It seems like just yesterday that we openly wondered just who might want to walk the Mike Leach plank during this year’s edition of the coaching carousel. Now it appears that Leach could be ready to raise the flag, perhaps a Washington State flag (and it’s not even on the set of ESPN College GameDay – oh the irony).
According to a tweet by The Spokesman-Review Washington State reporter Vince Grippi, and a brief follow-up post on his newspaper’s website, Washington State has made an offer to the former Texas Tech head coach.
Gribbi says that the deal is not done yet and Leach has not formally accepted the offer, but sources are informing him that Leach will accept the job to get out of the broadcast booth and back on the sideline. However, our friend Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports has confirmed that Leach has verbally agreed to accept the contract offer. As if you needed another reason to trust the reporting of Feldman, the man wrote a book with Leach (but we won’t get in to all that now).
Let’s keep this in perspective for now. This looks as though this could be a good fit for both sides. It was only a matter of time before Leach got back in the coaching game and Washington State is desperate for something to become relevant. Nine wins in four seasons has the Cougars reeling in a big way and in a conference that is stacked with the likes of Oregon, Stanford and USC it is clear that competing regularly is tough for Washington State. The funding and facilities for Washington State is far behind the elite in the Pac 12, but they don’t need to be elite. They just need to be better than the doormat.
Bringing in Leach should do that rather quickly. Leach has a way of finding a way to be successful with a desolate program if his time at Texas Tech is any proof. Maybe it really is too small of a sample size to go off of, but when did anyone ever talk about Texas Tech before Leach arrived in Lubbock, and just how much do people think about them now that he is gone, in all honesty? Leach brings a spotlight, and while he may not be the best option for a number of programs, a school like Washington State should benefit from having him around in a short period of time.
Now, take a look at the potential coaching lineup in the Pac 12.
Chip Kelly. Lane Kiffin. Rich Rodriguez. Mike Leach.
Get ready for one of the best Pac 12 media days ever, and some explosive late night match-ups on the west coast.
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