WSU increases coaches budget with Alex Grinch, Roy Manning hires

When Mike Breske was fired, one of the immediate questions when WSU started looking for a successor was how much could the Cougars pay. Luring a top-end assistant doesn't come cheap. While new coordinator Alex Grinch will make more than Mike Breske, WSU didn't break the bank with the new hires.

According to Jacob Thorpe of the Spokesman Review, Grinch will make $425,000.04 next season while new outside linebacker coach Roy Manning will make $236,500.08. Grinch's salary makes him the highest-paid assistant on the staff and is slightly less than $50,000 more than what Breske made last season, according to the USA Today salary database. Manning will be the fourth-highest paid assistant if the 2014 salaries for the other assistants remain the same. Manning's salary is a slight decrease from the $239,200 he made at Michigan last season, but a sizable increase from former outside linebacker coach Paul Volero's $181,500 salary.

The Cougars, however, may not have a massive jump in overall assistant salary. Eric Russell made $251,500 last season. He was replaced by Eric Mele who had the interim tag removed from his title. Let's assume Mele is the lowest-paid coach on the staff. His numbers weren't part of Thorpe's report, but for the sake of argument, let's say he makes what Volero made last season. That would mean Grinch and Manning combine for a salary of $661,500 or $33,500 more than what Russell and Breske combined to make last season. An increase, but far from breaking the budget.

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Football:

New WSU assistant salaries | The Spokesman-Review
Washington State made the personnel action forms for new assistant football coaches Alex Grinch and Roy Manning available on Wednesday.

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What did you like about Washington State originally? I love, love, love Coach (Mike) Leach and the coaching staff.

Director of Athletics Bill Moos Podcast - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
National Signing Day is a week away and during his latest podcast, conducted Wednesday afternoon, Director of Athletics Bill Moos discusses Cougar Football and, like the players who will be joining the program next week, how fans can join the Cougar Athletics team by becoming a Cougar Athletic Fund (CAF) member.

Men's basketball:

Bears Head North To Battle Washington State Thursday - California Golden Bears - University of California Official Athletic Site
California will play a game outside of the Golden State for the first time in 53 days when the Golden Bears travel to Pullman, Wash. to face Washington State on Thursday (Jan. 29) at 8 p.m. PT. Cal looks to get back on track and snap a six-game losing streak - its longest since 2007 - when the Bears meet the Cougars at Beasley Coliseum. Cal has won three of its last four vs. WSU, including an 80-76 OT victory in its last visit to Pullman, last season.

Women's basketball:

Cougs Come to The Farm - GoStanford.com
THE GAME: No. 12/15 Stanford (15-5, 7-1) returns home when it hosts Washington State (13-6, 4-4) on Saturday, January 31 at 12:30 p.m.