SDSU's Jimmy Rogers named FCS national coach of the year
Dec. 7—BROOKINGS — Leading one of college football's most dominant programs in 2023, South Dakota State football coach Jimmy Rogers earned national recognition on Thursday, Dec. 7, as the recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award, which honors the FCS national coach of the year.
Rogers, who was one of 20 finalists, will be honored at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas — the eve of the FCS national championship game.
SDSU (11-0) has won 26 games in a row, with the latest being a 41-0 shutout of Mercer in the second round of the FCS playoffs. SDSU plays Villanova at 11 a.m. Saturday in the FCS quarterfinals and with a win, can claim the third-longest win streak in FCS history at 27 in a row. Seven of those wins in 2023 were over top-25 ranked teams, including No. 2 Montana State at home and No. 3 South Dakota on the road.
Rogers, age 35, was named the new head coach in January after the retirement of longtime coach John Stiegelmeier in the aftermath of SDSU winning its first national championship in 2022. The defensive coordinator of the 2022 championship team, Rogers has spent all but two years of his post-high school years either on the SDSU roster or on the Jacks' coaching staff.
An Arizona native, Rogers was a linebacker and team captain on SDSU's first FCS playoff team in 2009 and served 10 years as an assistant before taking over this season. Stiegelmeier won the award last season, making it back-to-back years an SDSU coach has won the award. It is the second time the award has gone to the same school in back-to-back seasons (North Dakota State's Craig Bohl in 2012 and 2013) and the first instance in which two different coaches won the award back-to-back for the same school.
In Rogers' first season guiding the program, South Dakota State is the only team to rank in the top 10 of the FCS in average points and yards gained per game and fewest points and yards allowed per game.
South Dakota's Bob Nielson, who won the Missouri Valley Football Conference's coach of the year award after leading USD from a three-win season in 2022 to 10 wins and a trip to the FCS quarterfinals this weekend, finished fourth for the award. Albany's Greg Gattuso and Montana's Bobby Hauck finished second and third, respectively.
