VERMILLION, S.D. — The awards continue to roll in for redshirt sophomore running back L.J. Phillips Jr. after a phenomenal season stepping into the starting back roll for the South Dakota football team. He became the third Coyote in the Division I FCS era to rush for 1,000 yards and nearly eclipsed 2,000 on the season, while being near the top in multiple rushing categories nationally.  
 
The Wichita, Kansas native was named a First Team American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) running back, while also being named Second Team All-American by the Associated Press (AP) and STATS Perform this week.
 
Phillips Jr. stepped up this season when his name was called, awaiting his chance with the 'next man up' mentality. And his preparation showed! His marks sat near the top in the Valley and the FCS in multiple different rushing categories.
 
He stepped into the starting role in Week 3 against Northern Colorado and started the last 13 games of the season while playing in all 15 games. Throughout the season, multiple records fell as he rushed his way into the South Dakota – and MVFC – record books. The Wichita, Kansas native led the Valley in rushing yards and touchdowns through the 12 regular season games.
 
In his 15 games this season, Phillips Jr. shattered the USD Division I FCS era for rushing yards in a season with 1,953 on the season on 294 carries. The mark also sits second-best in program history for a single season, one of two Yotes to have 1,900+ yards in a season. The 128.1 yards per game sits sixth-best in program history for a season.
 
He ran for nine 100-yard games this season with a career-best 301 yards in the win over Northern Colorado. In that game, it became the second-highest number of rushing yards by a Coyote in program history. He also rushed for 19 touchdowns which is second in program history for a single season and ties the mark set by Travis Theis (2024) as the most by a Yote in the FCS era.