After an offseason that saw significant poaching of his Washington State coaching staff, Mike Leach‘s assistant roll is again whole.
Monday night, Wazzu announced the hirings of three new assistant coaches -- Matt Brock, Mason Miller and, as previously reported, Steve Spurrier Jr. Brock will be in charge of special teams, Miller the offensive line and the son of the Ol’ Ball Coach outside wide receivers.
Miller comes to Pullman after one season at Nevada, while Brock spent the past two seasons at Bowling Green. Prior to his one season at Western Kentucky in 2017, and one season as an off-field staffer at Oklahoma before that, Spurrier Jr. had been an assistant on his father’s South Carolina staff for 11 seasons. During his time with the Gamecocks, he served at various points as wide receivers coach (2005-15), passing-game coordinator (2009-11) and co-offensive coordinator (2012-15).
“We are excited to have our coaching staff finalized and in Pullman,” said Leach in a statement. “The amount of interest in our program was overwhelming, validating that we continue to be heading in a positive direction. With the most recent hires we were able to secure some great football coaches who are hard-working, great recruiters and share a similar vision for success.”
In addition to the trio of hires, Leach’s 2018 coaching staff will consist of Tracy Claeys (defensive coordinator), Kendrick Shavers (safeties), Darcel McBath (cornerbacks), Eric Mele (running backs), Dave Nichol (inside receivers), Jeff Phelps (defensive line), Ken Wilson (linebackers). Mele had been special teams coordinator the past three seasons for the Cougars before shifting roles this year.