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The new Pac-12 commissioner, George Kliavkoff, has established a new committee designed to help student-athletes navigate their endorsement options. Cougar great Jack Thompson has been named as a member of this group. Here's the complete story from Barry Bolton:
https://247sports.com/college/washington-state/Article/WSUs-Jack-Thompson-officially-named-to-new-Pac-12-Football-Alumni-Council-178851969/ -
After posting the possibility of Daiyan Henley transferring from Nevada to WSU yesterday afternoon, it became reality about an hour later with the signing of a LOI. On paper, this looks like a great move for everyone. Coach Jake Dickert is looking to replace both linebackers, Jahad Woods and Justus Rogers, in his 4-2-5 defensive scheme. Henley has proven to be an effective tackler over the past few seasons for the Wolfpack. Also, Henley is hoping to complete his undergrad degree this coming year. Why not WSU? My takeaway from this situation is quite simple. In a head-to-head recruiting battle with the UW for a player, Dickert won this one. Sure, it's not an Apple Cup, but it's a nice win anyway. For more details, here's Colton Clark's take on Henley:
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/dec/20/nevada-transfer-linebacker-daiyan-henley-signs-wit/ -
Coach Dickert continues to work on completing his coaching staff. It is reported that two more assistants have agreed to move to Pullman. Joel Filani is returning to Pullman to coach wide receivers. Filani was a part of Mike Leach's staff and played for him at Texas Tech. This is a lateral move as he filled the same role for the past three seasons at Texas Tech. Mark Atuaia will join the Wazzu staff as running backs coach. This one is a head-scratcher because Atuaia has been a part of Bronco Mendenhall's staff for the past nine-years, three at BYU and the last six at Virginia. Typically an established assistant with his credentials makes a move to advance his career. That said, don't be surprised if he's given more responsibility that just the running back room.
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There seems to be a number of answers to the question about who will be playing in the Sun Bowl and who will sit out the game. Here's a nice summary by Miami writer David Lake:
https://247sports.com/college/miami/Article/Miami-Hurricanes-vs-Washington-State-Sun-Bowl-Opt-outs-and-transfers-have-hit-Washington-States-O-line-hard-going-into-the-Sun-Bowl-178873695/
Go Cougs!!!
- It seems fitting to put together a list of coaches who branch off of the Mike Leach coaching tree. Perspective on his football genius can easily be determined by a cursory glance:
Dave Aranda/Baylor head coach – Graduate assistant coach under Leach from 2000-02 at Texas Tech
Neal Brown/West Virginia head coach – Played under Leach in 1998 when Leach was offensive coordinator at Kentucky
Sonny Cumbie/Louisiana Tech head coach – Played under Leach at Texas Tech from 2000-03 and later served as a graduate assistant coach under Leach
Sonny Dykes/TCU head coach – Coached wide receivers and later was the co-offensive coordinator at Texas Tech under Leach from 2000-06
Josh Heupel/Tennessee head coach – Played under Leach at Oklahoma in 1999 when Leach was the offensive coordinator for the Sooners
Dana Holgorsen/Houston head coach – Coached alongside Leach as assistants at Valdosta State from 1993-95, then served as a wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator under Leach from ...
- The news of former WSU Coach Mike Leach passing at the young age of 61 is very, very sad. I had the pleasure of writing about the Cougs when Leach was at the helm. To say that he was a unique person doesn't begin to describe the multi-faceted dimension of the man.
In terms of coaching football, Leach led his teams in a way that had most other coaches scratching their heads. His offensive creativity gave a multitude of defensive coordinators ulcers. To say that his techniques for molding student-athletes into football players were unusual would be accurate. Making guys run sprints in a sand pit named "Leach Beach" is a prime example. Crazy as that sounds, his players had fewer ankle injuries over the course of the season than any team in football. Only Mike Leach could get players to hit the beach. And if you look at the coaching tree that branches out from Leach, you'd find a myriad of men who owe him for their start in the profession.
When you examine the way Leach represented the schools ...
- Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, so Wazzu's loss yesterday to UNLV by a score of 74-70 was just that, a loss. However, there were plenty of reasons to applaud both the performance and the progress the Cougs are making over the past few games. Let's get the bad observation out of the way. WSU turned the ball over a ridiculous 22 times. No one is going to beat many teams with such wreckless play, especially against a team that posted a 9-0 record going into the contest. Some of those errors might be attributed to Coach Kyle Smith going with a different lineup almost every game because of player injuries. Facts are facts and when there isn't a steady lineup, players struggle to play team ball. On the bright side, Wazzu shot a respectable 54.2% from the field, coupled with a very nice 56.5% from behind the arc. On defense, WSU held UNLV to just 30.4% from behind the arc and 50.9% overall. The Cougs outrebounded the Rebels by a margin of 33-20. Despite being down by ...
