WSU’s Eric Morris might be headed to Texas State

Hello, Coug fans!

Washington State’s Offensive Coordinator Eric Morris is reportedly heavily in talks to head back to Texas. Originally from Littlefield, it’s not a complete surprise Morris could be excited by this opportunity. He would be taking over as head coach for the Texas State Bobcats from Jake Spavital, who was let go after four years with a relatively unimpressive 13-35 overall record and zero bowl appearances.

The big issue for Texas State has been in state recruiting, and recruiting in general. This is something a handful of you fans can relate to being upset about. Texas State was looking for a strong recruiting candidate with Texas ties, and Morris seems to be a no brainer.

While at Washington State, Morris has been responsible for bringing Cam Ward to the program, and has proven to be an asset to a flexible and fun offense.

This wouldn’t be the first time Morris has departed WSU for Texas skies, provided he takes the job. Morris once headed up the University of Incarnate Word (which I had admittedly not heard of outside of his previous tenure there), but this Texas State opening might be attractive enough to pique his interest.

So, what would this mean for us?

Hypothetically, we know up front that whoever WSU hires next needs to be able to really create some consistency. We’ve watched this offense cycle through several different systems in the past few years, in terms of Air Raid to Run & Shoot to a mixture of it all, plus the introduction of a tight end for the first time in what feels like forever! I’d like to see our next OC map a way to use who we have, and cultivate an offense that is much more consistent than what we’ve had this season. Additionally, it’d be nice to get a more clear system in place to eliminate more of Cam Ward’s split second “where is my guy” decisions. Having a focus on building back the O-Line, and working with the receivers to create more openings is a priority in my book!

I’m sure with Signing Day right around the corner, we’re going to hear lots of names tossed around, due to the unexpected time crunch, and one familiar one already circulating is former WSU player Brett Bartolone! I would support this hire for a few reasons, one of them being I bought him a tequila shot in Phoenix, Arizona right after my 21st birthday, and I think that would be a really epic bragging right for me.

Aside from his merit in terms of Expert Tequila Shot Taker, Bartolone has led many successful offensive programs, including his QB at University of Nevada winning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021.

We’ll update you when we know more. Go Cougs!

UPDATE: False alarm!