Iowa State Cyclones Reportedly Hire New Defensive Coordinator from Washington State

The Iowa State Cyclones have reportedly hired their new defensive coordinator

Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers speaks during a timeout in the first half in the Iowa State and Iowa men’s basketball Cy-Hawk series at Hilton coliseum on Dec. 11, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jimmy Rogers era is starting up for the Iowa State Cyclones, and things are starting to come together for him. 

Since the departure of Matt Campbell for the Cyclones, it has been a hectic time for the football program. As expected, the team has lost a majority of their coaching staff, and they have also seen their 2026 recruiting class be challenging. 

Not too long ago, this was considered to be one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the program. Now, about half of the prospects have been released from their intent to sign, and Rogers and company will need to add some new players. 

Recently, he was able to get his first flip with a prospect coming to Iowa State over the Washington State Cougars. He will be hoping to keep that trend going and will also need to work the transfer portal. 

While getting the roster in shape is essential, Rogers must also finish up his coaching staff. Campbell has taken a majority of his staff to the Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Cyclones could use a staff sooner rather than later. 

Reportedly, current Washington State coach Jesse Bobbit is going to be following Rogers to Iowa State, according to Greg Woods. 

WSU interim coach Jesse Bobbit confirmed that he’s following Jimmy Rogers to Iowa State, joining the staff as defensive coordinator.

He will still coach the Cougars in the Idaho Potato Bowl

— Greg Woods (@GregWWoods) December 15, 2025

Bobbit Has a Long History with Rogers

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that Bobbit is going to be coming to Iowa State with Rogers. The two have known each other for over a decade, while Bobbit actually played for Rogers. 

While it seems like Bobbit will be coming over, he will still be coaching the Cougars in their bowl game against Utah State. That game won’t be for another week, so it will be a little while, it seems, before things become official. 

Furthermore, while Bobbit will be coaching, there are a number of players for Washington State that will be entering the portal. While some will be playing in the bowl game and some will not, this could be an excellent way for the two new coaches of the Cyclones to build up their team quickly. 

The Cougars might have only had a 6-6 record in 2025, but they played some outstanding teams tight last campaign. That was likely a significant reason why Iowa State liked Rogers, who proved that he could be successful as a Division I coach. With Rogers getting Bobbit to follow him to Iowa State, the two should be able to start planning what the plan of attack will be going forward.