VERMILLION, S.D.— South Dakota football coach Bob Nielson is excited to announce that Nathan Nelson has joined the Coyote football staff as the new defensive line coach.
 
"We are excited to add Nate to our defensive staff", said Nielson.  "He has proven to be a talented position coach and recruiter."
 
Nelson comes to Vermillion from Arkansas Monticello where he spent the 2023 season as the defensive line coach.  Prior to that, he was a defensive graduate assistant at his alma mater, the University of Iowa.  He was a defensive ends and linebackers coach at Bemidji State University during the 2022 season.  That year, the Beavers qualified for the Division II playoffs and reached the quarterfinals.  In 2021, he was a defensive assistant at Iowa.  Iowa claimed the Big Ten West division title and won the Citrus Bowl that season.  Nelson was a defensive lineman for the Hawkeyes during his playing career.
 
Nelson's brother, Anthony, plays in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  His father, Jeff, played defensive line for the Hawkeyes in the 80s and 90s.