South Dakota football will have a new leader on the sidelines in 2026, as Matt Vitzthum has been named head coach after Travis Johansen announced his departure from the program.
The Coyotes athletic department announced both moves on Friday, Feb. 6.
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Johansen has been connected to the defensive coordinator opening at Rutgers, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, but no formal announcement has been made about his next job.
Johansen led the Coyotes to the FCS quarterfinals in his first and only year as head coach in 2025. He was previously a defensive coordinator and associate head coach for the team, guiding South Dakota to a top-five ranked defense in 2024. Johansen went 10-5 in his only season at the helm.
Vitzthum has been with the program for two seasons, spending the 2025 season as a co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He helped oversee an offense that had a first-team All-American and second-team All-American ― LJ Phillips Jr. and Larenzo Fenner, respectively.
Vitzthum joined the staff in 2024 as a wide receivers coach under former head coach Bob Nielson.
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Before arriving in Brookings, Vizthum was at Grand Valley State, a Division II powerhouse, as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator from 2013 to 2023. He helped the Lakers win five Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles and make seven Division II playoff appearances.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: USD football coach Johansen leaves, Vitzthum tabbed as replacement
