June 1, 2026

MADISON, S.D. – Head coach Josh Anderson has finalized the 2026 Dakota State University football schedule, with their first two home games 'under the lights' at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field.

Prior to their season opener, the Trojans will scrimmage with Mount Marty (S.D.) on Aug. 20 at 5 p.m. in Yankton, S.D.

Coming off from an 8-2 overall record and a 5-1 record in the inaugural Frontier Conference East Division last season, the Trojans are open their season at home versus rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) with a 7 p.m. kick-off in both teams' 80^th all-time series meeting.

DSU plays their first road contest at NCAA Division II Black Hills State (S.D.) of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) on Sept. 5 at 2 p.m. (Central Time)/1 p.m. (Mountain Time).  BHSU was a former member of the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) and Dakota Athletic Conference with Dakota State.

DSU returns home for their two-game at Brian Kern Family Stadium, starting on Sept. 13 versus Nebraska Wesleyan in the 11^th annual Ag Bowl with a 6 p.m. kick-off.

The 2026 Frontier Conference schedule will be a flip-flop of last year's schedule, starting with the cross-over games (East vs. West) at home versus Arizona Christian on Sept. 19 at 1 p.m.  DSU then travels to Ashland, Ore., to visit Southern Oregon at 3 p.m. (CT)/1 p.m. (Pacific Time).

The Frontier Conference East Division schedule begins on Oct. 3 where the Trojans play two straight home games, hosting defending division champion Montana Tech at 1 p.m.  DSU hosts Dickinson State (N.D.) on Oct. 10 with at 3 p.m. kick-off time in the annual Trojan homecoming game.

Dakota State travels to Valley City State (N.D.) for a 4 p.m. kick-off on Oct. 17 before taking a bye week on Oct. 24.

DSU concludes their home schedule versus Mayville State (N.D.) on Halloween (Oct. 31) at 1 p.m.  The Trojans play their final two games in Montana, both at 1 p.m. (CT)/12 p.m. (Mountain Time), visiting Rocky Mountain (Mont.) on Nov. 7 and Montana State-Northern on Nov. 14.

The addition to the Trojan football coaching staff included Daidrick Kibbie as the defensive coordinator, removing his interim tag from last season. He guided the Trojans to one of the top defensive teams in the Frontier Conference East Division, holding their opponents to 16.5 points per game.
DSU's defense also held their opponents to just 6.8 points per game at Brian Kern Family Stadium, fueling their undefeated 5-0 record at home in 2025.

Tom Clarey has also been added to the DSU football coaching staff this past winter.  He is the linebackers coach for the Trojans.  Prior to coming to Dakota State, he was an interim head coach at Waldorf (Iowa).

He was the football head coach at Forest City High School in 2023.  He was hired by Forest City in 2016 and has been an assistant coach there until becoming the head coach. 

Cleary is a 2011 graduate of MOC-Floyd Valley and received his education degree from Northwestern (Iowa) in Orange City, where he played collegiate football and coached football there.
 

2026 Dakota State University (S.D.) Trojan Football Schedule
Day	Date	Opponent	Time (CST)	Location
Thursday	Aug. 20	Mount Marty (S.D.) #	5 p.m.	Yankton, S.D.
Saturday	Aug. 29	Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)	7 p.m.	Madison, S.D.
Saturday	Sept. 5	Black Hills State (S.D.)	2 p.m./ 1 p.m. (MT)	Spearfish, S.D.
Saturday	Sept. 12	Nebraska Wesleyan $	6 p.m.	Madison. S.D.
Saturday	Sept. 19	Arizona Christian	1 p.m.	Madison, S.D.
Saturday	Sept. 26	Southern Oregon	3 p.m./1 p.m. (PT)	Ashland, Ore.
Saturday	Oct. 3	Montana Tech*	1 p.m.	Madison, S.D.
Saturday	Oct. 10	Dickinson State (N.D.)*+	3 p.m.	Madison, S.D.
Saturday	Oct. 17	Valley City State (N.D.)*	4 p.m.	Valley City, N.D.
Saturday	Oct. 31	Mayville State (N.D.)*	1 p.m.	Madison, N.D.
Saturday	Nov. 7	Rocky Mountain (Mont.)*	1 p.m./12 p.m. (MT)	Billings, Mont.
Saturday	Nov. 14	Montana State University-Northern*	1 p.m./12 p.m. (MT)	Havre, Mont.
Saturday	Nov. 21	NAIA Football National Playoffs	TBA	Campus Sites
BOLD – home contests at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field # - Scrimmage * - Frontier Conference – East Division game $ - Ag Bowl Game + - Trojan Day Homecoming game/Senior Day