VERMILLION, S.D. — Head football coach Matt Vitzthum and the South Dakota football program has named the three team captains for the 2026 season with one captain named to represent the three major units – offense, defense, and special teams.
 
The three captains being Tysen Boze (offense), Gabriel Hardman (defense), and Keyondray Jones-Logan (special teams). Each week, South Dakota will walk out three captains to the coin toss. On a rotating basis, one of the three team captains will walk out with two captains named by the coaching staff that week.
 
Boze (Sr., Dublin, Ohio) comes into the 2026 season as one of the most veteran Coyotes of the entire team, entering his fifth season as a Coyote. Building trust in the wide receiver room, Boze has eight career starts at wide out in his career with seven of those coming last season. He had 19 receptions for 298 yards last season, along with his first two touchdown receptions of his career.
 
Heading into his fourth season in Vermillion, 2026 defensive captain Hardman (Jr., Miami, Fla.) sat third on the team in tackles a season ago with 90 to his name. He also posted five tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception. A first-time starter in 2025, Hardman looks to continue to anchor the linebacker room and to represent the entire defensive unit.
 
An electric kickoff returner, Jones-Logan (R-Jr., Orlando, Fla.) enters his fourth season at South Dakota in 2026. Despite missing most of the 2025 season due to injury, Jones-Logan brought leadership to the USD sideline a season ago and will carry the captain 'C' for the special teams unit in 2026. He enters his junior season sitting tied for the program record with two kickoffs returned for touchdowns.
 
All three captains are being named team captains for the first time in their Coyote careers.
 
The season commences a week from Saturday with a 1 p.m. kickoff on August 29 against Central Connecticut State from the DakotaDome.