Tracy Claeys Hired as Washington State DC


Congratulations Tracy!

Made an impression with Leach!
 

Congratulations indeed.
I think that is a great fit for both Coaches.
 

Now that, gentlemen, is Irony for you.

But really, it's a good situation for Claeys. He doesn't have to be a front man or deal much with the media, because Leach handles all of that. All Claeys has to do is coach, and make the defense better. Which he should be able to do, providing that he gets at least decent talent to work with.
 

And he's reunited with Jeff Phelps, correct?
 


That's awesome. I hope he can have a positive impact there.
 


Now that, gentlemen, is Irony for you.

But really, it's a good situation for Claeys. He doesn't have to be a front man or deal much with the media, because Leach handles all of that. All Claeys has to do is coach, and make the defense better. Which he should be able to do, providing that he gets at least decent talent to work with.

Will be tough to make their defense any better than it was last year.
 




Good for coach Claeys. He got a raw deal from AD Coyle.

This looks awfully good on paper for Washington State. The front man Leach can orchestrate an offense, and the reserved Claeys can really build and coach a defense, and I think recruits parents like and will put their trust in him too. A great balance of personalities.

Very intriguing pairing, and looks to be a winner.
 


Former MN coach Tracy Claeys to become defensive coordinator at WSU - Spokane paper

UPDATED: Mon., Jan. 8, 2018, 7:01 p.m.:

Alex Grinch officially left his post at Washington State Monday morning, but the Cougars may have already found his replacement.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, former Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Tracy Claeys has been hired by Mike Leach to become the Cougars’ new defensive coordinator.

The Star Tribune report states that Claeys agreed to a two-year contract to join Leach in Pullman. Grinch, who held the DC title at WSU for the last three years, was hired by Ohio State as an assistant Monday morning.

WSU media relations didn’t immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment, but The Seattle Times also confirmed the Star Tribune report.

Claeys, a 24-year coaching veteran, is a face plenty familiar for WSU fans. In his final game as Minnesota’s coach, he led the Golden Gophers to a 17-12 win over the Cougars in the 2016 Holiday Bowl, holding Leach’s offense to just 303 yards and a single touchdown...

This isn’t the first time Leach has gone to the 2016 Minnesota staff for help on the defensive side of the ball. Weeks after the Holiday Bowl loss to the Golden Gophers, WSU hired ex-Minnesota defensive line coach Jeff Phelps to lead the same position group in Pullman. Phelps’ first season in charge of the Cougars’ D-line was a major success. WSU finished 20th in the FBS with 2.85 sacks per game and the Cougars were tied for ninth nationally with 7.9 tackles-for-loss per game. Phelps worked under Claeys for six years at Minnesota and was Claeys’ D-line coach at Northern Illinois for two years before that..
 

Good for coach Claeys. He got a raw deal from AD Coyle.

This looks awfully good on paper for Washington State. The front man Leach can orchestrate an offense, and the reserved Claeys can really build and coach a defense, and I think recruits parents like and will put their trust in him too. A great balance of personalities.

Very intriguing pairing, and looks to be a winner.

Agree on all points. I'm not surprised at all that TC landed a P5 DC position.

As to your first sentence - I keep waiting for MC to hammer Pitino for the 'culture' at Williams arena. It is almost like he wasn't honest about why TC was let go. Raw deal.


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If you can't beat 'em...
....hire 'em.

Congrats to coach!
 

The Jerry Kill coaching tree.. Not a big coaching tree but those guys are quality coaches.
 

The Wazzu defense just got better. Congrats to Claeys!
 

Congrats to Claeys - best of luck to him moving forward. No doubt he can coach.

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That’s great to hear and it will make it even more fun to follow that program.
 

Congrats to Claeys. The Holiday Bowl game plan was impressive. Happy to have him back on a sideline.


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Agree on all points. I'm not surprised at all that TC landed a P5 DC position.

As to your first sentence - I keep waiting for MC to hammer Pitino for the 'culture' at Williams arena. It is almost like he wasn't honest about why TC was let go. Raw deal.


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Exactly! I think Coyle needed to be up front with the real reason he let Claeys go, it would have been the right thing to do for Claeys and Gopher fans. I can't stand dishonesty and Coyle reeks of it.
 

Exactly! I think Coyle needed to be up front with the real reason he let Claeys go, it would have been the right thing to do for Claeys and Gopher fans. I can't stand dishonesty and Coyle reeks of it.

Well, he can't come out publicly and say the reason he fired him based on personal appearance.
 

Good for coach Claeys. He got a raw deal from AD Coyle.

This looks awfully good on paper for Washington State. The front man Leach can orchestrate an offense, and the reserved Claeys can really build and coach a defense, and I think recruits parents like and will put their trust in him too. A great balance of personalities.

Very intriguing pairing, and looks to be a winner.

This.
 

I was worried he would lay in the weeds, running his diner for a couple years, and then return to the Big 10 West. Another good defense in our division is the last thing we need. I didn't want to see him working for Scott Frost. Pac 12 is a fine place for him.
 

Good fit personality wise. Leach is no nonsense; certainly wouldn’t be bothered by the tweet that riled up the mouth breathers and likely has the same outlook as Claeys on that issue.

If Claeys can do there what he did here (with upgraded talent) watch out. Should be a fun team to watch. Leach’s air circus offense with a solid defense might eventually get them over the hump in pac 12.
 

Good for him. Good for Washington State.
 

Agree on all points. I'm not surprised at all that TC landed a P5 DC position.

As to your first sentence - I keep waiting for MC to hammer Pitino for the 'culture' at Williams arena. It is almost like he wasn't honest about why TC was let go. Raw deal.


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MC Hammer? U can't touch this.
 

MC Hammer? U can't touch this.

I've traveled round the World, from London to the Bay, its Hammer, Go Hammer, MC Hammer, Yo Hammer, and the rest can go and play.


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Awesome. I already like Wazzu. I'll definitely be rooting them on next year. Although.....Washington has always been my second favorite team. Wazzu is definitely jumping up the list. Love Georgia Tech as well. The triple-option is fun to watch.

Congrats Coach Claeys. Might have been let go after the brilliant (depleted roster) gameplan in the Holiday Bowl last year.....but it undoubtedly helped land the job with Washington State.
 





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