WACO, Texas — South Dakota State coordinators Zach Lujan and Jesse Bobbit have been selected by the American Football Coaches Association for its 2024 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. This year’s class was chosen from a field of more than 175 highly qualified applicants from all levels of amateur football.

Lujan has served as the offensive coordinator at SDSU the past two seasons and has been a member of the Jackrabbits’ coaching staff for six seasons, serving as running backs coach in 2018 and mentoring the quarterbacks since 2019. SDSU averaged 34.2 points and 384.6 yards of total offense per game en route to the program’s first national title in 2022, and has exceeded those totals thus far in 2023 with averages of 37.9 points and 457.2 yards per game.

The Jackrabbits lead the Football Championship Subdivision in a number of offensive categories this season, including passing efficiency (173.23), third-down conversion percentage (.563) and red-zone offense (.979). SDSU’s scoring and yardage totals rank fourth and sixth, respectively.

Bobbit is in his first season as the Jackrabbits’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach after returning to SDSU in 2022 to coach the team’s safeties. His defensive unit leads the FCS ranks in both scoring defense (10.3 points per game) and total defense (256.8 yards per game) as the Jackrabbits bring a 26-game winning streak into this weekend’s quarterfinal playoff matchup against Villanova.

Both Lujan (2014-16) and Bobbit (2013-16) are former Jackrabbit players who played key roles on SDSU teams that were part of the program’s current streak of 12 consecutive appearances in the FCS playoffs.

The AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute is a prestigious program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession. Selected participants are invited to attend the one-day institute that features a curriculum of interactive lectures focused on topics specifically tailored to emphasize leadership in the coaching profession, ethics, influential responsibilities, career progression, and family balance.

Members of the 2024 AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute receive a stipend to assist with expenses incurred while attending the AFCA Convention. They will be published in AFCA Magazine, AFCA Insider weekly email blast, and/or have their articles and videos added to the AFCA Educational Library. Additionally, participants will be placed on the AFCA Foundation Committee and become a part of a prestigious network of rising coaches in the profession along with many other great benefits.

To be eligible, applicants had to be born on or after January 1, 1988, and must be currently serving as a high school head coach, two-year college full-time assistant or head coach, or NAIA/NCAA (all divisions) full-time assistant or head coach. Applicants were required to submit a résumé, five references, and a 1,600-word article or 10-minute live instructional video on an offensive, defensive, special teams, or position-specific topic of the applicant’s choosing back in the summer.

Current SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers was selected to attend the AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute last season.