A Grip on Sports: Washington State hires its new football coach and receives well-deserved praise
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Public relations specialists usually reserve Fridays for announcing news they want to disappear quickly. But sometimes even good news can’t wait. Such was the case yesterday in Pullman, when Washington State let everyone know, officially, Kirby Moore was the school’s new football coach.
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• Is this a good hire for the Cougars? The consensus is yes. And I won’t argue. Though I will throw in one caveat, which is actually a plea for patience. But that can wait.
What is front and center is Moore checks off a lot of boxes the Cougars need to fill these days.
He’s a young (35), enthusiastic, hungry first-time head coach who grew up in a coaching family. All of that adds up to someone who knows what’s needed and has the energy and motivation to throw himself into the work. And make no mistake, the next year or two will demand everything he has to offer, as the Cougars move into the newest era of their existence. The Pac-12 2.0 Era.
He also understands the unique place Washington State holds in this state. It’s not the flagship university. It’s not the big-city university. It’s not the richest university. But it is the blue-collar, dig-in-and-get-it-done school who has never cared about the odds and has, off-and-on, found ways to win despite challenges.
The Tom Tuttle of the West Coast is you will.
How does Moore know this? He grew up on this side of the Cascade Curtain, in Prosser where his dad Tom was a Hall of Fame football coach who won four State titles. Kirby and his older brother Kellen played a huge role in that, both All-State, MVPs and record-setters as the Mustangs rolled through the playoffs in the early 2000s.
That neither decided to attend Washington State was the basis of many bar-room arguments back then. The Cougars were near the end Bill Doba’s tenure, the future was cloudy and it seemed to outsiders they were not as sold on Kellen as other schools, most notably Boise State. The Broncos won the recruiting battle. And not too far down the road, got a two-for-one deal down with Kirby.
I don’t expect Kirby will make the same type of mistakes. That he’s never been a college head coach before, he’ll make his own. And that’s OK. Everyone, even the sainted Nick Saban, had to learn. As I said, Cougar fans may need to show some patience. But I’ll get to that in a moment.
Numbers matter in deciding these things and Kirby Moore’s stack up with anyone’s. The offenses at Fresno State, where he worked under Kalen DeBoer and Jeff Tedford, were excellent. In 2022, Moore’s only Fresno season as coordinator, the Bulldogs were 27th in the nation in passing offense, averaging 270.6 yards a game. They also finished 49th in total offense, with 402.8 yards per game. Most importantly, the Tigers were 10-4 and ranked 24th in the nation.
At Missouri, which hired Moore away the next season, the Tigers were even better, finishing 28th nationally in total offense (after being 88th the year before). After a down year in 2024, they bounced back this season, finishing 27th in that statistic.
And now Moore has his own team to run.
He knows the drill. He grew up watching his father run a high school program. He watched Chris Petersen at Boise State and Washington. He learned from DeBoer and Tedford. He has seen Eliah Drinkwitz deal with running a mid-tier program, financially at least, in the best conference in the nation. He’s recruited, coached and developed all levels of players.
The assistant coaching resume is solid.
And that’s the one caveat these days. The transfer portal has altered the coaching-hire equation a little. Washington State was poached late last season. Lost many of its best players to the portal. The Cougars needed an infusion of talent. Hiring a sitting coach, Jimmy Rogers from FCS power South Dakota State, supplied that. More than a dozen key players followed him.
Moore won’t have that pipeline available. At least not to the extent Rogers did.
He will have to be proactive with the roster in place. Try to entice as many key players to stay as he can. Find a quarterback that fits his system, either already in Pullman or from another school. All the while rebuilding a coaching staff of his liking. It won’t be easy. Next year, the first of the new Pac-12, could be challenging. Five of the other seven football schools had solid seasons this year and those who didn’t changed coaches.
Oh, and let us not forget one other aspect of the job that takes up more time these days. Helping the department raise enough money to pay players.
WSU president Elizabeth Cantwell was on social media Friday touting the hire and reminding the school’s football supporters of the $5 million fundraising goal. A modest goal in the grand scheme of college football these days. But a large one of the Cougars. And an interesting “welcome to Washington State” moment for the new head football coach.
It is understandable. Such things, in Pullman at least, can’t wait.
