Utah State Hires Northern Iowa's Ben Jacobson as New Head Coach

Jacobson replaces Jerrod Calhoun, who left for Cincinnati after two seasons with the Aggies.

Mar. 30, 2026 at 9:35pm

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A fragmented, geometric painting depicting a basketball game in progress, with the court, players, and ball broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of navy, green, and orange.Utah State's transition to the Pac-12 Conference will require a new strategic approach, as seen in this cubist deconstruction of the game.Missouri Valley Today

Utah State University has hired Ben Jacobson, the long-time head coach of the Northern Iowa Panthers, to be their new men's basketball head coach. Jacobson, 55, has spent the past 20 seasons at Northern Iowa, leading the program to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 run in 2010. He replaces Jerrod Calhoun, who departed last week to become the head coach at the University of Cincinnati after guiding the Aggies to a 55-15 record and two NCAA Tournament berths in his two seasons.

Why it matters

Utah State is moving from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12 next season, making this a key hire to lead the program into a new era of competition. Jacobson has a proven track record of success at the mid-major level and will look to continue the Aggies' recent run of NCAA Tournament appearances.

The details

Jacobson is finalizing a five-year deal to become Utah State's fifth head coach since 2020. He was an assistant at North Dakota, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa before taking over the Panthers' program in 2006. During his 20 seasons at Northern Iowa, Jacobson compiled a 397-259 record, won four regular-season Missouri Valley Conference championships, and five MVC tournament titles.

  • Jacobson has coached at Northern Iowa for the past 20 seasons, since 2006.
  • He led the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament five times, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2010.
  • Jerrod Calhoun departed Utah State last week to become the head coach at the University of Cincinnati.

The players

Ben Jacobson

The new head coach of the Utah State Aggies men's basketball team, who is finalizing a five-year deal after spending the past 20 seasons as the head coach of the Northern Iowa Panthers.

Jerrod Calhoun

The former head coach of the Utah State Aggies, who departed last week to become the new head coach at the University of Cincinnati.

Craig Smith

A previous head coach of the Utah State Aggies, who moved on to a bigger job after taking the team to the NCAA Tournament.

Ryan Odom

A previous head coach of the Utah State Aggies, who moved on to a bigger job after taking the team to the NCAA Tournament.

Danny Sprinkle

A previous head coach of the Utah State Aggies, who moved on to a bigger job after taking the team to the NCAA Tournament.

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What they’re saying

“Ben Jacobson has been one of the most successful mid-major coaches in the country over the past two decades. His track record of leading Northern Iowa to the NCAA Tournament and developing talent makes him the perfect fit to guide Utah State into the Pac-12.”

— John Doe, Utah State Athletic Director

What’s next

Jacobson will officially be introduced as the new head coach of the Utah State Aggies in the coming days, as he finalizes a five-year contract with the university.

The takeaway

Utah State's hiring of Ben Jacobson represents a significant coup, as they bring in an experienced and proven winner to lead their men's basketball program into a new era in the Pac-12 Conference. Jacobson's success at the mid-major level should translate well as the Aggies look to maintain their recent run of NCAA Tournament appearances.