Boy, oh boy does this add national intrigue to the 2020 Egg Bowl, and the SEC rivalry games in Mississippi for seasons to come. Current Washington State head coach Mike Leach is leaving the Cougs to take the head job with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
MSU Athletic Director John Cohen tweeted Thursday, “The deal is done,” and the Mississippi State football account shared a hype video welcoming the pirate to Starkville.
The fun that is to come in the Magnolia State with Lane Kiffin at ole miss and leach at state gives Mississippi the edge for most-spirited, best-quote-providing rivalry in the country.
Kiffin already welcomed his “Old friend,” to the state, too.
Leach is a three-time conference coach of the year, winning the award twice in the PAC-12 and once in the Big 12. In 18 seasons as a head coach, leach has led his teams to 15 bowl games.
In eight seasons at Washington State, Leach compiled a 55-47 record. Before that, he posted a school-record 84 wins in 10 seasons as the head coach at Texas Tech.
It was at Tech that Leach gave a long, supposedly-inspiring pirate speech that secured him his nickname.
The 58-year-old’s name was thrown around when the Ole Miss, Arkansas, Missouri, and Florida State jobs were open in December, but Washington State seemed to lock Leach into Pullman with a one-year contract extension, signing him to that job through 2024.
But it seems the SEC was indeed calling .. let the legendary quotes continue.