South Dakota featured two of the top-eight rushers in the Missouri Valley Football Conference last season in true freshman Nate Thomas and third-year freshman Travis Theis.
 
Thomas averaged a remarkable 6.3 yards per carry and was the squad's leading rusher in each of the last four games of the season. But an unfortunate non-contact injury in the spring will delay Thomas' encore until 2023.
 
The good news is that Shomari Lawrence has recovered from an injury he sustained early last season. Lawrence ran 33 times for 160 yards and a touchdown prior to the ailment that took place in game four. The Coyotes also return Mike Mansaray, who had a breakout game in week three against Cal Poly last year. Three true freshmen also enter the mix.
 
"This group understands that it's going to take multiple running backs on gameday throughout the season," said running backs coach Dante Warren, a former Coyote quarterback now in his fifth season on staff at his alma mater. "They band together and there's a family aspect there. The older guys especially do a great job of making sure everyone is up to standard on the practice field so that we are ready on gameday."
 
The Coyotes ran to the tune of 170 yards per game last season, and only North Dakota State ran it more times per game than South Dakota amongst Valley teams. Explosive first halves in early-season wins created some unbalance there as the Coyotes kept the ball on the ground in the second half of those wins. But not once did South Dakota pass the ball more than it ran it on its way to the FCS playoffs last season, a testament to the work done by a tandem of backs and its offensive line.
 
Even better, the successes enjoyed by Thomas, Theis and Mansaray early in their careers has provided a blueprint for the newcomers.
 
"Nate established a rubric of how we could get freshman ready quicker," said Warren. "Understanding that someone that young could come in and pick it up right away, meant that this year's class got involved a little sooner this fall. That said, Nate Thomas is a special player who attacked his summer workouts and learned the offense in a different way than a lot of people are able to."
 
Warren spoke highly of Charles Pierre Jr., Mike Sajenko and Kelby Gray, and Pierre has certainly made some highlights in early scrimmages.
 
"Pierre has been a breath of fresh air and there were sparks flying when he got into that first scrimmage," said Warren. "He will continue to develop physically as we move forward over the season, but as far as vision, instincts and feet go, he's really good and far ahead of a lot of the classes that we've had since I've been here."


 
Returning Starters
Travis Theis, 4^th-year sophomore (honorable mention all-MVFC)
Mike Mansaray, 3^rd-year sophomore (53 car, 242 yds, 3 TDs)
 
Returning Letterwinners
Shomari Lawrence, 3^rd-year freshman (played in four games in 2021 before injury)
 
Newcomers
Charles Pierre Jr., freshman, Orlando, Fla.
Mike Sajenko, freshman, Park Ridge, Ill.
Kelby Gray, freshman, Oak Park, Ill.