Alex Grinch up for Assistant Coach of the Year
First-year Washington State defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is one of 34 nominees for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant in college football.
Under Grinch, the WSU defense is giving up 27.4 points per game, an improvement of 11.2 points over last year. The defense has also snagged 20 turnovers in 11 games, after accumulating just eight takeaways in 12 games last season. Grinch came to WSU from Missouri after a lengthy coaching search to replace Mike Breske, who was fired at the end of the 2014 season. Although Grinch had no previous coordinator experience, head coach Mike Leach has said he liked the secondary's coach's clear message and ability to communicate with and energize his players.
