CHICAGO — South Dakota State head coach Jimmy Rogers was named Monday as one of 20 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, which is presented by FedEx Ground and given annually by Stats Perform to the national coach of the year in Division I FCS college football.
Rogers has guided the Jackrabbits to an 11-0 record and the top seed in the upcoming Football Championship Subdivision playoffs during his first season as head coach. SDSU has maintained the No. 1 ranking in both the Stats Perform media and AFCA coaches’ rankings throughout the entire 2023 regular season, defeating six top-25 opponents en route to its second consecutive Missouri Valley Football Conference title.
Rogers took over the helm of the Jackrabbit football program from 2022 Eddie Robinson Award winner John Stiegelmeier, who retired after leading SDSU to the program’s first national title last season. A former Jackrabbit player, Rogers served on the SDSU defensive coaching staff for 10 seasons and was named FCS Coordinator of the Year by FootballScoop.com in 2022.
The Eddie Robinson Award, which was first presented in 1987, is named in honor of the legendary Grambling State coach. The winner of the 2023 edition of the award will be selected by a national voting panel and will be announced on Dec. 7 and honored at the FCS National Awards Banquet Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas — the eve of the FCS championship game.
The full list of finalists:
Mark Ferrante, Villanova
Greg Gattuso, Albany
Bobby Hauck, Montana
Clay Hendrix, Furman
Tre Lamb, Gardner-Webb
Tim Murphy, Harvard
Bob Nielson, South Dakota
Trei Oliver, North Carolina Central
Tim Rebowe, Nicholls
Danny Rocco, Virginia Military Institute
Jimmy Rogers, South Dakota State
Pete Rossomando, Lamar
Jerry Schmitt, Duquesne
Larry Scott, Howard
Willie Simmons, Florida A&M
Todd Stepsis, Drake
John Troxell, Lafayette
Scotty Walden, Austin Peay
Todd Whitten, Tarleton
Chris Wilkerson, Eastern Illinois