Washington State has named Jake Dickert its permanent head coach, with the two sides agreeing in principle on a five-year contract, the school announced Saturday night.
Dickert will be introduced at a formal news conference next week, the school said.
"We are thrilled to have Jake Dickert step into the head coaching role," WSU president Kirk Schulz said. "Coach Dickert was able to bring together a team that has been through so much in the past two seasons and inspire them to not only keep going, but to fight harder. Coach Dickert loves Pullman, understands what it means to be a Coug, and most importantly, puts his players first. He is an asset to this program, and to WSU."
Dickert, in his second season as WSU's defensive coordinator, was elevated to acting head coach Oct. 18 after the school fired Nick Rolovich for not complying with the state's vaccine mandate. Rolovich, in his second season at Washington State, and four other assistants, refused to comply with the deadline for vaccines set by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
Since taking over as acting coach, Dickert has guided Washington State to a 3-2 record, capped by the school's most lopsided Apple Cup victory ever, a 40-13 triumph over Washington on Friday night in Seattle.
Dickert, 38, came to Washington State after three years at Wyoming, including one as defensive coordinator. A Wisconsin native and former Wisconsin-Stevens Point wide receiver, Dickert had never been a head coach before replacing Rolovich and only started coaching in the FBS in 2017.