Northern Iowa Basketball Coach Leaves After 20 Seasons

For the first time in two decades, the Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team is in the market for a new coach after their longtime steward of the program is headed west for a new opportunity.

Per Pete Thamel of ESPN, Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson is in the process of finalizing a five-year deal to be the next coach of Utah State. This ends a run that began back in 2006, when Jacobson took over as Panthers coach. Prior to that, the North Dakota grad was an assistant coach for the Panthers going back to 2001.

Ben Jacobson's Legacy at Northern Iowa:

Ben Jacobson's time at Northern Iowa spanned 20 seasons and resulted in the Panthers receiving five separate NCAA Tournament bids. He is probably best known for Northern Iowa's Sweet 16 run in 2010, which included the team's upset of No. 1 seed Kansas while the Panthers were a No. 9 seed.

This past season, Jacobson led the Panthers to a 23-13 record, and faced St. John's in the Round of 64. The team ultimately lost to the Rick Pitino-coached squad, but it was UNI's first tournament bid since 2016. Jacobson won 397 games during his tenure at Northern Iowa, and became one of the best, most consistent basketball coaches in the Midwest in the process.

Why Ben Jacobson is Leaving for Utah State:

Odds are this isn't the first school to inquire Jacobson about his services over the last 20 years. Utah State has reached the NCAA tournament in six of the last seven years, and are obviously looking not only to be consistent players but a viable threat in the crowded tournament that is known as March Madness. More remarkably, that run spans four different coaches, who have all parlayed their success into bigger jobs, per ESPN.

Earlier this month, Jerrod Calhoun left Utah State for Cincinnati after reaching consecutive NCAA Tournaments. ESPN opined that Utah State's available resources (NIL money being among the most attractive), the platform, and Utah State's track record of success made the opening too valuable for Jacobson to pass up.

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Now, the Panthers will be tasked with trying to find a new coach. Read more about Northern Iowa's Ben Jacobson taking the Utah State job on ESPN's website.