VERMILLION, S.D. — Head Coach Travis Johansen has announced the hiring of Isaiah Walker to his staff as the wide receivers coach heading into the 2025 season, announced Tuesday morning by the football program.
 
Matt Vitzthum, who was named Co-Offensive Coordinator in December, will take over positional coaching duties of the Coyote quarterback room this spring.
 
"A proven teacher of the game. Coach Walker has experience at nearly all levels," commented Johansen. "He's worked alongside some of the best wide receiver minds and developed an acumen for the wide receiver position that will undoubtedly take our wide receiver play to the next level."
 
Walker comes to Vermillion after two seasons at the University of Minnesota on the staff of PJ Fleck, serving as an offensive graduate assistant in 2023 and promoted to assistant wide receivers coach for the 2024 campaign. In his role with the Gophers, Walker worked with the Gopher's offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. and the wide receiver group. Minnesota comes off their 24-10 Duke's Mayo Bowl win over Virginia Tech.
 
"Earning the opportunity to be able to work for Coach Johansen is the opportunity of a lifetime," noted Walker. "When presented the chance to come to Vermillion and work alongside Tim Morrison and Matt Vitzthum was one that I did not need to think about.
 
While at Minnesota, Walker worked with the Gophers' wide receivers and assisted in positional group meetings, on-field training at practice, and oversaw offensive signal calling from the sidelines.
 
Prior to his stop in Minneapolis, he was an offensive graduate assistant at UCF for a season where he also worked with the wide receivers of the Knights program.
 
"The Coyotes will benefit from Coach Walkers incredibly detailed approach, but his unrelenting passion for the game of football will bring another level of push to our offense," continued Johansen.
 
Before making the jump to the FBS ranks, Walker had stops at NCAA Division II Truman State (Mo.) (2018-20) and NAIA Georgetown College (Ky.) (2018). As a Tiger, Walker's teams made two appearances in the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) in 2014 and 2017, earning a victory in the First Round of the 2017 season.
 
A native of Lakeland, Florida, Walker played wide receiver at Georgetown College (Ky.) from 2014-18.
 
"Florida Yotes will be excited to see a hometown face as we welcome Coach Walker and his girlfriend Rachel to Vermillion!" concluded Johansen.
 
Walker holds a bachelor's degree in Sport Administration from Georgetown (2018) and earned his master's degree in Kinesiology from Georgia Southern University (2021).
 
"The University of South Dakota football program is one that is taking off like a rocket ship and I am grateful I get to tag alongside these fine gentlemen into the future," concluded Walker. "You can expect hard work and dedication out of me and I can't wait to get started!"