Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Washington State Football: 5 storylines to follow during 2018 spring ball

By Justin Dottavio

AUBURN, AL - AUGUST 31: Head coach Mike Leach of the Washington State Cougars talks to the referees after a penalty call during the second half of play on August 31, 2013 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. Auburn defeated Washington State 31-24. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - AUGUST 31: Head coach Mike Leach of the Washington State Cougars talks to the referees after a penalty call during the second half of play on August 31, 2013 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. Auburn defeated Washington State 31-24. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next

5. Will Mike Leach’s overtures hurt his program?

For all intents and purposes, Mike Leach was hired to be the head football coach of the Tennessee Volunteers back in December. This hiring caused the suspension of athletic director John Currie and Leach stayed in Pullman.

Soon thereafter, Leach received a five year contract extension worth $20 million per USA Today. Washington State also increased his assistant pool, added a retention bonus, and agrees publicly they need an indoor practice facility. With all of that said, did another round of public overtures for a new job hurt the Cougs’ football program?

Washington State’s recruiting class survived the departures of Jim Mastro and Alex Grinch, and Leach’s flirting, and finished 45th in the country. That’s only a slide of one spot after finishing 44th in 2017. The Cougs are building stability and traction with Leach if he’ll just stay put. Leach is the first head football coach in WSU history to play in three consecutive bowl games, and the first to have three consecutive winning seasons since the 1950s.

Even after signing this extension there was no word of a buyout for other programs, just a bonus if Leach decides to stay. If he can keep his name out of the job hunt for another season and produce another bowl season the Cougs can really get something going if they can break ground on an practice facility soon.

Home/Washington State Cougars