Dave Boling: New WSU football coach Kirby Moore has an edge that might just silence the doubters

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Dec. 16—First impression from Kirby Moore's introduction as the new Washington State Cougars head football coach: He reminded me a great deal of Mike Macdonald when he was hired as the new coach for the Seattle Seahawks.

If he coaches with the same passion and purpose and youthful savvy as Macdonald, Moore will be an exceptional hire.

Moore's likeness to Macdonald seems more than just having consulted the same Young Coaches Phrase Book. "Chasing edges," etc.

Some of it could be the same fresh face and energy of youth (Moore is 35), but there also appears to be a similar sense of direction and function. Low nonsense, high expectations, with an attacking mindset toward everything, including press conferences.

At his Tuesday presser, Moore was quick, well-prepared, and hit the requisite bullet-points without adding the kind of promises that could create critical blowback if he checks out after a short stay.

Moore made a great point, which was a subtle way to get veteran Cougar followers to look ahead rather than backward. He spoke of the opportunity that the new Pac-12 Conference realignment presents: It will feel different, but it should be easier to become the league powerhouse.

The temptation is strong among analysts and many fans to rehash the here-we-go-again laments. Moore is the third head coach hired in four years, the last two bailing for more lucrative positions.

The live stream of Moore's press conference provided a real-time commentary of fans in the online chat. Surely, they represented the range of emotions of the moment for Cougar fans.

"I swear, I better not hear anything about loyalty," one wrote before Moore appeared.

In regular intervals, someone urged other chatters to make donations to the Coug Collective.

"Why support somebody that'll be gone in a year or two?" one asked.

Another fan explained his practical limitations: "We're still donating to our 'student loan' collective."

This comment drew several replies: "WSU is now a stepping stone. It'll never be more than that for both players and coaches."

One level-headed supporter had a more global perspective. "Every school at every level is a stepping stone now. Enjoy each year as its own."

If change represents opportunity, as some suggest, Washington State is currently a fertile field.

There's now a new football coach with a new staff, under a new president and new "interim" athletic director. All of this while adjusting to a new conference alignment, with new rivalries to create.

Moore will bring fresh ideas that may or may not work. He will recruit to an area that had been his home (growing up in Prosser). He has no track record as a head coach, but he's played under a series of successful coaches, and he brings no apparent dubious baggage, either.

He is a blank sheet.

Being the head coach is a huge challenge requiring diverse skills, and it's impossible to know with certainty how well and quickly a successful coordinator will adapt.

At the start, though, players appear open to the hire.

In a recent meeting with the press, Cougar quarterback Zevi Eckhaus said: "I think everybody's pretty fired up about him."

I would take Zevi's word for it. His career at WSU will end Monday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise. He's become a leader and spokesman.

When the last coach left before last year's Holiday Bowl, and about a third of the team entered the transfer portal, Eckhaus stepped in and led the undermanned Cougars to a somewhat inspiring loss against heavily favored Syracuse.

In a time when players are opting out of bowl games, Eckhaus and those Cougars that remained put forth an effort that seemed practically courageous.

I don't know what Eckhaus' career plans are, but Moore could do worse than get him to stick around as a grad assistant, or at least do an exit interview in which Eckhaus could tutor him on the Cougar ethos.

Eckhaus told the media this week that the Cougs had been surprised by the recent departure of their head coach. "There's been certain things thrown at us you really couldn't have predicted," he said. "But every single time, I feel this community, this organization, the people around it have found a way to stick together. I think that's what makes Cougar Nation so special and so different from everybody."

Eckhaus described a "special bond you really can't put into words, but if you're a part of it, you know it."

That's a chasing of an emotional edge that Moore could appreciate. Getting more of that kind of person into the program will be a key for him.

By the end of the press conference, some of the doubters among the chatters had warmed to Moore.

One wrote: "Geez, we need to dial it back a bit and see what the new guy can do. IMHO."

Yeah, IMHO, too.

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