Manning to coach WSU outside LBs

PULLMAN – Washington State hired its second and possibly final coach this offseason on Saturday, tabbing Roy Manning to coach the outside linebackers.

“Roy is an outstanding technical coach, a passionate recruiter and a great person who loves football,” said head coach Mike Leach in a press release. “He will be great for our players and our program.”

Manning comes to WSU from the University of Michigan where he spent last year as cornerbacks coach after coaching the outside linebackers in 2013. Manning was a four-year letterman for the Wolverines from 2001-04 then spent three seasons playing in the NFL before returning to UM as a graduate assistant.

He also coached running backs at the University of Cincinnati for one season in 2012, when the Bearcats led the Big East with 201.5 rushing yards per game.

The UM school website conducted an interview with Manning shortly after he was hired in 2013.

“In coaching, you have to know it all, and that’s the one thing I’ve learned,” Manning said in the video. “As a player, you focus on your position and what you have to do … but in coaching, you’ve got to understand all of it, and sometimes your career will take you different places and you’ll be in different roles.”

He continued, “I think the important thing is to just embrace it, because it’ll only make you better at the end of the day.”

Manning’s hire comes just three days after WSU announced the hiring of defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. During an interview on Friday, Grinch indicated that he would coach the secondary if the Cougars did not hire a defensive backs coach.

The two vacancies on the staff were due to the dismissals of defensive coordinator Mike Breske and outside linebackers coach Paul Volero shortly after WSU’s season-ending Apple Cup loss.

The Cougars finished with a 3-9 record despite having the country’s seventh-ranked offense and ranked No. 123 out of 125 teams in turnover margin.

Leach also dismissed special teams coach Eric Russell midseason.

While his replacement, Eric Mele, was dubbed the “interim special teams coordinator” he is still a member of the coaching staff and could remain in the position.