Rutgers officially hires South Dakota HC Travis Johansen as Defensive Coordinator
After 64 days, Rutgers Football has nearly found a defensive coordinator.
Head coach Greg Schiano is set to hire South Dakota Head Coach Travis Johansen to run the Scarlet Knights’ defense, a source confirmed to The Knight Report. This comes after a historic 2025 year — in the wrong direction — in Piscataway on that side of the ball, allowing an FBS-worst 7.6 yards per play.
Following the year, co-defensive coordinators Robb Smith and Zach Sparber were relieved of their duties, with several other position coaches departing for new jobs in the weeks following.
Johansen is a native of Blaine, Minnesota, and spent the previous six years with the Coyotes, the first five as the defensive coordinator.
Johansen’s history
Johansen had a standout playing career at Division II Concordia-St. Paul in Minnesota, as a four-year starting linebacker. He helped win two NSIC championships and was a team captian.
He then got right into coaching with the Golden Bears, and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2011. After two years in that role, he moved onto an NAIA defensive coordinator job, working at Grand View in Iowa. He served in that role for five years before heading to Division I with South Dakota.
Johansen quickly worked his way up the ladder with the Coyotes, working as both the defensive coordinator before adding the title of associate head coach in 2022.
Following the retirement of head coach Bob Nielson, Johansen was promoted to head coach in 2025, leading South Dakota to a 10-5 record and an appearance in the FCS quarterfinals, where the Coyotes lost to Montana.
What does this mean for Rutgers?
One year after a disastrous hire of Robb Smith and Zach Sparber as co-coordinators, Schiano landed on another young up-and-comer to run the defense, with the hope that he can run the show without the seventh-year head coach needing to intervene too much.
“What I have here in [offensive coordinator] [Kirk] Ciarrocca is exactly what I’d like to have on defense,” Schiano told reporters following the season. “I have a guy who leads the room, calls the plays, and really leads the players.”
Even though it took longer than any Power Four defensive coordinator search — for the second consecutive season — the Scarlet Knights have their leader on the defensive side.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE….
- 2007-10: Concordia-St. Paul (MN) (DBs)
- 2011-12: Concordia-St. Paul (MN) (DC)
- 2013-18: Grand View (IA) (DC)
- 2019-21: South Dakota (DC)
- 2022-24: South Dakota (AHC/DC)
- 2025: South Dakota (HC)
- 2026-PRESENT: Rutgers (DC)
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