Transfer Portal Cinema: Premieres 2026
The world of college athletics has seen the changes of the transfer portal, and USD is no different. Heavy hitters are both leaving and incoming for South Dakota, as six former Coyotes go to power four schools and 11 new players come here from the FBS.
L.J. Phillips Jr. entered the portal after a breakout season as the leading rusher in the FCS with 1,921 yards. Phillips didn’t go far, however, going just to the University of Iowa.
Another breakout season by Larenzo Fenner broke the school record in single-season touchdowns with 15. He is joining former Coyote Joe Cotton at Cincinnati.
Caden Crawford leads the Coyotes in sacks with 5.5. Roman Tillmon, after two full seasons of starting for the Coyotes, heads to bluer grass at Boise State.
Jacob Arop started for South Dakota on the offensive line in front of Phillips. After this season, Arop entered the portal and exited far from South Dakota, going to the University of California, Berkeley. Tyler Ebel, after three straight years of being the starting punter for USD, travels just as far away, heading to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt.
Four offensive transfers came to South Dakota, with redshirt senior quarterback Jackson Proctor coming in from Northern Illinois University and redshirt junior wide receiver Bryce Cohoon from University of Kansas. Two offensive linemen came from UTEP, with redshirt sophomore Jake Riggs and redshirt junior Jake Utley.
Three defensive backs join the roster, with two University of Minnesota players and one from the University of Iowa. Redshirt sophomore Harrison Brun and redshirt junior Ethan Carrier both come from the Golden Gophers, while redshirt senior Kael Kolarik is from the Hawkeyes.
Three other defensive players are coming in as well, with redshirt junior linebackers Neeo Avery from the University of Maryland and Sam Same from Iowa State University. Redshirt Junior defensive lineman Asher Tomaszewski also joined the
linebackers, coming in from Kansas State University.
One final FBS transfer came from University of California, Berkeley, with redshirt senior punter Brook Honore. Seven other transfers come in from the FCS level or lower to USD as the team revamps for the second season under Travis Johansen.
