Utah State reaches agreement with next men’s basketball head coach
Mar 30, 2026, 8:27 AM | Updated: 2:04 pm
LOGAN, Utah – The Utah State Aggies have agreed to terms with former Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson to be the program’s next men’s basketball head coach.
Multiple reports surfaced on Monday, March 30, that Jacobson would be ending a 20-year stint as the Panthers’ head coach and signing a five-year contract with Utah State.
The university later confirmed the news.
Welcome to Cache Valley Coach Jacobson!
➡️ https://t.co/pnefocpGan#ShowMe x #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/u3F2qZX5Jb
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 30, 2026
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Initial Thoughts:
– The Aggies didn’t need to roll the dice on a young, mostly unproven coach. They had four times in a row. Sooner or later the luck was going to run out. This shows you where the program is right now. This is a guy who has won titles, been to the Sweet 16, and…
— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) March 30, 2026
Jacobson takes over for Jerrod Calhoun after Calhoun accepted the head coaching position at the University of Cincinnati.
Northern Iowa reached the 2026 NCAA Tournament, where they lost to St. John’s as a 12-seed.
About Ben Jacobson
The Mayville, North Dakota, native has been on the Northern Iowa coaching staff since 2001, when he was the program’s top assistant.
He became the 21st head coach in Panthers history when he was elevated to the lead job in 2006.
Sources: Utah State and Northern Iowa coach Ben Jaconson are finalizing a five-year deal to make him the school’s next coach, per me and @jeffborzello. Jacobson won 397 games over 20 seasons at Northern Iowa, including five NCAA appearances. pic.twitter.com/2JQOLRdZwi
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 30, 2026
The 55-year-old has amassed a 397-259 (.605) career record while leading the Panthers into the NCAA Tournament five times.
In 2009, Jacobson’s Northern Iowa reached the Sweet 16 after upsetting No. 1 Kansas as a nine-seed.
Jacobson and his wife, Dawn, have two children, Hunter and Tanner.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
