Iowa State Football Introduces Jimmy Rogers as New Head Coach

With Matt Campbell having accepted the head coaching position at Penn State, there is a new sheriff in town for the Iowa State Cyclones football team, who had his introductory press conference yesterday.

Jimmy Rogers is a name the Cyclones faithful will have to learn. The 38-year-old Arizona native was named the head coach of Iowa State football this week, and he takes over a team that's seen sustained success for the first time in program history.

READ MORE: What's Next for Iowa State After Matt Campbell Leaves for Penn State?

Jimmy Rogers is Introduced to the Iowa State Faithful:

The expectations are larger than those that Campbell faced when he was hired back in 2016. However, Rogers has a commendable pedigree.

A former linebacker, he was the head coach of South Dakota State (his alma mater) in 2023 and 2024 before accepting the same position at Washington State. After a year with the Cougars, he's uprooted again, this time to Ames, IA.

Rogers' Contract Details:

KCCI obtained information on Rogers' contract with Iowa State, which runs for six years and pays him $3 million annually to coach the Cyclones. Other details include:

• Additional compensation for number of wins in a regular season. This closely models Campbell's last contract with ISU. There is other compensation for bowl game appearances, being named the conference coach of the year, etc.
• Iowa State will pay Washington State University $4 million as a result of him leaving his contract there.

This contract will be worked out and finalized in 60 days, following other paperwork and a background check.

The Cyclones finished with an 8-4 record in 2025, a step back from their historic 2024 season, which saw them win 11 games for the first time in program history. The team got off to a great start, but dropped four in a row to Cincinnati, Colorado, BYU, and Arizona State. It was also announced this week that Iowa State would opt out of a bowl appearance following a vote by team players, due to a lack of healthy players to practice or play.

Matt Campbell will be hard to replace, but it appears that Iowa State has found a promising young skipper to lead their football team. Read more about Jimmy Rogers on KCCI's website.