South Dakota football coach Bob Nielson on early signing class, offensive coordinator and more
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
South Dakota football added 15 players in its early signing class, including one in-state product in linebacker Reed Rus (who played quarterback, too, for Mount Vernon/Plankinton). The Coyotes, following a 3-8 season which featured USD and former offensive coordinator Ted Schlafke mutually parting ways, a change at quarterback and, in the end, a commitment to sign South Dakota head coach Bob Nielson to a contract extension after “damaging” talk around the program and his future, are in a bit of a rebuild.
Nielsen, though, still kept to his recruiting mission. USD recruited heavy on the offensive line in last year’s recruiting cycle, bringing in seven (with four Sioux Falls lineman) in its early signing class. This year, the attention turned to skill positions.
More:South Dakota football's commitment to head coach Bob Nielson vows change and stability
The Coyotes added a quarterback, three wide receivers, two running backs, a tight end, three linebackers and two defensive backs — accounting for 12 of the 15 signees. The lone in-state signee, Rus, committed just before the early signing period but joined the Coyotes with the rest of the early class. He will play linebacker for USD.
“I think our roster is pretty solid right now,” Nielson said. “As all programs in the country, you have a few guys that transfer. We'll have some guys that will be joining our roster in that regard as well that don't get announced with this incoming group. That's part of how college football's changed a little bit.”
The Argus Leader spoke with Nielson about the signing class and some more early-offseason notes.
Offensive coordinator vacancy “not really” affecting early signing class
South Dakota plans to have their vacant offensive coordinator position filled by the time players return to campus in January, and the uncertainty at the vital coaching position loomed large as the Coyotes locked in the first set of incoming freshman to their 2023 roster. But did it have any impact on the class?“No, not really,” Nielson said.
Nielson said that USD had done a “good job” of recruiting the players that signed in the early class, and those players that signed their national letters of intent with South Dakota last Wednesday understand that the person that is brought into that position will be “quality,” Nielson said.
Nielson noted that offensive players joining the program in the class (nine of the 15 signed) are “excited to see” who that will be, but their “commitment to our program and to our direction was really strong.”
“We’re continuing to work on that,” Nielson said. “And (we’ll), hopefully, relatively quickly be able to make an announcement.”
South Dakota’s focus turns to flipping close-game opportunities for wins
Consistency was the key word in the 2022 season for USD — it didn’t have nearly enough of it. On the defensive side of the ball (an early-season strong point) the Coyotes had “some good games” and “some bad games.” On the offensive side, it struggled to move the ball with any consistency all season long.
The Coyotes were dealt a difficult hand with their schedule, playing the toughest games of the season all in the first half and needing to completely revive momentum headed into more winnable games. And they didn’t. But Nielson said a key in the Valley is that teams need to win their “fair share” of close games. And this season, there were a few missed opportunities that would have greatly impacted how this past season is viewed had they been wins.
USD was 2-3 in games decided by two scores or less, including what looked to be a promising outing against North Dakota State at home where the Coyotes went to halftime with a lead. Some of those games weren’t as close as the score suggested, and even if all three flipped, a six-win USD team was no guarantee for a playoff bid. But Nielson sees a few openings that would have led to a more respectable season outcome, and perhaps a few more meaningful games at the end of the year.
“From a weight room standpoint, we've got a group that's really excited, we’ve got a group that was very disappointed with the way that the season went,” Nielson said. “At the same time, I think it's a group that understands that 3-8 and 8-3 in this league are (just) really subtle differences.”
Chris Streveler and USD NFL hopefuls
The Chris Streveler that Nielson has watched with the rest of the NFL over the course of the season is the same Streveler that Nielson remembered at South Dakota during a historic 2016 season: Someone willing to do anything to help his team.
“Doesn't take long for not just his teammates and coaching staff to understand that, but it also transcends into fans,” Nielson said, “and fans appreciate that as well.”
Streveler, the quarterback who led the Coyotes to perhaps its best season in its Division-I history, caused a hysteria in the preseason with comeback wins, was cut from the Jets, then rejoined the team, where he entered in relief of former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson last Thursday. It’s been a good season for USD players in the NFL, with former star linebacker Jack Cochrane spending much of the season on the active roster for the Kansas City Chiefs and more players looking to pave their way to that stage.
Nielson said he expects several players to participate in USD’s Pro Day with senior captains offensive lineman Alex Jensen (Hula Bowl) and long snapper Dalton Godfrey (NFLPA Collegiate Bowl) earning invites to postseason all-star bowl games.
“It's been fun to follow our guys that are in the NFL,” Nielson said. “We continue to have more and more guys coming out of our programs that are going to have those kinds of opportunities.”
South Dakota football 2022 early signing class
Todd Drummond, QB, 6-5, Pawhuska high school (Pawhuska, Okla.)
Larenzo Fenner, WR, 6-0, Fort Osage high school (Independence, Mo.)
Gabriel Hardman, LB, 5-11, Palmetto high school (Miami, Fla.)
Lenard Hill, LB, 6-3, Vanguard high school (Ocala, Fla.)
Demetrius Johnson, WR, 6-4, Immaculata-La Salle high school (Miami, Fla.)
Keyondray Jones, RB, 5-7, Ocoee high school (Orlando, Fla.)
Caleb Lange, OL, 6-6, Brainerd high school (Brainerd, Minn. )
Tayeton Lohaus, DL, 6-4, Humboldt high school (Humboldt, Iowa)
Jesse Miller, TE, 6-6, Greene County high school (Scranton, Iowa)
L.J. Phillips Jr., RB, 5-8, Northwest high school (Wichita, Kan.)
Reed Rus, LB, 6-3, Mount Vernon high school (Mount Vernon, S.D.)
Noah Smith, DB, 6-3, Mt. Carmel high school (Chicago, Ill.)
Curtis Thomas, WR, 5-9, Eastlake North high school (Cleveland, Ohio)
Roman Tillmon, DB, 5-11, Fort Osage high school (Independence, Mo.)
Jac Van Wyhe, OL, 6-5, Central Lyon high school (Rock Rapids, Iowa)
Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: USD football coach Nielson on early signing class, OC vacancy and more
