VERMILLION – After reaching the FCS quarterfinals and enjoying the most optimism in program history, the University of South Dakota football team is ready for an exciting and intriguing 2024 season.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Coyotes ahead of Thursday’s season opener against Northern State.

Last year: The Coyotes had their best FCS season in program history. They finished the season 10-3 and made the FCS playoffs before a quarterfinal loss to North Dakota State ended the season. The offense improved under new offensive coordinator Josh Davis in Aidan Bouman’s first year as full-time starting quarterback. The defense fielded one of the best units in the Missouri Valley, led by several All-Americans.

Who is gone: On offense, third-leading runner Nate Thomas and guard Issac Erbes are both gone. The defense took a much bigger hit, with All-American linebacker Brock Mogenson, linebacker Stephen Hillis, All-Conference defensive end Brendan Webb and NFL draftee cornerback Myles Harden all leaving.

Who is back: Many faces have returned to Vermillion for another season. On offense, Bouman returns for his second full season as starting quarterback. Two big faces in the backfield, Travis Theis and Charles Pierre, return, as do other notable running backs from last year, including Keyondray Jones and LJ Philips. Wide receiver Carter Bell, tight end JJ Galbreath, tackles Joe Cotton and Bryce Henderson, center Joey Lombard and guard Ben Kohls are highlights of the rest of the offensive returnees, among many others.

Nathan Swaffar/Mitchell Republic

On defense, defensive tackles Blake Holden and Nick Gaes return to the offense. Defensive end Mi’Quise Grace is back after his breakthrough season last year, as is Mosai Newsome. In the secondary, several influential players from last season returned, including cornerback Shahid Barros and safeties Josiah Ganues and Dennis Shorter. All-American kicker Will Leyland and punter Tyler Ebel provide a solid presence on the special teams.

Who is new: In terms of transfers, the Coyotes could count on impressive production and reliable depth on offense from speedy former Iowa State receiver Quaron Adams, former Utah tight end Hayden Erickson and former Monmouth offensive lineman Adrian Hawkins. On defense, former Washington defensive lineman Bradley McGannon, former UConn defensive lineman Carter Hooper and former Cornell defensive lineman Connor Morgan will bolster the front four. St. Thomas transfer linebacker Jonathon Bunce can bolster the linebacker department. At the cornerback position, Monmouth transfer Mike Reid and Michigan State transfer Marqui Lowery join the secondary.

New trainers: Matt Vitzthum, former Division II offensive coordinator at Grand Valley State, took over as wide receivers coach for Craig Bagnell, and Nathan Nelson, former defensive line coach at Arkansas Monticello, will take over the same title at Vermillion after Rob Snyder left to coach at Nicholls State.

Best case scenario: The offense is taking an explosive step forward in Davis’ second year as offensive coordinator, with Bouman becoming one of the best quarterbacks in FCS. The defense is molding into another dominant unit despite the lost production, and if all goes well, the Coyotes will be in Frisco in January.

Worst-case scenario: The offense is taking a step back from last season, Bouman is struggling to handle more responsibility on offense, and the returning offensive linemen are unable to replicate their previous performance. The defense is struggling to cope with the losses in the linebacker room and is unable to rescue the faltering offense like it did at times last year. The Coyotes are in the middle of the Missouri Valley and are missing the playoffs entirely.

Realistic goal: Given last season’s performance and overall consistency, the Coyotes should be able to at least match last year’s success. Plus, with a favorable schedule, it’s possible to compete with SDSU and NDSU for a Missouri Valley title. If it all comes together, a long run to the FCS playoffs, semifinals or even the FCS championship isn’t out of the question.

Head coach Bob Nielson on building on last season’s success: “Consistency is something you want. We’ve talked year after year about having a program that will compete for a national title, and this year we have an opportunity to do that again. One thing I can say is that a lot of great things happened last year, but when we walked off the field after losing the playoff game to North Dakota State, there was no satisfaction in our locker room. And that was the mindset that this group had in the offseason: to achieve something even bigger. It’s exciting to be around them.”

Offensive Coordinator Josh Davis on the unit’s next step: “Instead of just living to get another down, we want to be efficient and effective on every down. I don’t think we were able to do that over the course of last season in terms of all the work we did, and that’s because we were shackled. Last year we focused on letting our great defense be a great defense and take care of the football very well, and it shows. We won some games by only scoring 14 points. We won some by scoring 20 points. We won some by scoring 17 points. When we win, the Coyotes offense is happy. We’ve been challenged to be more explosive. We need to put 28 points or more on the board on occasion, and we’ll develop game plans that will prepare us for that. Ultimately, we’re trying to give Aiden Bouman the freedom to use his football IQ to our advantage.”

Matt Zimmer/Forum News Service

Defensive tackle Blake Holden on the defense: “We lost a lot of guys last year, but now we’re back and we’ve kind of overcome that. The guys that are replacing those guys have done a great job of learning the defense and executing it at a high level in their roles. We have some experience and some older guys in our defensive back and defensive line. So the change in leadership has helped those guys come in easier and perform really well.”

Nathan Swaffar is a sports reporter for the Mitchell Republic. He joined the Mitchell Republic in July 2024 after graduating from the University of Kansas in May 2024 with a degree in journalism and a minor in history. He covers a variety of prep and college sports across South Dakota, including USD football.