What we don’t know in the wake of Mike Leach’s departure

Good morning, sports fans. Yesterday was quite the day, wasn’t it? I kept thinking about how little I knew about what the program would look like, and how we won’t really know until further down the line. And for some bizarre reason, I got a bit excited about that. Obviously things will change, but the prospect of writing about football again was just too tempting for me to leave it be.

Not knowing what’s ahead is exciting, and with no head coach and no defensive coordinator, we really don’t know what could be around the corner. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the only thing I know to be true, above all else, when it comes to our Washington State Cougars is that I will never know what’s next. And while that used to scare me or make me a little irritated, I’ve learned to like the roller coaster. I’m not sure how, but I’m not complaining.

What we know we *don’t* know:

Will we still be Gunslingers? We’ll probably need a new brand of offense. With Mike Leach gone (rest in Mississippi, coach) the Cougs will be hungry for a new format of offense. Ideally one that other Pac-12 coaches have not figured out. This could be promising to running backs, and Max Borghi has already tweeted his approval, which is all anyone needs I suppose.

It also means the coveted role of starting quarterback is up for grabs. We knew that already, with Air Gordo signing off after a fantastic season, and you cannot tell me or his 5,579 yards otherwise. That is the only number I will be paying attention to.

We have at least five quarterbacks in possible competition. When we knew who our head coach was, it was largely pointing towards the shootout of the century between Cammon Cooper and Gunner Cruz. But with someone new heading up the program, there’s “fresh” faces to consider. John Bledsoe, and new signees Jayden de Laura and Will Heckman could throw their hats in the ring, provided the new head coach wants to come in and change things up a bit.

Personally, I’m going to celebrate any changes to the program. Mike Leach gave me an appreciation for passing that I had never felt before, and while the prospect of Max Borghi accidentally leaving a trail of fire behind him excites me — I’m eager to see what kind of fresh Hell the new coach comes up with.

We also need to find a defensive coordinator. But we knew that, we’ve known that for a while now. Hindsight is 20-20, so I’m choosing to read into Leach not taking finding one seriously as a sign he was going to leave, and be a little mad about it. Other than that, I remain eerily calm about the situation. And I think you should too. It’s fun to place bets, and speculate, and we’ll likely be doing that until our beloved Pat Chun (Athletic Director and my personal hero) makes a very big choice.

I’m not even going to go there about the Apple Cup; having hope is fun, but I have no clue what that game could even kind of look like, so for now I’m staying out of it.

I will be biting my nails in the trenches with all of you- this is gonna be fun.

Time for links:

A Grip on Sports: Yes, college hoops dominates tonight but there is also a bit of baseball news
A GRIP ON SPORTS • College basketball is back in the area tonight, though there is a bit too much for one person to see it all.

Washington State's Kyle Smith reprimanded by Pac-12 - CollegeBasketballTalk

California holds off Washington State 73-66
California holds off Washington State 73-66

Here is the latest Pac-12 Conference sports news from The Associated Press

Washington State Football: 10 Coaching Candidates to Replace Mike Leach
Breaking down which coaching candidates could replace Mike Leach at Washington State.

WSU football coach Mike Leach leaves for Mississippi State Bulldogs
After years of rumors, WSU football coach Mike Leach is officially leaving Pullman and the Pac-12 for the SEC's Mississippi State Bulldogs.