WSU officially announces Nick Rolovich as new coach

In confirming what was widely reported Monday night, WSU president Kirk Schulz and athletics director Pat Chun officially announced Nick Rolovich as the next coach of the Washington State Cougars.

“We are excited to welcome Nick Rolovich to Cougar Nation,” said Schulz, via news release. “Nick is a proven winner who will bring an exciting style of football to WSU. We look forward to building on the momentum of recent seasons.”

Of course, there had to be a video:

“We set a goal of bringing the best coach possible to Washington State University,” said Chun. “Nick Rolovich is a genuine person, a program builder, an innovator and the exact fit to lead Cougar Football. Coach Rolovich is committed to academic achievement and developing every aspect of our student-athletes. He has a vision of taking Cougar Football on a path to win championships. We are fortunate to have Nick lead our program and we welcome his wife Analea, along with their daughter Alana and sons Daniel, William and Patrick to the Cougar Family.”

Rolovich spent the last four years as coach of the Hawaii Warriors, winning 10 games and the Mountain West coach of the year award in 2019.

“I’d like to thank President Schulz and Pat for the opportunity and the trust they have put in me to lead these young men,” said Rolovich. “Not only on the football field, but we truly believe we are raising tomorrow’s husbands, fathers and community leaders. The excitement is real and it’s honest. Most recently what Coach Leach has built gives us a high starting point. I appreciate him as a friend and what he has done to build the program.

“We are looking forward to learning more about the program, the history, the anecdotes and the legends of WSU football,” Rolovich continued. “One of the more attractive things was the community, how it matches a lot of the values we try to live by and I’m excited to raise my family in Pullman. We can’t wait to get up there and get started.”

In fact, he’s already arrived.

Rolovich’s introductory news conference will take place on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the Rankich Club Room at Martin Stadium.