WATCH: Jimmy Rogers Talks Washington State Football Rebuild in 2025, New Pac-12 Look

Sep 16, 2023; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars helmet sits during a game against the Northern Colorado Bears in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

Washington State football face a litany of challenges in 2025 under the direction of new head coach Jimmy Rogers. Namely, Rogers is figuring out how to install the culture that made him successful at South Dakota State with a roster practically filmed to the brim with new players.

Rogers recently sat down with Yogi Roth in Seattle during A Night with Cougar Athletics, which was recorded for Roth's Y-Option Podcast. The full video is linked below.

The section with Rogers begins at the 43:18 mark.

NOTES

-Rogers on making the move from South Dakota State: "I was coaching my alma mater, which is somewhat unique, and losing in a semi-final game to go to the the third national championship in a row, that was hard for me. Then to jump on an interview like that game didn't matter, you almost feel like a sellout. You know, that's the truth, but at the same time I knew it was the right move, I knew it was the right time."

-On the culture of his program: "The culture stems from allowing people to be who they are authentically, to who, you know, who God made them meant to be, and then having a coaching staff that I believe is the edge to create a positive spirit. They want to come into the building because they want to be around the person that leads them which is their position coach and nobody wants them as a player to be as good as they can be more than their position coach. And when you have that and you have a bunch of guys that enjoy working with each other, I think it's special."

-On the new Pac-12: "We're not going to shy away from the moment and we have an opportunity to be the front runner in the Pac-12 in a new conference. I don't care what it used to be, you know, you can't get caught up in the past. You got to be looking ahead, otherwise people are going to be chomping at the bit to knock you off and if we're going to be the national brand, we better be the national brand, and that's got to come from the support of the people too."

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