College Football: 6 Coaching Candidates to Replace Jake Dickert at Washington State

Washington State is looking for a new head coach after Jake Dickert left to take over at Wake Forest. The Cougars went 23-20 under Dickert's direction and finished 8-4 with a trip to the Holiday Bowl this year. Dickert took over as Washington State's interim coach during the '21 season and won the full-time job with a strong finish that fall. 

Washington State has always been a challenging job, but the next coach is stepping into even more uncertainty. The roster has been hit hard by portal departures this offseason, and the program won't have a restocked Pac-12 membership until 2026. The '25 schedule is manageable if the new coaching staff can reload the roster through the portal. 

Who could replace Dickert at Washington State? Here are a few names to watch in the search:

Washington State Football: 6 Coaching Candidates to Replace Jake Dickert

Jeff Banks, Tight Ends/Special Teams, Texas
Banks played at Washington State from 1996-97 and later worked in the program as a graduate assistant from 1999-00. He doesn't have any experience as a head coach but has worked as an assistant at UTEP, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Texas. He's regarded as one of the top special teams coaches in the nation. 

Jeff Choate, Head Coach, Nevada
Choate is a former Washington State assistant (2012) and has spent time on staffs at Boise State, Florida, Washington, and Texas. From 2016-19, Choate guided Montana State to a 28-22 record and back-to-back FCS Playoff trips. Choate inherited a Nevada team in rebuild mode this year and finished 3-10 in his debut at Reno. Although the Wolf Pack won only three games, this team was much improved and more competitive in '24.

Jay Hill, Defensive Coordinator, BYU
Hill is a native of Utah and has spent his coaching career in the state with stops at Utah (2001-13) and later a stint at Weber State as the program's head coach. The Wildcats went 68-39 under Hill's watch, including six trips to the FCS playoffs. Hill has worked as BYU's defensive coordinator over the last two seasons. The Cougars led the Big 12 in scoring defense (20.1 points a game allowed) and held teams to 4.9 yards a snap.

Johnny Nansen, Co-Defensive Coordinator, Texas
Nansen doesn't have any experience as a head coach at the FBS level, but he's a former Washington State player and has a wealth of experience as an assistant. Since 1998, Nansen has made stops at Louisville, Idaho State, Idaho, Washington, USC, UCLA, Arizona, and Texas. 

Will Stein, Offensive Coordinator, Oregon
Stein is a rising star at the FBS level and is due for a chance to run his own program. After his playing career at Louisville ended, Stein worked at UTSA (2020-22) before landing with the Ducks. He's guided Oregon's offense to a place among the best in the nation, as this unit averages 35.9 points a game in '24.

Brent Vigen, Head Coach, Montana State
Vigen is 46-9 at Montana State over the last four years and guided the program to a No. 1 ranking at the FCS level in '24. The Bobcats have won at least 12 games in three out of the last four seasons, including a 14-0 mark this year that included a victory over New Mexico.