Report: Rutgers zeroing in on South Dakota head coach Travis Johansen to be their new defensive coordinator

Rutgers is zeroing in on its new defensive coordinator. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, South Dakota head coach Travis Johansen is being hired as the new DC for the Scarlet Knights.

Thamel noted he’s a veteran defensive coordinator, leading a top five defense in 2024 at South Dakota before being promoted to head coach. He went 10-5 as a head coach in the Missouri Valley Football Conference last season before joining the Scarlet Knights.

Meanwhile, Rutgers is entering a pivotal season in 2026. On offense, the Scarlet Knights landed former Boston College quarterback Dylan Lonergan out of the NCAA transfer portal earlier this offseason. Lonergan played one season with the Eagles after transferring from Alabama.

Lonergan played in 10 games this season and threw for 2,025 yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 66.9% completion percentage. He played in a combined three games for the Crimson Tide in 2023 and ’24.

As a member of the Class of 2023, Lonergan was a four-star recruit out of Snellville (Ga.) Brookwood, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 13 overall prospect in the state, the No. 13 quarterback in the class and the No. 162 overall prospect in the class.

Now, Johansen and Lonergan join a Rutgers team that went 5-7 in 2025, just missing out on a third straight bowl game. The latter will be in competition with quarterback AJ Surace to succeed outgoing signal caller Athan Kaliakmanis.

Moreover, head coach Greg Schiano saw tremendous offensive output from Kaliakmanis at the position, aided by running back Antwan Raymond and wide receivers KJ Duff and Ian Strong. Raymond and Duff announced their returns to the team in 2026, while Strong entered the transfer portal.

In his first season with the Scarlet Knights in 2024, Duff was mostly a rotational receiver, up until late in the season when he became a starter for the last three games of the season. He hauled in 27 receptions for 425 yards and one touchdown. 

A year later, he emerged as one of the Big Ten Conference’s best receivers, hauling in 60 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. The 1,084 yards were good for the third most in the Big Ten this season, just behind Makai Lemon and Jeremiah Smith, while also producing multiple viral highlight-reel catches against Norfolk State and Penn State. 

— On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this article.