Jake Rosch is in his fourth season as Illinois’ Director of Football Equipment Operations in 2025.

Rosch is responsible for all of Illinois’ equipment needs, including fitting, ordering, maintaining, laundering, and inventory. Rosch is one of the athletic department’s key Nike liaisons. His duties also extend to game-day logistics for home and away games, highlighted by postseason competition. Rosch is also responsible for maintaining the football equipment budget. 

Rosch was instrumental in Illinois' Memorial Stadium 100th Anniversary helmets and uniforms, which were lauded across the nation. The Illini, behind the direction of Rosch, wore four different helmets celebrating eras of Fighting Illini football throughout the home schedule in 2024. The plans were highlighted by Illinois' victory in the Memorial Stadium Rededication Game against Michigan, when the Illini wore hand-painted throwback helmets that looked like 1920s-era leather helmets to honor Red Grange's historic performance against Michigan in the Memorial Stadium Dedication Game. Illinois earned UniSwag's Throwback Uniform of the Year award. 

Rosch came to Illinois from Arkansas, where he was the Director of Football Equipment Operations from 2014-20. During his time at Arkansas, Rosch worked with five bowl teams.

During the 2014 season, Rosch helped reintroduce Arkansas’ 1964 uniforms to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Arkansas’ National Championship. In 2017, Rosch helped create an Arkansas Razorback-Dallas Cowboys crossover uniform to honor Arkansas letterwinner and alum Jerry Jones’ induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Prior to Arkansas, Rosch spent three years at Iowa State as the Assistant Director of Equipment and two years at California as the Head of Football Equipment operations, where he helped the athletic department and Nike successfully partner to produce a complete rebrand. He began his career in the equipment industry as a student manager at Iowa State. He is a certified member of the Athletic Equipment Managers Association (since 2009) and is an active member of the AEMA Certification Steering Committee.

A native of Hartland, Wisconsin, Rosch graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in criminology. He and his wife, Megan, met as undergraduate student managers at Iowa State and have two children.