South Dakota football adds two to coaching staff

VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota head football coach Bob Nielson is pleased to announce the additions of former Northwestern standout C.J. Robbins and Wisconsin alum Elijah Hodge to the coaching staff.

Robbins, a three-year starter and team captain for the Wildcats in 2016, will work primarily with outside linebackers. Hodge, the younger brother of former staffer Abdul Hodge, will work primarily with inside linebackers.

“I’m excited to have C.J. and Elijah on our staff,” said Nielson. “They will be tremendous role models for our players and bring a high level of expertise to our defensive staff and our program.”

Robbins, who hails from Peru, Illinois, was a three-year starter for the Wildcats and a two-time academic all-Big Ten honoree. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern in 2015 and a master’s degree in 2016. Robbins signed with the Tennessee Titans in the spring of 2017.

“Thank you to Coach Nielson, Coach (Travis) Johansen and the rest of the South Dakota staff for the opportunity to join the Coyote family,” said Robbins. “I couldn’t be more excited to come to a place like South Dakota. I look forward to helping develop players on and off the field and help sustain the success of the program. I am excited to continue to build on the defensive foundation built by this staff and our student-athletes.”

Robbins’ coaching career began at Miami University in Ohio in May of 2019. He spent the 2019 season with the RedHawks before transitioning to University of Minnesota. Robbins coached the Gophers for two seasons and worked primarily with the rush ends on defense.

Hodge played 35 games for Wisconsin, including 11 starts at linebacker as a sophomore. He graduated with a degree in sociology and transferred to Northern Iowa for one final season. Hodge was the Panther’s fourth-leading tackler during the 2009 campaign.

“I’m blessed to have the opportunity to coach the game that I love and to join an impactful staff and community at the University of South Dakota,” said Hodge. “I want to thank Coach Nielson and Coach Johansen for believing in me and I’m excited to get to work.”

Hodge is making his first foray into collegiate coaching, but has a number of experiences under his belt. Most notably, he helped build the varsity team at Roxbury Prep Charter in the Boston, Massachusetts, area in 2018. He led the team to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and won the first playoff game in school history.