How attractive is the WSU head football coach position?

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If there’s one takeaway from Jimmy Rogers’ departure for Iowa State, it’s this: Don’t believe anything a new coach says at their introductory press conference.

Sure, it’s not exactly a fair question when a reporter asks a new coach if they plan on sticking around. What else is a coach going to say?

But the fact that Rogers up and left after being at WSU 23 days shy of one year begs the question: How attractive is this job? Any college football head coaching job will attract candidates, but here’s the reality: WSU is more of a stepping stone than it previously was (and it was indeed a stepping stone job for everyone not named Bill Doba).

Mike Leach spent eight years before leaving (and he would have left earlier had Tennessee not been a tire fire). Who knows how long Nick Rolovich would have stayed. Jake Dickert played nice for the cameras before jumping ship to Wake Forest.

And now Jimmy Rogers says farewell two days after signing 28 recruits.

WSU doesn’t have the advantages other schools have. In fact, it has distinct disadvantages. First, it was the Pac-12’s awful reputation. Then, it was the breakup of the Pac-12, leaving WSU in the wilderness. Now, it’s WSU’s position in the NIL era. The school has an interim athletic director and a new president navigating a terrible budget situation and an enrollment crisis (the university is down more than 6,000 students since 2019).

And I haven’t even mentioned WSU’s remote location, which was its main disadvantage for years.

Whether we like it or not, here’s the reality: Perhaps the biggest attraction for this job is that, if you have even decent success, you’ll get noticed for a bigger gig in a bigger, more lucrative conference. We are a mid-major now, and mid-majors are where coaches with higher aspirations go to get noticed.

That’s it. That’s reality, and everyone gets to choose if they accept it. Sure, I’d love a coach to stick around for more than a decade and build a winner, but Mike Price ain’t walking through the door.

So, who might be attracted to this job? I have no idea! But my wish list, without knowing what kind of aspirations these coaches have, begins with Montana State’s Brent Vigen, who was interviewed for Oregon State’s open position recently. New Mexico’s Jason Eck is also on my list. The former Idaho Vandals head coach is at least familiar with the Palouse, though this may be seen as a lateral move. Eck’s personality would definitely be welcome.

It all depends on the candidates’ aspirations. Asking a candidate for his loyalty is only asking for disappointment. Find a coach who has big dreams and let them develop in Pullman. That’s how attractive this job has become.

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