
South Dakota’s Nielson Steps Down, Johansen Named New HC
South Dakota Coyote football entered this offseason flying high following a historic season in which they won a share of their first ever MVFC Title and made their deepest run in the FCS Playoffs.
We knew that a lot of changes were on the way, including portal arrivals and departures, but now the Yotes are dealing with a change in leadership.
The football program announced on Thursday that longtime Head Coach Bob Nielson will be stepping down, and they've named his replacement.

Per GoYotes.com:
Following the program's most successful season in the Division I FCS era, University of South Dakota head football coach Bob Nielson is stepping down with plans to retire after coaching 32 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including the last nine seasons at South Dakota.
"Coaching football is all I have known for the past 42 years and while coaching has been a true blessing it has also been all-encompassing," commented Nielson. "This decision will allow me to focus on other priorities in my life and while I will deeply miss walking that sideline in the Dome, I look forward to the opportunities ahead."
Known for building programs, Nielson took the reins of the USD program ahead of the 2016 season. Nielson's career is a storied one being a two-time NCAA Division II national champion (Minnesota Duluth, 2008 & 2010), three-time national coach of the year, and three-time Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) Coach of the Year honors (Western Illinois, 2015; South Dakota, 2023 & 2024). Nielson chaired the NCAA football rules committee from 2015 to 2017, and prior to the 2024 season, he was named to the FCS Oversight Committee.
In 2018, Coach Nielson surpassed the career milestone of 200 wins as a head coach with the 31-24 win over Southern Illinois. He needed less than 300 games to accomplish the feat, becoming the 91st coach in college football to achieve 200 wins.
Nielson posted a 53-48 record leading the South Dakota football program, which sits him fourth all-time in program history. He led the Coyotes to all four of their FCS Playoff appearances, holding a 4-4 record in playoff games with a 3-2 record in playoff games inside the DakotaDome. He cemented his legacy as one of the best coaches in program history, taking the program to new heights at the Division I level with taking the Coyotes to the quarterfinals in 2023 and a step further with a semifinal appearance in 2024.
This past season in 2024 will go down in the record books as one of the best Coyote teams in program history. Nielson led USD to their first-ever MVFC title after a 7-1 campaign and a win over then No. 1-ranked North Dakota State to conclude the regular season. Leading the program to the FCS semifinal also came with an 11-3 overall record, tying the most wins in a single season for South Dakota with the 1986 team that made an appearance in the Division II national title game.
Shortly after Nielson's announcement was made public, USD announced that the successor and new Head Coach of USD Coyote football would be current defensive coordinator Travis Johansen.
Here's more on that move:
University of South Dakota Director of Athletics Jon Schemmel has announced on Thursday, January 16 that Travis Johansen has been named the 31st head coach of the South Dakota football program, following six seasons as the program’s defensive coordinator.
“First and foremost, congratulations to Coach Nielson on a remarkable career. One of the all-time winners, I couldn’t be more appreciative of the opportunity I had to work alongside him over the last six seasons,” said Johansen. “Coach’s impact on thousands of players and coaches has been transformative across college football. We will all chase the standard Coach Nielson set for Coyote Football.”
Johansen, a native of Blaine, Minnesota, joined the USD football program in February 2019 and has taken the Coyote defensive unit to new heights. He has coached a pair of Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) Defensive Players of the Year in back-to-back seasons (Brock Mogensen, 2023; Mi’Quise Grace, 2024) and a pair of Buck Buchannan Award Finalists (Mogensen, 2023; Grace, 2024).
For the full news releases, visit GoYotes.com.
Source: GoYotes.com
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