Jake Dickert officially hired as WSU’s next head coach

On October 19, Jake Dickert became the acting head coach of the Washington State Cougars football team. Somewhere along the line, he became the interim head coach.

Today, all qualifiers were removed: the school made his permanent hire official late Saturday. The news was first reported by Matt Zenitz of On3.com and later confirmed by SI.com because the school sent out their release.

No word on the details of a contract.

“I am extremely humbled and honored to be the next head coach at Washington State University,” said Dickert in the release. “I want to thank President Schulz, Pat Chun and Bryan Blair for their leadership and trust in me and my vision for the future of WSU football. Pullman fits our family so well and we are so excited to be a part of this community for a long time to come. Go Cougs.”

The move comes as little surprise, given that momentum seemed to be building for the former defensive coordinator as WSU won three out of its last four games, allowing them to secure bowl eligibility and culminating with the most lopsided Apple Cup victory for WSU in the series’ history, a 40-13 beatdown of Washington at Husky Stadium.

Dickert, 38, took over following the termination of the man who hired him, Nick Rolovich, for failing to comply with the state’s Covid vaccine mandate for state employees. He treated it as an interview all along, clearly communicating his philosophy, and he appears to have impressed athletics director Pat Chun.