Utah State University Athletics

Rob Neilson is entering his sixth fifth as the head coach at Utah State, having been hired as the 11th head coach of the program in January, 2020. Neilson currently ranks second among active coaches in the Mountain West with 88 career wins (88-51) and is third all-time in wins at Utah State.

In 2024, Neilson guided a roster containing 11 true freshmen to a 15-14 overall record, including 12 wins in the team's final 15 games of the regular season to finish with a 12-6 record in conference play. Four Aggies received all-conference honors from the Mountain West as Kelsey Watson, Adna Mehmedovic and Tierney Barlow were all named to the all-MW team while Kaylie Kofe received honorable mention.

Neilson was named the 2023 Mountain West Coach of the Year and the AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year after leading Utah State to its third-straight Mountain West title as the Aggies became the outright MW regular season champions after finishing league play 17-1, the most conference wins in program history. USU earned its first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, marking its second-straight and sixth-ever appearance at the Tournament.

Neilson helped three Aggies earn all-MW honors in graduate senior outside hitter Shelby Capllonch, senior outside Tatum Stall and junior opposite side hitter Adna Mehmedovic, while freshman libero Kambree Rodriguez was named an honorable mention. Off the court, three Aggies earned CSC Academic All-Disctrict accorlades in Mehmedovic, Beatriz Rodrigues and Leah Wilton-LaBoy.

The Aggie squad was ranked in the top-20 in the RPI multiple times and received votes in the AVCA coaches' poll six times during the campaign, including each of the final four weeks.

During the 2022 season, Neilson led the Aggies to their rst-ever Mountain West Tournament Championship and first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010, and just the program’s fifth-ever appearance. The Aggies finished the campaign with a 22-11 overall record which was the first time USU has recorded at least 22 wins in back-to-back seasons since 1982.

Neilson coached two Aggies to all-conference honors in middle blocker Kennedi Boyd and outside hitter Tatum Stall, while four Aggies were named to the MW all-tournament team, including outside hitter Shelby Capllonch, who was named the MVP. Off the court, Beatriz Rodrigues and Kylee Stokes were named CSC Academic All-District.

Neilson was named the 2021 Mountain West Coach of the Year after leading the Aggies to a share of the regular season conference title. USU finished the year with a 22-9 record, the most wins since 2010. Utah State posted 14 MW wins, the most since 2012, and 12 home victories, the most since 1979.

Neilson coached three Aggies to all-conference honors as Larsen, outside hitter Kristy Frank and Stall were named to the all-MW team. Off the court, Utah State had 10 players earn academic all-MW honors and 10 were named MW Scholar-Athletes.

Neilson took over the USU role at a challenging time, facing issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Playing a condensed season of conference-only matches in the spring of 2021, he led the Aggies to a 5-10 record, more than doubling the team’s win total from the previous year.

In the classroom, Utah State had 11 players earn academic all-MW honors and eight were named MW Scholar-Athletes.

Under Neilson, the Aggies saw improvement in nearly every statistical category over the 2020 season. At the conclusion of the season, middle blocker Corinne Larsen was named an honorable mention all-Mountain West selection.

Neilson came to Utah State with 14 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and international levels. He spent the last three years as the first assistant with the U.S. Men’s National Team. He helped Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2018 World Championships, the team’s first medal finish in 24 years. In 2019, the team took silver at Volleyball Nations League and medaled in its last four major international competitions. In 2017, Neilson developed offensive game plans for the team before switching to the defensive side for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Before joining Team USA, Neilson spent 10 seasons on the men’s volleyball staff at BYU. He was an assistant coach under Shawn Patchell from 2006-10, serving as the team’s recruiting coordinator and overseeing player development. He then spent the 2011 season as interim head coach, guiding the team to a 20-8 record and a No. 2 national ranking.

Neilson returned to an assistant coaching role at BYU in 2012 under Chris McGown, before being named associate head coach prior to the 2014 season. In that position, he continued overseeing recruiting and player development, adding in practice and game planning, scheduling and donor and alumni relations. He guided the Cougars to two conference championships and a second-place finish in the NCAA Tournament in 2013.

Neilson spent the summer of 2011 as an assistant coach for the USA Youth National Team, competing at the Pan-American Cup in Mexicali, Mexico and the Youth World Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He briefly stepped away from coaching in 2015, working with VolleyMetrics until he joined the U.S. Men’s National Team staff.

Neilson played at BYU from 2003-06, where he was the starting setter in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He helped the Cougars to the 2004 NCAA championship, and posted an overall record of 91-31 in his career. Neilson tallied 2,790 assists in his career, which ranks fifth in the BYU record book in the rally scoring era. Additionally, he is eighth in block solos, recording 28 in his career.

Neilson earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience at BYU in 2006, while also completing his MBA there in 2013. He and his wife, Sarah, have five children, Etta, Liam, Charlotte, Whit and Lois.