76 tackles and four interceptions in 2024.
Michigan State’s DJ Kennard and Washington State’s Ashton Paine are two more FBS transfer defensive backs coming in this offseason.
Last offseason, USD’s defense had to rebuild some after losing three First Team All-MVFC defenders and six of its top 11 tacklers. The Yotes got even better defensively in 2024, though. They have a tougher rebuild this year with more holes to fill, but they hope strong recruiting and some transfer reinforcements leads to another standout year defensively.
2025 Preseason Preview Central
South Dakota Football Schedule
8/30 at Iowa State
9/6 at Lamar
9/13 vs Northern Colorado
9/20 vs Drake
9/27 at No. 1 North Dakota State
10/4 vs Murray State
10/11 at Indiana State
10/18 at Northern Iowa
10/25 vs No. 7 Illinois State
11/1 vs RV North Dakota
11/8 vs No. 3 South Dakota State
11/15 at No. 16 Southern Illinois
Bold indicates MVFC games
HERO Sports’ rankings
RV = Received Votes
