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On Tuesday night, news came out that WSU was close to hiring their new offensive coordinator. According to numerous reports, Jake Dickert has zeroed in on Western Kentucky co-offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. The 27-year-old appears set to replace Eric Morris in the position for the Cougs following Morris’ departure to become the new head coach at North Texas. With the move, Arbuckle would become the youngest coordinator in college football’s power 5.
Arbuckle, a former college quarterback at division II West Texas A&M, just completed his fourth total season as a college football coach and his first as a coordinator. Despite his young age, Arbuckle and fellow co-OC Josh Crawford (who is expected to become Georgia Tech’s WR coach next season) took the Hilltopper offense to new heights in 2022. WKU ranked second in passing offense with 4,249 yards through the air. They also averaged just shy of 500 yards per game (497.3), ranking sixth nationally.
That potent passing offense was led by quarterback Austin Reed. On Tuesday, he was one of a few WKU players to post their reaction to the news on social media.
I’m not gonna lie this one hurts. Thanks for taking a chance on a Division 2 kid. Wazzu better know how lucky they are to have you https://t.co/ACX2ooiANo pic.twitter.com/4r2EPThlf7
— Austin Reed (@Areed365) December 28, 2022
Best in the business. Thanks for everything coach @arbuckle_ben #fortheroom https://t.co/9wFwmBMrzR
— Caden Veltkamp (@crveltkamp) December 28, 2022
— Darius Ocean (@darius_ocean) December 28, 2022
Arbuckle clearly has the respect of his players at WKU who are happy to see him move on to a new opportunity. But there were also fans and media members that reacted to the move on Tuesday night.
.@caboni give him whatever money he wants to stay https://t.co/p8hKghmTJZ
— Barstool Western (@BarstoolWestern) December 28, 2022
Good move for Wazzu. Cougars were bleeding a bit after losing both coordinators and some players to the portal. https://t.co/wctNJ3Euwc
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) December 28, 2022
We’ll have to wait and see how this move works out for WSU, but if these reactions show you anything, it’s that Ben Arbuckle has the potential to do some special things in Pullman.
Links
Reports: Washington State targeting Ben Arbuckle, the co-offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky, to be Cougs' next OC | The Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN – Washington State found an up-and-comer to fill its vacant offensive coordinator position, according to multiple reports Tuesday from national media members.
Washington State set to hire Ben Arbuckle as OC, source says
Ben Arbuckle, who at 27 will become the youngest primary coordinator in the Power 5, is set to join the Cougars from Western Kentucky, a source said.
Pac-12 men’s basketball projections: Where Huskies and Cougars are expected to fall | UW Sports | yakimaherald.com
Jon Wilner believes the Wildcats and Bruins will finish multiple games clear of everyone else in the Pac-12. Here's where he thinks UW and WSU will finish.
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