Washington State University Director of Athletics Pat Chun announced Wednesday that head football coach Jake Dickert has agreed to a contract extension, keeping him in Pullman through the 2027 season.
Dickert was named the head coach of the Cougars in November of 2021 and originally signed a five-year contract that ran through the 2026 campaign.
"We have watched Jake Dickert reset the foundation of WSU Football that prioritizes family, selflessness, toughness, leadership and the total development of the young men on our football team," said Chun. "Coach Dickert and the football staff strive to positively impact all those who come in contact with WSU Football. We are fortunate to have Coach Dickert leading Cougar football for many years to come."
Taking over head coaching duties midway through the 2021 season, Dickert has guided the Cougars to back-to-back bowl appearances, continuing a streak that has reached seven-straight following WSU's appearance in the 2022 Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl last month. With that, Dickert became the first coach in program history to guide the Cougars to bowl games in each of his first two seasons.
"I would like to thank President Schulz, Chancellor Chilton and our Athletic Director Pat Chun for the incredible support and shared vision in the direction of our football program," said Dickert. "Our family is extremely proud to represent Washington State University, and Candice and I look forward to making Pullman our home for many years to come. We love pouring our heart and soul into WSU and look forward to Cougs everywhere continuing to help us build towards a championship here on the Palouse. Go Cougs!"
During the 2022 campaign, his first full season leading the Cougars, Dickert continued the process of building the Cougars in his image, with defense leading the way. Led by senior linebacker Daiyan Henley, the first Butkus Award finalist in school history, WSU allowed just 22.9 points per game in 2022, the fewest points surrendered by a Cougar defense since the 2003 season. The Cougar defense was strong throughout the year, finishing near the top of the Pac-12 in several categories, including tackles-for-loss (2nd), red zone defense (2nd), scoring defense (3rd), interceptions (3rd) and sacks (4th).
The Cougars opened the 2022 campaign winning four of their first five games, including a thrilling 17-14 win at No. 19 Wisconsin. The win was the first for WSU in three meetings all-time against the Badgers. The Cougars finished the 2022 regular season winning three of their final four contests, including road wins at Stanford and Arizona, and a home victory over Arizona State to secure their second-straight winning season.
In his brief time leading Cougar Football, Dickert has shown he was ready for his first head coaching opportunity. He has posted back-to-back winning seasons, recorded the first and third-fewest points allowed per game in the past 16 season, mentored student-athletes to 24 All-Pac-12 honors and 27 Pac-12 All-Academic awards, while as a program, Cougar Football recorded its highest cumulative grade point average in program history last semester at 2.95.