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WSU: Of course Greg Woods, who was as far as I can tell the first to report Moore was in Pullman to interview this week, has a story on the hire. He also has another on the buyout cost of hiring a sitting assistant. In Moore’s case, it is nothing. … Dave Boling weighed in on the hire yesterday in this column. … … There are also stories, and a Seattle Times column, on the hire from outside the area. … With the change in leadership, Greg’s transfer portal tracker might be heating up soon. … I wrote a bit earlier this week on Moore’s history. … The women’s basketball team hosted Texas Tech last night, lost and fell to 1-10 on the season. … The Cougars also hired a soccer coach yesterday, which got lost in the news cycle a bit. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, the bowl season begins today with a former Pac-12 member – Washington – facing off against a future one – Boise State – in a soon-to-be-gone game – the LA Bowl. There are many storylines to tonight’s game, not the least of which is the Broncos will be playing without their star left tackle. … Bowl games aren’t what they used to be. … Jon Wilner answers Pac-12 bowl questions as part of his usual Mercury News Friday mailbag. … He also passes along the weekly recruiting roundup. … John Canzano used the third anniversary of Mike Leach’s death yesterday to remember the former Washington State coach. … Oregon State is not done filling out its staff. … Oregon received some good news this week. … Kyle Whittingham is leaving Utah. Not retiring necessarily, but ending his long and successful tenure with the Utes. He’ll coach their bowl game. It’s been an eventful week in Salt Lake City. … The Big 12 is looking for outside investment. … Could Kenny Dillingham be leaving Arizona State for Michigan? Rumors abound in Phoenix. … Fresno State’s high point as a program might have actually happened in a loss 20 years ago. … San Diego State might be raising student fees to help with the move to the Pac-12. … A Utah player won the award for best lineman and a USC player won the award for best receiver. Seems there is some talent on this side of the nation after all.
• In basketball news, the Arizona men and Alabama have some shared history. … Colorado State is favored in tonight’s home game. … So is Utah State. … And Colorado. … The 16th-ranked USC women are hosting No. 1 UConn in a rematch of their game in Spokane in the spring. … Colorado has received a spark off the bench. … Oregon State relies on a guard with a interesting family history.
Gonzaga: The eighth-ranked Zags are back at it late tonight (8:30, ESPN). Back at the neutral-site games – Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena – against ranked foes – No. 25 UCLA. Theo Lawson has a preview and the key matchup, focusing on the starting point guards.
Preps: There was GSL basketball action Friday night, of the non-league variety even though some games pitted two league schools. I can pass along this roundup. … Former Gonzaga Prep (and UW) tight end Devin Culp scored his first NFL touchdown last night in Tampa Bay’s 29-28 loss to Atlanta.
EWU: The Eagle men couldn’t handle Cal Baptist’s guards Friday night on Rees Court and fell 88-83. Dan Thompson was there and has this game story. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the FCS playoffs continue for three conference schools. Second-seeded Montana State got it started Friday night with a 44-28 win over No. 7 Stephen F. Austin. … No. 3 seed Montana faces South Dakota in Missoula.
Chiefs: Dave Nichols was at the Arena last night for Spokane’s third-period offensive explosion in an 8-3 win. The period began tied at two. Then the Chiefs scored six unanswered goals to top Portland.
Seahawks: I linked this story yesterday when it ran in the Times. We ask the same question today as it run on the S-R site. Is facing a 44-year-old quarterback just out of retirement a gift or a curse for Seattle against the Colts? … I also linked this story on an out-of-nowhere defensive back who is having an impact. … One Hawk linebacker has a super power.
Mariners: It looks as if the M’s have decided on who they want to sign as their backup catcher. Andrew Knizner was let go by the Giants recently.
Sounders: Stefan Frei is coming back to Seattle. The franchise’s longtime keeper, 40, is set to sign a two-year deal with the club.
Kraken: Seattle jumped ahead but couldn’t sustain the edge, falling 5-3 at the Utah Mammoths.
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• I’m not sure how long Moore will be the Cougars’ head coach. But I am pretty sure he will be successful at it. Successful enough that some deeper-pocketed school will come calling. Maybe not in a year but it’s bound to happen if he wins in Pullman. His hiring this week, however, shows the school now understands that reality and is ready to deal with it at any time. That’s progress. Until later …