The Washington State Cougars felt as if they had their head coach locked in with their longtime man, Mike Leach, receiving a contract extension in December. And then they didn't, as Leach quickly decided to move on to the SEC when he took the Mississippi State head coaching job. That immediately sent the Cougars on a coaching hunt, and they landed in the beautiful island of Hawaii for their head man, taking Hawai'i head coach Nick Rolovich for that same role. Hawai'i athletic director David Matlin posted the news himself on Monday.
Rolovich is expected to sign a five-year contract with his new team, which will pay him approximately $3 million per season. The now former Hawai'i head coach went 28-27 in four seasons with them, including a 10-win season in 2019, which concluded with a 38-34 win over the BYU Cougars in the Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve.
The 40-year-old replaces Leach, who went 55-47 over eight seasons with Washington State, and led them to a school record five consecutive bowl games over the past five seasons. Although, they did drop off in a major way this past season, going from an 11-win season and a No. 10 ranking to a 6-7 record and a 31-21 loss to Air Force in the Cheez-It Bowl. Rolovich brings over an offensive mindset, as he spent four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Nevada, and that showed with Hawai'i, who averaged 471 yards of offense per game. That fits for Washington State in a Pac-12 Conference that is full of high-scoring teams.
Rolovich is expected to sign a five-year contract with his new team, which will pay him approximately $3 million per season. The now former Hawai'i head coach went 28-27 in four seasons with them, including a 10-win season in 2019, which concluded with a 38-34 win over the BYU Cougars in the Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve.
The 40-year-old replaces Leach, who went 55-47 over eight seasons with Washington State, and led them to a school record five consecutive bowl games over the past five seasons. Although, they did drop off in a major way this past season, going from an 11-win season and a No. 10 ranking to a 6-7 record and a 31-21 loss to Air Force in the Cheez-It Bowl. Rolovich brings over an offensive mindset, as he spent four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Nevada, and that showed with Hawai'i, who averaged 471 yards of offense per game. That fits for Washington State in a Pac-12 Conference that is full of high-scoring teams.
