There’s been quite a shakeup in the coaching landscape in college football over the last week. First was the news that LSU and Ed Orgeron would part ways following a poor start for the Tigers and some controversial happenings inside the program. Then yesterday, Washington State made a move to fire head coach Nick Rolovich and several assistants after they refused to take the COVID-19 vaccination, which had been mandated for all state employees in Washington.
All of a sudden, there are two head coaching jobs available in the Power Five.
As media members begin to speculate about who could fill these openings, Oklahoma assistants will inevitably be in the crosshairs. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic listed two coaches to fill Washington State’s job. That is former co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Jay Norvell and current defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.
One of the coaches Washington State might target is Norvell. The 58-year-old has done very well at one of the tougher jobs in the Mountain West. He’s also spent some time in the Pac-12 at Arizona State and UCLA. He knows the terrain and is a proven leader. His program is 12-3 over the past two years and he’s 27-14 the past four years. – Feldman
Norvell has been the head coach at Nevada since 2017 and has amassed a 30-23 record for Wolf Pack. After starting his tenure with Nevada 3-9 in 2017, Norvell went 8-5 in 2018, and he and the Wolf Pack have earned bowl bids each of the last four seasons. In the COVID shortened 2020, Norvell and Nevada went 7-2, finishing second in the Mountain West Conference and winning the Idaho Potato Bowl.
Norvell’s offense has helped quarterback Carson Strong gain consideration as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2022 NFL draft. Nevada is currently 26th in the nation in scoring at 36.3 points per game, and they hold wins over California and Boise State.
That would be a solid direction for Washington State to go if they didn’t pursue a coach they are familiar with. Alex Grinch. Though Feldman’s skeptical that Grinch would leave the Sooners for a job like Washington State. However, it’s a name that connects to the Cougars, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get an interview for the gig.
Grinch spent three seasons at Washington State as the defensive coordinator under then-head coach Mike Leach.
In his best year as defensive coordinator under Leach, the Cougars allowed just 24 points per game in 2017. An up and down season saw Washington State shut out Montana State and Colorado but allowed 40 or more points four times.
Grinch helped improve Ohio State’s defense before moving on to Oklahoma after the transition from Urban Meyer to Ryan Day. Before Grinch arrived in Norman, the Oklahoma Sooners were allowing 33.2 points per game under a combination of Mike Stoops and Ruffin McNeil. Oklahoma has improved each year under Grinch and is allowing just 24.85 points per game in 2021.
As time goes on, it becomes more and more likely that head coaching positions will begin to target Alex Grinch. He’s having success on the field despite injuries to key starters on defense, and he’s having success in recruiting as the Sooners continue to add five and four-star recruits in the 2022 recruiting cycle.
The time will come when Alex Grinch leaves for a head coaching opportunity. It’s inevitable. You can’t keep good coordinators at the coordinator level forever. However, he doesn’t have to be in any rush. Grinch can take his time and wait for the job that he wants.