RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesAug. 7—VERMILLION — Of the five offensive linemen who started the USD Coyotes' season-ending playoff loss to Montana last December, none are still on the team.
For all the focus on the quarterback competition, in which freshman Austyn Modrzewski is leading seniors Jackson Proctor and Nevan Cremascoli, reassembling the offensive line is an equally important priority.
With the Coyotes boasting one of the deepest and most talented running back stables in the FCS, and whichever quarterback wins the job being a new starter, there is significant pressure on the blocking unit, to pave the way for those running backs and to protect the quarterback.
USD does return one starter in junior Brock Woolf, who started 13 of the team's 15 games last year after transferring from Kansas State, but most of the rest of this unit is made up of new faces who must win a job and acclimate quickly to help the Coyotes reach their goal of competing for the national championship.
"I like where we're at," Woolf said. "We got, obviously, a lot of new faces in the O-line room. A couple transfers in. A lot of freshmen. But we're real competitive. I think we've got a lot of guys that can play, but we've got a lot to do."
Working in USD's favor is that lack of talent or size is not an issue. One look at the O-line during individual drills and it's obvious they pass the eyeball test.
And head coach Matt Vitzthum is especially excited about new offensive line coach James Bain, who comes to Vermillion after spending last year as the assistant O-line coach for Minnesota. He also coached at UTEP and Northern Arizona, the latter a Big Sky program where Bain also played for a year.
"I can't tell you how much I respect and trust the guy leading them in Coach Bain," Vitzthum said. "I think he's an elite offensive line coach. He's been at the power four level. He played at this level. He's been all around, and he knows what it's like to be those guys. I've watched and seen him mold guys from afar. So the guy leading them, that's the first and foremost thing, that's where it starts."
As for the personnel, they bring enough to the table to make the lack of returning starters feel like less of an obstacle.
Caden Ellingson, a 6-7, 310-pound senior from Tea, missed all of last year with an injury but started three games in 2022, four in 2023 and one in 2024.
Jake Utley, a 6-6, 315-pound junior, played in 17 games for UTEP over the last two years, with seven starts at the FBS level. Nick Herzog, a 6-4, 300-pound senior, played in four games for Northwestern last year — the one in the Big Ten. Grant Chapman a 6-5, 305-pound junior, played in all 15 games last year for the Yotes and looks in line to start at center in 2026.
Brendon Crispe is an athletic, 6-9, 320-pound sophomore who also played in all 15 games last year, mostly on special teams, and he's making a push to start this year.
Jake Riggs also transferred in from UTEP, and played three games last year as a redshirt freshman for the Miners. Angelo Saroukos started two games as a true freshman for Portland State in 2025, and the 6-4, 315-pounder will still have four years left.
Jack Rons, Caleb Lange and Sam Hawker are other returners in the mix, while former Brandon Valley standout Lucas Feldkamp has really turned heads in camp, making a case for a starting tackle role.
"He's probably had one of the best camps I've seen as a young offensive lineman," Vitzthum said. "He's put himself squarely in the mix to be a starter. He's earned that. Super proud of Lucas. He's taken a huge, huge step from his freshman year to his redshirt freshman year, or whatever we call it now."
So assuming the talent is sufficient, the challenge will be developing chemistry and cohesion. More than any other position group, the offensive linemen have to work together as a unit. That takes time to develop.
"You got to know the playbook," Chapman said. "You got to know your responsibility. You got to be able to go execute it. And then with everybody, you know, having a close-knit group, having those five playing as one is what we always talk about in the O-line room. If you can have five guys play as one, you're going to be successful."
Vitzthum said he likes the way he's seen the O-line develop friendships and off-field camaraderie, and Woolf points out that not having the spring transfer portal window this year puts the Yotes in an easier spot than last year, when they had a different offensive line when they showed up for camp in August then they'd ended spring ball with.
"That was sort of a problem last year — it took us awhile to get going as an O-line," Woolf admitted. "I mean, last year, two of us didn't come until June of last year. Now that we've had an entire spring, entire summer together, a bunch of us live together, I think we're a lot closer grouped this year at this time than we were last year."
The Yotes won't necessarily get to ease into their season, either. They open at home against Central Connecticut State, a team picked to win the NEC this year, then travel to Northern Colorado, a team that nearly beat USD in the Dome last year. Then comes Eastern Washington of the Big Sky, an FBS challenge at Boise State, and the conference opener on the road against Youngstown State, a playoff team.
That puts some urgency on the O-line's development, but confidence is palpable within the team.
"There's so much talent on our offense," Woolf said. "It's not even that we have to excel. We just got to do our jobs, and they're going to make us look really good.
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