Jake Dickert has officially been named the head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, leaving the Washington State Cougars without a head coach.
It’s an intriguing, difficult job that many coaches won’t be willing to take on. But for the right candidate, the infrastructure is there to succeed. Here are five candidates to replace Dickert at Washington State.
Replacement Candidates for Jake Dickert at Washington State
Washington State has had a rough stretch of days after losing offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to the Oklahoma Sooners, quarterback John Mateer to the transfer portal, and Dickert to the Demon Deacons.
They’re currently without a real conference after being the biggest losers of the last round of conference realignment, and despite a 8-4 record last season, things look bleak for the Cougars.
It sounds silly, but I think one of the most important traits in a potential candidate is the desire to be in Pullman. The Cougars have been attacked in both the transfer portal and coaching carousel in recent seasons and need a coach who can weather the storm and, if successful, turn down other opportunities. Dickert left to move across the country for Wake Forest, one of the most difficult jobs in college athletics.
Dickert left to move across the country for Wake Forest, one of the most difficult jobs in college athletics.
There’s passion in Pullman, and the Name, Image, and Likeness infrastructure isn’t as bad as some believe. However, the Cougars are currently homeless from a conference perspective, and the next coach will need to navigate the stormy seas of a rebuilding Pac-12.
Ideally, the next candidate understands football in the Pacific Northwest and has head coaching experience, but I’m not sure there’s a huge pool of candidates knocking down the door to coach at Washington State. Here are five potential candidates.
Bobby Hauck (Montana Head Coach)
Montana Grizzlies head coach Bobby Hauck is an FCS coaching legend with experience at the FBS level. He led the Grizzlies to an FCS Championship appearance last season and has navigated the difficult transition for high-level FCS programs in the transfer portal era with impressive nuance.
Hauck is comfortable at Montana, but if given the opportunity to move to Washington State, he’d have a good chance to be successful. He’s used to recruiting nationally and his teams are always strong in the tranches.
Brent Vigen (Montana State Head Coach)
Montana State Bobcats head coach Brent Vigen has not only survived the changes to college football, he’s thrived. The two-time Big Sky champion is 46-9 and favored by eight points in his FCS Semifinal matchup on Saturday.
Vigen will get plenty of looks for an FBS head coaching job if he wants to leave Montana State. However, I’m not sure he will make the move, as he’s stayed at his previous jobs for at least seven years.
Dirk Koetter (Boise State Offensive Coordinator)
Would coaching legend Dirk Koetter be open to his first college head coaching job in a decade? The Boise State Broncos offensive coordinator had winning seasons in seven of his nine years as the head man at Boise State and the Arizona State Sun Devils.
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He’s currently leading one of the best offenses in college football and he’s in the middle of a College Football Playoff run. Would he be willing to leave that for a rebuild in Pullman?
Matt Brock (UConn Defensive Coordinator)
An under-the-radar option, Matt Brock is one of the brightest young defensive minds in football and made some of Mike Leach’s defenses look competent. He’s currently running the UConn Huskies defense, a unit that finished in the top 50 of most statistical categories.
Just 36, Brock was the special teams coordinator at Washington State for two seasons before following Leach to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He’s a risky hire with little experience, but this cycle has no safe hire.
Chris Peterson (Washington Special Advisor)
What would it take to convince one of the best coaches in the history of college football to come out of early retirement, especially from an off-field role at Washington State’s rival? Probably a lot, but I think Washington State should shoot its shot.
Peterson had a 147-38 record with Boise State and the Washington Huskies. He’s one of the best coaches in the history of the sport. Still, he retired before the transfer portal era began and seems to enjoy his advisory role with the Huskies.
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