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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Wulff fills six spots, has 3 left

PULLMAN – New Washington State University football coach Paul Wulff officially announced the first six members of his coaching staff Wednesday, though their roles have yet to be determined.

“This group of assistant coaches is very hard working, has great passion, very competitive, and one that I have a high level of comfort with,” Wulff said in a press release. “Having worked with them previously the communication element is already in place, they understand my vision.”

Five of the six are former Eastern Washington assistants, with WSU running backs coach Steve Broussard the only holdover so far from former coach Bill Doba’s staff.

Eastern offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy, who joined Wulff’s EWU staff this season, and defensive coordinator Jody Sears will join Wulff in Pullman, along with three other former Eagles assistants: tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Rich Rasmussen, defensive line coach Malik Roberson and linebackers coach Travis Niekamp.

Besides Broussard, who was a teammate of Wulff’s at WSU, the fate of the rest of the former staff was not mentioned in the announcement, including that of offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller or quarterbacks coach Timm Rosenbach, both of whom have reportedly been considered for the new staff.

Rosenbach, who also played at WSU with Wulff, is expected to be a leading candidate for the Eastern position.

Offensive line coach George Yarno, defensive line coaches Mike Walker and Marty Long and defensive back coaches Leon Burtnett and Dave Walkosky were all told Wednesday there were no spots for them, according to sources in the athletic department. Tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Greg Peterson was not mentioned.

Long and Walkosky, along with Broussard, joined the Cougars prior to the 2007 season.

Sears is a WSU alum and former teammate of Wulff. Roberson also played at WSU, lettering in 1990 before transferring to Central Washington University.

Sturdy brought a no-huddle offense to Eastern this season and the Eagles averaged 462.3 yards and 33.6 points per game. They posted a 9-4 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs before losing to two-time defending national champion Appalachian State.

Sears, a Pullman High graduate who walked on at WSU, was Wulff’s defensive coordinator at Eastern for five years. Before coming to Eastern he was a defensive assistant at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., for three years.

Sears and Rosenbach also were assistants under Sturdy at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, an NAIA school. Sturdy, who will also fill the role of quarterback coach for WSU, won 85 games in his 12 seasons as the Fighting Bees’ head coach.

Wednesday’s announcement leaves three spots open on the Cougar staff.

“We … will take our time to ensure we have the best people in place to move the program forward,” Wulff said.