FRISCO, Texas — Jimmy Rogers never dreamed of playing at South Dakota State University, and he certainly never anticipated becoming head coach of the Jackrabbits.
The kid from Arizona who was a standout linebacker and captain of SDSU’s first playoff team in 2009, then defensive coordinator for its first national title team last season, is now the first-year head coach as the top-seeded Jackrabbits (14-0) try to repeat in the Football Championship Subdivision.
They take a 28-game winning streak into Sunday’s showdown against No. 2 seed Montana (13-1) at Toyota Stadium, where kickoff is set 2 p.m. Eastern on ABC.
“My reality becoming a dream means I wanted to do it at the highest level, and we’ve taken South Dakota State to the highest level,” Rogers said. “To be the head coach of it, I never envisioned that 18 years ago. … But I did envision winning national championships here.”
Less than two weeks after the Jackrabbits beat Missouri Valley Conference rival North Dakota State University last January to become champions in John Stiegelmeier’s 26th season as head coach, he retired and Rogers was immediately named his successor.