ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Following an 8-4 (6-2 MVFC) campaign and a second-place finish in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), nine Coyotes – ten slots – have been honored by the MVFC with all-conference selections as announced by the conference office Monday morning.
 
Running back L.J. Phillips Jr. and cornerback Mikey Munn highlight the selections as the South Dakota First Team All-MVFC selections this season. Five Yotes earned Second Team honors from the conference, while three earned honorable mention recognition. Below are this year's MVFC All-Conference Coyotes.
 
Phillips Jr. stepped up when his number was called this season. Moving into the starting running back role in week three due to injury, Phillips Jr. opened the eyes of people across the nation with a 301-yard performance on 35 carries against Northern Colorado. He twice had a game with four rushing touchdowns against Drake (Sept. 20) and Murray State (Oct. 4).
 
He's been one of the best backs in the FCS this season, sitting top-10 in carries, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and yards per carry most of the season. The Wichita native led the Valley in rushing yards this season with 1,556 yards in the 12 games of the regular season.
 
Heading into the Second Round of the FCS Playoffs, he's posted eight 100-yard rushing games with four games having multiple rushing scores. Heading to Macon, Phillips Jr. has scored a rushing touchdown in four-straight games. While his 15 regular season rushing scores sat fourth among all MVFC rushers and second among running backs.
 
Munn, earned a starting role this season at cornerback as a true sophomore, where he sat tied for second in the MVFC with his three interceptions this season. Two came against the Drake Bulldogs in the regular season meeting (Sept. 20). He earned his first-career start in the season opener at Iowa State (Aug. 30), while his first-career interception came the following week at Lamar (Sept. 6).
 
The Colorado native also led the team – and sat fifth in the Valley – with his combined 11 pass break-ups (interceptions + PBUs), while recording eight pass break-ups in the 12-game slate. The sophomore also poste three tackles for loss and had a forced fumble.
 
SECOND TEAM HONOREES
Larenzo Fenner had a breakout season for South Dakota with his league-leading 11 touchdown receptions in the regular season in his first season as a starter as a wide receiver. The sophomore was one of the best explosive wide outs in the MVFC this season, posting an impressive 22.6 yards per catch mark on the season. He also sat top-10 in the Valley in receiving yards per game (64.0, 8^th) and total receiving yards (768, 7^th).
 
In his first season at South Dakota, Almarion Crim proved to be an anchor on the offensive line unit for the Coyotes. He stated all 12 games at left tackle for the Yotes for a team that sat fifth in the MVFC in rushing yards per game (2,250) and blocking for the Valley's leading rusher in Phillips Jr. He was also part of a O-line unit that surrendered just 16 sacks in the regular season.
 
Transferring into the program this year, Caden Crawford was a dominant force on the Coyote defensive line. Starting all 12 games, Crawford sat 35^th in the MVFC with his 5.5 tackles per game and sat fifth for USD in tackles (66). He led the team with his 9.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, while tying for the MVFC-best 2.0 sacks in the win at Northern Iowa.
 
Coming to Vermillion for his final season, DeJuan Lewis stepped into a starting role at safety and started all 12 games. He was a force to be reckoned with for opposing offenses, forcing a pair of fumbles with a pair of fumble recoveries. His 80-yard scoop-and-score secured the win over No. 8-ranked North Dakota (Nov. 1) and led him to win MVFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He also had 55 tackles, one interception, and a pair of pass break-ups this season.
 
Phillips Jr. also was named a Second Team All-Conference performer as an all-purpose player. Phillips Jr. also led the MVFC in all-purpose yards (1,748) and a league-best 145.7 all-purpose yards per game clip.
 
HONORABLE MENTION HONOREES
For the second-straight season, QB1 Aidan Bouman has been named an honorable mention selection for the Coyotes. Bouman found his stride with a practically new receiving corps and still hit 2,000 passing yards this season for the third-straight season, being just one of two Coyotes to have 2,000+ passing yards in three seasons in a USD uniform.
 
The leader of the offense helped lead the Coyotes to a second-place finish in the MVFC and the program's third-straight FCS Playoff appearance, while surpassing the 30-win mark as the starting quarterback this season (31-13 heading to Mercer).
 
Through the 12-game slate, Bouman sat sixth in passing yards (2,143), had 18 passing touchdowns – including a touchdown pass in 10 of the 12 games – and was one of two MVFC quarterbacks to throw for five touchdowns in a single game this season.
 
Bouman also earned honorable mention recognition in 2024 and was named to the All-Newcomer team his first season at South Dakota in 2022.
 
Adrian Hawkins was the lone returning starter on the Coyote offensive line from last season's semifinal team and proved to be a veteran leader for South Dakota on the O-line. Due to injury, he started the first eight games of the season, playing in 10 total, for a team that sat fifth in the MVFC in rushing yards per game (2,250) and blocking for the Valley's leading rusher in Phillips Jr. He was also part of a O-line unit that surrendered just 16 sacks in the regular season.
 
Nate Ewell, in his second season at South Dakota, ends his career as an honorable mention honoree in the Valley. Ewell moved into a starting role homecoming weekend against Murray State (Oct. 4) and stared the next seven games, while playing in every game this season. He led the Yotes with his 78 tackles in the regular season and posted three double-digit tackle games on the year with a season-best 13 at Northern Iowa. The honorable mention honor comes after his All-Newcomer team selection a season ago.