South Dakota enters new era under Matt Vitzthum, fans set 2026 win expectations

South Dakota’s new era is being judged in wins, not in labels, and Matt Vitzthum steps in with a team that already set a high bar. The Coyotes went 10-5 in 2025, reached the FCS quarterfinals and pushed all the way to a loss against Montana, giving Vermillion a clear benchmark for whether this next chapter is a step forward or a step back.

Vitzthum was named the 32nd head coach in South Dakota football history after Travis Johansen departed following one season at the helm. That turnover matters because the Coyotes are entering 2026 with a new head coach for the second straight year, but the hire also came with a strong dose of continuity. Vitzthum spent two seasons on the South Dakota staff before the promotion and most recently served as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, a move that kept the offensive structure intact as the program changed leadership.

That continuity is the reason the fan win-total conversation has real teeth. South Dakota is not rebuilding from the bottom of the FCS ladder. It is coming off a quarterfinal run and trying to prove that the staff change did not reset the program’s trajectory. The first signs of whether that optimism is justified will show up in how quickly a roster hit by departures can mesh under the new coach and whether the offense keeps its footing after an internal promotion.

The schedule will not let the Coyotes ease into the answer. South Dakota opens the 2026 season on Saturday, Aug. 29, against two-time defending Northeast Conference champion Central Connecticut State, a game that should offer an immediate read on how ready the roster is to handle a legitimate opponent. The test sharpens two weeks later with a road trip to Boise State on Sept. 19, then circles back to Missouri Valley Football Conference rivalry pressure when South Dakota State visits on Oct. 31.

Spring work suggested South Dakota is not starting from zero. Vitzthum said after spring practices that the team had made progress despite major turnover from the 2025 roster, and the program moved into summer workouts after spring ball wrapped on April 25. Family day at the DakotaDome on April 26 gave new players and their families a first look at the building and the reshaped roster, another small but visible marker of a program adjusting to change.

For South Dakota, the new era will be measured by a simple question: can a team that already won 10 games and reached the FCS quarterfinals keep climbing under the coach it chose from within? The answer starts when the season does.