AMES, Iowa – Jimmy Rogers, who guided Washington State to a bowl game in his first season on the Palouse after leading South Dakota State to the 2023 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national championship, has been selected as the 34^th head football coach in Iowa State history, Cyclone Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced today.

“Jimmy Rodgers is a rising star in college athletics who has very strong ties to the Midwest both as a player and as a coach,” Pollard said. “He has been on my short-list ever since the first time I met him. He immediately impressed me with his interest in Iowa State University and told me during our first visit several years ago that he wanted to be the next head coach at Iowa State.

“Since our initial meeting, I have stayed in close contact with him and have been very impressed with his work ethic and understanding of what it takes to be successful at Iowa State,” he added. “He is a proven winner who has demonstrated throughout his career that he will fit our culture.”

Rogers, who agreed to a six-year contract with Iowa State, joins the Cyclones from Washington State University, where he guided the Cougars to a 6-6 record in his lone season as head coach on the Palouse. Just the fourth of the Cougars’ 35 head football coaches to lead WSU to a bowl game in their first season on the sideline in Pullman, three of the bowl-bound Cougars’ six losses came at the hands of teams ranked in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s penultimate rankings—24-21 at No. 6 Ole Miss, 22-20 at No. 17 Virginia and 24-20 at No. 25 James Madison. All-told, Rogers owns a 33-9 (.786) three-year head coaching record, which includes a 27-3 (.900) mark in two seasons at South Dakota State.

The Hamilton, Arizona, native was named Washington State’s head coach on December 28, 2024, after a highly successful 12-year run at perennial Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouse South Dakota State, where he led the Jackrabbits to the 2023 FCS championship and the 2024 FCS semifinals.

“My family and I are excited to be joining the Iowa State University community and the Cyclone football program,” Rogers said. “Iowa State has been one of the nation’s top programs for the last decade and we look forward to building upon its upward trajectory. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that Jamie Pollard has given me to lead the Cyclones.

“From the administration, to the alumni and current student-athletes, this University has everything needed to compete at the highest level in college football,” he added. “I am honored to be given this opportunity and responsibility and cannot wait to get started!.”

Rogers and his wife, Haley, a native of Michell, S.D., have two children, a daughter, Reese, and son, Trace.

Jimmy Rogers’ Head Coaching Record

Year                 School                                     Record             Conference/Finish             Postseason

2023                 South Dakota State           15-0                                 8-0/1^st                               FCS Champions

2024                 South Dakota State           12-3                               7-1/T-1^st                            FCS Semifinals

2025                 Washington State                6-6                                0-0                                      Bowl TBA

TOTALS              3 Seasons                       33-9 (.786)                       15-1 (.938)      

Jimmy Rogers’ Coaching Experience

2025                   Head Coach                                                                                                                            Washington State

2023-24             Head Coach                                                                                                                            South Dakota State

2022                   Defensive Coordinator                                                                                                       South Dakota State

2019-21             Co-Defensive Coordinator/Asst. Head Coach/Linebackers                         South Dakota State

2013-18             Assistant Coach/Linebackers                                                                                      South Dakota State

2011-12             Graduate Assistant Coach                                                                                              Florida Atlantic

2010-11             Graduate Assistant Coach                                                                                               South Dakota State