Former Leach, NFL QB Graham Harrell is new WSU receivers coach

As a player at Texas Tech, Graham Harrell threw an NCAA-record 134 touchdown passes in Mike Leach’s offense.

In his first college coaching job he will train the players on the other end of such scores. Harrell, hired last spring as an offensive analyst, will take over as Washington State’s new outside receivers coach, a position that was recently vacated when Dennis Simmons left for Oklahoma.

The 29-year-old Harrell played three seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers before coming to WSU to help with offensive planning and film breakdown. During his days as a Red Raider (2004-08), Harrell passed for 15,793 yards, the second-most in NCAA history.

When the 2015 season begins next fall the Cougars will have a very different coaching staff, one that is decidedly younger. In addition to Harrell the Cougars also have new assistant coaches in defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, outside linebackers coach Roy Manning and special teams coordinator Eric Mele.

Like Harrell, Mele held a non-coaching role with the team before he was promoted following the midseason dismissal of Eric Russell last year.

Both Harrell’s father and grandfather were high school football coaches in Texas.

Doug Samuels first reported the news of Harrell’s promotion.