Commentary: Kirby Moore checks all the right boxes for Washington State football

Kirby Moore has won here before.

Fewer than 200 miles west of Pullman, he became the most prolific prep receiver this state had ever seen. He broke a national record with 95 career touchdown catches in four unprecedented seasons (2005-08) at Prosser High School, helping the Mustangs to a state title in 2007. His 29 receiving touchdowns that season set a state record … that he broke with 34 more the following fall.

Moore’s name carries weight in the state of Washington. His dad, Tom Moore, won 21 league titles and four state championships in 24 seasons as Prosser’s head coach. His brother, Kellen Moore, set state records for career completions and passing touchdowns at Prosser, before becoming an All-American quarterback at Boise State (and the current head coach of the New Orleans Saints).

This state, and this sport, are both in his blood.

None of which means he’ll succeed as the next head coach at Washington State.

But the Cougs needed someone who understands the state and can inject pride and passion into a program rocked by realignment. They needed someone who wants to be here, to build here, even if WSU is a rung on a larger ladder. They needed someone who can recruit at a place like Prosser High – who sees this place as a prize, not an island college football forgot.

They needed someone to believe in, a stabilizer. A Coug in more places than a polo and a paycheck.

Kirby Moore, whose hire was made official Friday, embodies those boxes.

He always has.

Don’t believe me? Consider this from Dallas Cowboys wide receivers coach Junior Adams, who held the same position at Prosser High in 2007:

“If you would have asked me when Kirby was younger, that junior year, if I thought Kirby was going to be a hell of a coach one day, I would have told you yes,” Adams told me in 2020, while serving as Washington’s wide receivers coach. “He was just a student of the game, you know? It’s awesome to sit back and see him in the position that he’s in.

“He’s a good person, and you win with people. Kirby’s going to have a heck of a career in this profession. It’s what he was built to do – him and Kellen. Kellen’s special too. All of us talk quite a bit. I look at him as a little brother. It’s awesome to see where those guys are at, and it’s going to be even better to see where they are in five to 10 years.”

That was five years ago.

Five years ago, Kirby Moore was the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Fresno State, after previous stints at the College of Idaho and Washington. He became the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator in 2022 and held the same role at Missouri for the last three seasons. Moore’s Tigers went 8-4 and finished eighth in the nation in rushing offense (234.1 yards per game) in 2025.

Five years later, he’s coming home a Coug.

Coach Moore is the real deal, and exactly who we needed to propel us to the top of the new Pac-12. Our student-athletes have lucked out,” WSU president Elizabeth Cantwell said in a statement.

Considering all the damning dominoes of the last five years – a pandemic, three coaching changes and the mass abandonment of a storied conference – WSU’s athletes have earned a little luck.

Meanwhile, Moore’s introductory news conference is set for Tuesday.

My advice: Don’t make promises you’re not prepared to keep.

Jimmy Rogers – Moore’s predecessor – likely learned that lesson, saying in his own introductory news conference less than a year before he bolted for Iowa State: “I’m about as loyal as it gets. I know that word has been thrown around here, and people don’t want to hear it.”

He was wrong. They’d love to hear it. But only if it’s true.

Moore doesn’t need to promise the moon Tuesday. He doesn’t need to promise a national title or annual playoff appearances in the new Pac-12. He doesn’t need to promise top-25 recruiting classes or Apple Cup wins over Washington. Heck, he doesn’t even need to promise an extended stay.

Ultimately, words only matter so much. Moore must prove he can win with a fraction of the resources he had at Mizzou. He must prove he can hire the right coaches and recruit winning players to Pullman. (Retaining them, in the current climate, might be too much to ask.) He must prove he can embolden boosters and fans to provide indispensable financial support. From high schools and junior colleges and FCS stepping stones, he must prove he can develop diamonds.

Most importantly, he must prove he can adapt to a constantly evolving climate that threatens to crush the Cougs.

Or, as Moore told the Seattle Times in 2020: “There’s two trees in the forest: There’s ones that are dying, and ones that are growing. There’s always new buzz words, new drills. I think we’ve always got to be looking for those things (ways to grow).”

Outsiders might say that WSU football is dying.

Kirby Moore must prove the opposite is true.

To borrow from Adams: It’s what he was built to do.