Washington State defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit directs a player during the first day of practice on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at Rogers Field in Pullman, Wash. (Geoff Crimmins/For The Spokesman-Review)
Iowa State’s defensive identity under new head coach Jimmy Rogers is beginning to take shape, and it will look very familiar to him. Washington State interim head coach and defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit is joining Rogers in Ames as the Cyclones’ new defensive coordinator.
The school makes the hiring official on Dec. 23, although Bobbit confirmed he would be Iowa State’s next defensive coordinator while talking to Washington State media on Dec. 15.
“Excited for that opportunity,” Bobbit told reporters last week. “It’s what’s best for myself, my wife, our family, and just the career moving forward. I had a lot of great conversations with people here, but I’m excited for that journey.” Bobbit will be joining the Iowa State staff as the full-time defensive coordinator, he said, not co-defensive coordinator, which some had reported earlier.
The move continues a long-running partnership between Rogers and Bobbit that began at South Dakota State, where Bobbit played linebacker from 2013–2016 while Rogers served as his position coach. Their careers have been intertwined ever since. Bobbit began his college coaching career as a GA with South Dakota State in 2019 and six years will now run his own Big 12 defense just six years later.
Jesse Bobbit’s coaching career has climbed quickly. He moved into the college ranks as a graduate assistant at South Dakota State and later at Washington State, where he worked closely with linebackers. Bobbit returned to SDSU in 2022 to coach safeties before being promoted to defensive coordinator, a role in which he helped build one of the most dominant defenses in the FCS.
Under his direction, the Jackrabbits ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense at 13.9 points per game and held seven opponents to 10 points or fewer, marking their second straight season atop the national scoring‑defense charts. At Washington State, he fielded a top‑30 scoring defense, allowing 20.2 points per game, which ranked 27th nationally.
Bobbit’s move to Ames now marks the third time he has followed Rogers to a new challenge. The long‑standing relationship between the two dates back to Bobbit’s playing days at South Dakota State. His steady rise, proven defensive results, and deep familiarity with Rogers’ system make him a natural fit to help shape the Cyclones’ new identity in the Big 12 in the post-Jon Heacock 3-3-5 era.
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