Washington State has hired South Dakota State's Jimmy Rogers to a five-year deal as the Cougars' next head coach, the school announced Saturday.
Rogers is set to make an average of $1.57 million per year, sources told ESPN.
"My family and I are thrilled for the opportunity to join the Washington State University community and lead Cougar football," Rogers said in a statement. "WSU has a rich and storied football tradition, and we are eager to embark on the next chapter."
Rogers, 37, coached South Dakota State to an FCS national title in 2023 after serving as the team's defensive coordinator in 2022, when the school won its first national championship. He's set to replace Jake Dickert, who left earlier this month to become head coach at Wake Forest after three-plus seasons as WSU coach.
"Throughout the process, it was evident Jimmy embodies the qualities needed to lead our program: character, passion, vision and commitment," Washington State athletic director Ann McCoy said. "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. Jimmy will be a tremendous addition to Washington State University and the Pullman community, and we welcome he, his wife Haley, and their children Reese and Trace into the Cougar family."
The Cougars ended their season Friday after losing 52-35 to Syracuse in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl. Washington State had focused its search for Dickert's replacement on FCS head coaches, sources said.
Rogers played linebacker at South Dakota State and started his coaching career at his alma mater in 2010. He spent two seasons with Florida Atlantic before returning to South Dakota State as linebackers coach in 2013.
Washington State must reload after losing Dickert, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, star quarterback John Mateer and others after a season that it began 8-1. The Cougars have lost 26 scholarship players to the transfer portal this month, including 11 players who started in the team's final regular-season game.
Rogers could bring a significant number of transfers from South Dakota State to Washington State, sources told ESPN, to quickly rebuild the roster.
South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski, the 2023 Walter Payton Award winner as the top offensive player in FCS, is an NFL draft prospect who can return for an additional season of eligibility if he chooses to bypass the draft.
South Dakota State standout wide receiver Griffin Wilde entered the transfer portal earlier Saturday with a "do not contact" tag in his entry.
ESPN's Kyle Bonagura, Pete Thamel and Max Olson contributed to this report.