Washington State hiring South Dakota State’s Jimmy Rogers as next head football coach

The next era of Washington State football has arrived.

The Cougars are hiring South Dakota State’s Jimmy Rogers as their next coach, WSU announced on Saturday, bringing an end to a 10-day coaching search. Rogers is signing a five-year deal worth around $1.57 million per year, according to ESPN.

Rogers replaces Jake Dickert, who made about $2.7 million in his final season at WSU, leaving the Cougars earlier this month to become head coach at Wake Forest, concluding his three-plus season run in Pullman. It’s the second major hire by new athletic director Anne McCoy, who brought over men’s basketball coach David Riley from Eastern Washington in the spring.

An introductory news conference has been scheduled for the week of Jan. 6-10, according to a release, with more details to follow.

“Throughout the process, it was evident Jimmy embodies the qualities needed to lead our program: character, passion, vision and commitment,” McCoy said via release. “His coaching acumen is extremely high as is his work ethic, and the value he places on mentoring the young men in his program is evident.”

“My family and I are thrilled for the opportunity to join the Washington State University community and lead Cougar football,” Rogers said via release. “WSU has a rich and storied football tradition, and we are eager to embark on the next chapter. When Ol’ Crimson flies at College GameDay and other sites across the country, it is immediately recognizable because of the brand that Washington State University represents.”

WSU finished the season 8-5, including Friday’s night’s 52-35 loss to No. 22 Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl. The Cougars, who raced to an 8-1 start to the season, ended the year with four consecutive losses as nearly 30 players were in the transfer portal for the Holiday Bowl.

In two seasons at the helm , Rogers’ Jackrabbits were 27-3 , winning the 2023 FCS championship in his debut season as head coach, then falling to North Dakota State in this season’s national semifinals.

In 2023, the 37-year-old Rogers won the Eddie Robinson Award as the nation’s top FCS coach, his first season with the Jackrabbits. He guided South Dakota State to a 15-0 record and the program’s second straight FCS national title.

This season, the Jackrabbits finished 12-3.

Before getting promoted to head coach in 2023, replacing John Stiegelmeier, Rogers served as defensive coordinator during SDSU’s 2022 championship run. Rogers played linebacker on the Jackrabbits’ 2009 team, which earned the school’s first FCS playoff berth.

After working as co-defensive coordinator from 2019-2021, Rogers became the sole defensive coordinator for the 2022 season and helped the Jackrabbits lead the FCS in rushing defense and interceptions, all while allowing the country’s third-fewest points. He was named the FCS Coordinator of the Year that season.

Before returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach in 2013, Rogers spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons as a Jackrabbits GA, then went to Florida Atlantic for the 2012 and 2013 years, also as a GA.

A Phoenix-area native, Rogers will have to replace many of the WSU players who engineered this season’s run, including quarterback John Mateer, running back Wayshawn Parker, linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah, cornerback Ethan O’Connor and receiver Kris Hutson, all of whom have exited via the transfer portal. Top receiver Kyle Williams is also set to graduate and exhaust his eligbility.

WSU quarterback Zevi Eckhaus, who backed up Mateer this season, completed 31 of 43 passes for 363 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the Holiday Bowl, making his first FBS start. After the game, he said he needed more time to decide on his future as he mulls whether to stay in the program .

The Cougars also have openings at offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, running backs coach and quarterbacks coach, all of whom moved on to different schools after WSU’s regular season – with the exception of DC Jeff Schmedding, who Dickert fired early this month. It’s unclear what Rogers’ WSU staff will look like and whether the current coaches (receivers coach Nick Edwards, cornerbacks coach Allen Brown, offensive line coach Jared Kaster and interim head coach Pete Kaligis) will be retained.

Either way, it’s possible Rogers could bring along SDSU quarterback Mark Gronowski, the 2023 Walter Payton Award winner as the top offensive player in FCS.

Gronowski is an NFL draft prospect, eligible for one more season if he elects to forgo the draft. This fall, Gronowski completed 206 of 338 passes (61%) for 2,721 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

South Dakota State star receiver Griffin Wilde also entered the transfer portal Saturday with a “do not contact” tag in his entry, according to ESPN, often a sign that a player has a specific destination in mind when entering the portal.

Wilde had 71 receptions for 1,154 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, coming in seventh in the country in receiving yards.