Coaching grades: How The Athletic rates the WSU football hire, and two other familiar names

Editor’s note: Six former Power 5 programs made coaching changes in the 2024-25 hiring cycle, down from 14 a year ago, but they involved some big names (most notably: six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick at North Carolina). Group of 5 schools had a staggering total of 21 coaching changes.

At the center of the coaching carousel was Washington State, which replaced the departed Jake Dickert with Jimmy Rogers.

Here are Stewart Mandel’s grades for a few notable FBS coaching hires.

Wake Forest (B+): Washington State head coach Jake Dickert

Wake is a tough job for many reasons, but not more so than the one Dickert left behind. After taking over in mid-2021 following Nick Rolovich’s ouster, he led Wazzu to three bowls in four seasons and weathered the Pac-12 bomb that went off two years into his tenure. At Wake, he has the unenviable challenge of succeeding the retired Dave Clawson, who went to seven consecutive bowls. Dickert will need to stamp his own identity on the program.

Washington State (B): South Dakota State head coach Jimmy Rogers

I’m a big believer that proven FCS coaches are better prepared for an FBS head-coaching job than a hot coordinator or position coach. Rogers, 37, spent the past 12 seasons helping build SDSU into a powerhouse, first as an assistant and then as head coach, winning the 2023 national championship in his first year at the helm. He takes over at a crossroads moment for Wazzu, which is still figuring out its place post-Pac-12 breakup.

New Mexico (B): Idaho head coach Jason Eck

While he’s never coached in the Mountain West, Eck knows how to build a program. Idaho endured five consecutive losing seasons before he led the Vandals to three straight FCS playoff berths.