DAVIS, Calif. – Following two seasons of national success, including back-to-back NCAA Division I National Championship Quarterfinal appearances and 20 wins, UC Davis Athletics and Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca are proud to announce a five-year contract extension for football head coach and UC Davis graduate Tim Plough.
 
The new extension runs from Feb. 1, 2026, through Jan. 31, 2031, and is a testament to the commitment by Plough to continue his stated goal of bringing a national championship to Davis, Calif., while navigating an ever-changing college football landscape.
 
"My family and I are excited to continue our journey here at UC Davis. I love Davis, love this program, and I've been proud of what we've been able to accomplish in the last two seasons," said Plough. "We will continue to push forward to make this place grow into the championship program that we know it's capable of."
 
Over the past two seasons, the Aggie football program has established a national presence on the field, earning first-round byes and hosting three NCAA Division I playoff games during that span. UC Davis has also remained strong in recruiting, signing back-to-back classes that each ranked among the top five in the Football Championship Subdivision.
 
During Plough's tenure, he has been named an Eddie Robinson Award finalist, and under his coaching seven Aggies have earned First Team All-America honors. Rex Connors, David Meyer and Jacob Psyk have all been named Buck Buchanan Award finalists, and on the offensive side of the ball, Lan Larison and Miles Hastings were named Walter Payton Award finalists.
 
Larison was signed to a National Football League contract, while Hastings saw time in the Canadian Football League. Each received the final push they needed to reach their potential through Plough's commitment to helping them finish their careers in Davis.
 
"Tim has done an exceptional job building on the strong foundation of Aggie football and guiding our program into its next phase of growth," said DeLuca. "Our tradition, leadership and alumni support have long positioned us for success, and Tim has embraced that legacy while elevating our national profile and competitive standard. He has strengthened our culture, sharpened our identity and clearly defined what Aggie football represents on and off the field.
 
Coach Plough leads with authenticity, invests deeply in relationships and takes tremendous pride in representing UC Davis. This extension reflects our confidence in his vision and our belief that he is the right leader to help us take the next steps toward sustained championship-level success. Tim cares deeply about this university, our student-athletes and the Aggie community, and we are excited to continue building that momentum together."
 
In today's evolving college football landscape, opportunities at the Football Bowl Subdivision level continue to grow. With this extension, DeLuca, the athletic department and Plough have reaffirmed their shared commitment to the long-term success of Aggie football on the national stage.
 
"I've learned and grown a lot in the past two seasons, I know I have not been perfect and made mistakes, but I'm very thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow and become a better coach, mentor and leader for UC Davis Athletics," Plough added. "We have big goals here and we still need a lot of help to get there. I'm hoping that my commitment to the program will get others to do the same. We are growing, building, working to be something unique in this new world of college athletics. I really believe in the next couple of years if we continue to do that together, there's nothing that we can't accomplish."
 
A key part of Plough's impact at UC Davis has been his focus on developing student-athletes for success on the field while attracting transfers who want to finish their careers and pursue another degree. Since arriving in Davis, he has brought in 12 graduate transfers who have made immediate contributions. The program has also maintained one of the highest retention rates in the FCS, reinforcing that once student-athletes come to Davis, they want to stay.
 
Players such as Cal Poly transfer David Meyer, who set a program record for tackles in a single season, and Harvard transfer Jacob Psyk, who had an All-American 2025 season, showcase the impact Davis has had on the football landscape and what Plough is building.
 
"I think the fact that Tim is willing to sign an extension reinforces everything he said when he took the job," said Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Famer Bob Biggs. "He has a genuine connection to UC Davis, this program and the community, and you can see that in the way he leads and the pride he takes in representing this place. With the university and athletics making this commitment, it speaks volumes about where the program is headed."
 
"Tim is a man of his word, and his experience here as a student-athlete helped shape the passion he brings to this role every day," Biggs continued. "His energy, transparency and commitment to the student-athletes have built strong trust across the program, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for Aggie Football under his leadership."
 
UC Davis and its newly extended head coach will begin the 2026 season with a Big Sky showdown at Portland State on Aug. 29 and over the next three months, the Aggies will battle for a Big Sky Championship. During the season, Plough and his team will host Montana, Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado, Utah Tech and Cal Poly along with visiting Southern Utah, Weber State and Idaho.
 
The Aggies have contended for the conference title in both seasons since Plough returned to Davis, and with the foundation built over that time and the shared commitment from Plough and the athletic department, that goal remains within reach.
 
"In the transient world of college athletics right now, it's hard to find loyalty and consistency," Plough said. "I was taught by my coach Bob Biggs to live life with humility and integrity. Therefore, I will continue to make my career decisions off of two key factors: (1) who are the people that I'm working with every single day and are they good people that I want to be around and (2) is this a place where I can grow, learn, and become a better coach-teacher-mentor going forward.
 
"Davis provides both of those things for my family and me because we continue to be surrounded by great people in our administration like Rocko, Chancellor May and Josh Flushman; a great coaching staff that buys into our beliefs and values led by Jeff Bourque; and a supportive Davis community that continues to look out for us and make us feel like part of their family."
 
"As much as I want to bring a championship to UC Davis, I equally want to be a good father and husband. Davis allows me the chance to do that."
 
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27.