THE IDEA MILL FOR Washington State’s next head coach began this week with the obvious low-hanging fruit — Alex Grinch, Bryan Harsin and Graham Harrell —and then expanded quickly. But one name from the ever-expanding list that seems to be gaining more and more traction on the grapevine is Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich. And now the Twitterverse suggests he’s in Pullman right now (a development, if true, that would rank right up there given that the annual American Football Coaches Association meeting — where job conversations abound — commences today in Nashville).
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A well-known member of Coug Nation introduced us to the Rolovich idea about an hour after Mike Leach’s Mississippi State news broke and, truth be told, we only had a vague notion who he was.
The more we’ve dug, albeit not super deep, the more we’ve liked. And that seems to be a trend elsewhere, because his name continues to come our way from folks whose judgement we trust.
In fact, he’s risen so quickly in the collective crimson conscience, that one CF.C Luxury Suites member spotted a missive on Twitter from former Hawaii and NFL player Darryl McBride Jr. encouraging Rolovch to go for the money
I support my coach….@NickRolovich go secure that ????????
— Darryl McBride Jr (@DJ2tiMez530) January 10, 2020
Now, that statement can be interpreted in dozens of ways. But we do know from our poking around that Rolovich is an intensely loyal kinda of guy, and if the Cougs came calling he’d be mighty torn about leaving the players he’s recruited and the program he has restored.
Rolovich indeed seems like a guy who ought to be high on WSU’s interview list. For one, he’s by all accounts as straight-arrow and stand-up as they come. Two, he runs a high-flying offense. In 2019, the Warriors ranked high among FBS schools … No. 13 in total offense, No. 4 in passing, No. 12 in third-down conversation rate and No. 24 in scoring.
When he was hired as the head man at Hawaii in 2015 after three years as the offensive coordinator at Nevada, other coaches raved about him:
- Greg McMackin, former Hawaii head coach: “Rolo is the man who will bring pride back to the Warrior ‘Ohana. He has a God-given gift of relating to players and the community. He is a great recruiter and strategist …”
- Mouse Davis, former Portland State head coach and father of the modern-day passing game: “His ability to throw the football and build an offense … he will bring with him a scheme that will allow him to succeed.”
- Clay Helton, USC coach: “The respect that Nick has in our profession is second to none. He is a brilliant offensive-minded person. He has a knack in recruiting and in building relationships with players.”
Rolovich, 40, is 28-27 in four years at the helm of his alma mater with three bowl berths, and just concluded a 10-win campaign that included victories over Arizona and Oregon State.
AS SPECULATION ABOUT Washington State’s next football coach swirls among the crimson faithful, I have to say the most smile-inducing, delicious idea shared with me so far is this: bring Steve Spurrier out of retirement and appoint his son, Steve Spurrier Jr., the coach-in-waiting.
Like Dick Bennett in WSU hoops lore, Spurrier Sr. would, in this scenario, step down after three years coaching the Cougs and Spurrier Jr., like Tony Bennett, would assume the throne.
Spurrier Sr. is one of the all-time great college coaches, having won a national championship, six SEC titles and one ACC crown.
Spurrier Jr. has been coaching receivers for the Cougars the last two seasons and has an impressive resume prior to coming to Pullman.
While Spurrier Sr. still holds passion for the game, coming out of retirement last year to coach the Orlando Apollos of the now-defunct Alliance of American Football, he is 74 (15 years older than Dick Bennett was when he was hired). While he likely would be a huge seller to parents, the kids on the recruiting trail probably don’t know him, or of him, beyond a few Dr. Pepper ads.
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