Feb. 6—VERMILLION, S.D. — Travis Johansen’s tenure as the University of South Dakota’s head football coach will come to an end after just one season at the helm.
The rising defensive mind is set to depart Vermillion to become the defensive coordinator at Rutgers University, sources told On3Sports on Friday.
With the departure of Johansen, USD Athletic Director Jon Schemmel announced Matt Vitzthum has been named the 32nd head coach of Coyote football. Vitzthum completed his second season on staff in 2025, serving as the Co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Johansen’s move marks a significant step up the college football ladder, transitioning from the FCS level to the Power Four ranks in the Big Ten. It also caps a remarkable stretch at South Dakota that saw Johansen rise from respected assistant to head coach and now to one of the premier coordinator roles in the country.
Named the 31st head coach in program history on Jan. 16, 2025, Johansen took over for Bob Nielson, who stepped down after nine seasons leading the Coyotes. Johansen was no stranger to the program, having spent the previous six seasons on the USD staff as defensive coordinator from 2019-24. He also held the title of associate head coach from 2022-24, a role that positioned him as the natural fit when the head coaching vacancy opened.
In his lone season at the helm, Johansen delivered immediate results. He guided South Dakota to a 10-5 overall record and a 6-2 mark in Missouri Valley Football Conference play, good for sole possession of second place in one of the nation’s toughest FCS leagues. The Coyotes reached the FCS playoffs for a third consecutive season and advanced to the quarterfinals for the third-straight year, continuing the program’s run as an FCS national contender.
Johansen’s reputation, however, has long been built on defense. Since taking over the Coyote defensive unit in 2019, he elevated USD to new heights on that side of the ball. Under his direction, South Dakota produced a pair of MVFC defensive players of the year in Brock Mogensen (2023) and Mi’Quise Grace (2024), both of whom were also Buck Buchanan Award finalists.
Johansen coached seven All-Americans and seven first-team All-MVFC performers during his time in Vermillion. Most recently, sophomore cornerback Mikey Munn earned second-team All-America honors from FCS Football Central in his first season as a full-time starter.
Across his coaching career, Johansen has helped develop 16 defensive players who went on to be drafted, receive NFL camp invitations, or sign as undrafted free agents, further underscoring his track record of player development.
Before arriving at South Dakota, Johansen spent six seasons as the defensive coordinator at Grand View University at the NAIA level. There, he helped the Vikings compile a dominant 61-11 record, capture five Heart of America Athletic Conference championships, make six NAIA playoff appearances, and win the 2013 NAIA national title following a perfect 14-0 campaign.
He was a Heart of America assistant coach of the year finalist in each of his final two seasons and a national coordinator of the year finalist in 2015. Grand View consistently fielded one of the NAIA’s top defenses, producing seven defensive All-Americans during his tenure.
Johansen’s coaching journey began at his alma mater, Concordia University, St. Paul, where he worked with the secondary before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2011. Now, after a brief but impactful stint as a head coach, Johansen heads to Rutgers for his next chapter of his coaching career back on the defensive side of the ball.
