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Moos, Washington State’s athletic director, fired Wulff on Tuesday morning. A few hours later, Moos said Leach and Houston coach Kevin Sumlin are two possible candidates to replace Wulff.
“I leave with a heavy heart,” Wulff said in a statement he read at a press conference that followed one held by Moos.
Wulff, 9-40 in four years at his alma mater, had one year left on a contract that pays him $600,000 annually.
Moos said Wulff is owed approximately $800,000, including deferred compensation.
Moos said the Cougars “may have to” double Wulff’s annual salary to bring in the type of “established head coach” he wants to hire. Moos, a former WSU football star, said he hopes to have a new coach “within two or three weeks.”
Moos said no WSU assistants, whose contracts run through March, are candidates to replace Wulff, nor are they guaranteed jobs with the new coach.
Moos identified former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti as part of his list of approximately “six, seven” coaches. Moos said Bellotti, who coached the Ducks when Moos was AD at Oregon, is only on his list “in a soft way” because Moos said he does not believe Bellotti is “really serious” about coaching again.
Moos said former WSU coach Dennis Erickson, fired Monday at Arizona State, is not a possibility. Moos also said his list does not include Montana coach Robin Pflugrad, a former WSU assistant coach, and Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, a former Oregon assistant and Arizona State and Boise State head coach.
Moos seemed to speak about Leach with added zeal. Asked if he has a leading candidate in mind, Moos said, “I do, but I’m not going to mention anybody.”
Leach compiled an 84-43 record at Texas Tech from 2000-09. Moos noted that Leach guided the Red Raiders to bowl games all 10 years he coached in Lubbock, though Leach was fired before the 2010 Alamo Bowl after a dispute with the school.
“He’s a pretty good football coach,” Moos said. “Just look at his record.”
Sumlin, who has guided Houston to a 12-0 record and No. 7 national ranking, is a former WSU graduate assistant coach. Moos, prior to his hiring as WSU’s athletic director last year, was part of the search committee that interviewed Sumlin before Wulff was hired in December 2007.
“I think he’s on everybody’s short list,” Moos said of Sumlin.
Sumlin and Leach are known as offensive gurus who coach explosive passing attacks. Both men have been highly successful at schools that, like Washington State, traditionally find it difficult to land blue-chip recruits.
Moos said declining attendance and interest in WSU football played a prominent role in his decision to fire Wulff.
“It was not an easy thing to do,” Moos said. “I’ve got to say, in the 30 years I’ve been in this business, I’ve met no finer man than Paul Wulff.
“Cougars everywhere should be thankful and appreciative for what he has done for our university and this football program.”
The Cougars finished 4-8 this season, with six losses in their last seven games. WSU, 2-7 in the Pacific-12 Conference, came in last for the third straight year.
Moos praised Wulff and his coaching staff for significantly improving the Cougars’ talent. Moos said the Cougars still need more talent and depth, but he said, “Our talent level is good enough to win.”
Phone messages left for Leach, Sumlin and Bellotti were not immediately returned.
A WSU player said a sports information department employee told players not to discuss Wulff’s firing with the media.
PULLMAN – Paul Wulff said he will always remain a proud alum of Washington State, but Wulff was clearly not proud of school officials after he was fired Tuesday with one year left on his five-year contract.
“The great thing about Washington State University, and being a Coug, is that we don’t do it like everybody else,” Wulff said in a statement he read at his afternoon press conference. “We stick together, and we don’t eat our own.
“I believe the innocence of Wazzu has been lost today. I leave with a heavy heart, but excited to watch the fruits of our labor ripen over the next few years.”
Various media reports have said WSU president Elson Floyd was not supportive of Wulff. However, athletic director Bill Moos said, “President Elson puts all these decisions (on hiring and firing coaches) on my plate.”
Moos said Wulff was “crushed” when the AD told him Tuesday morning that he was fired.
“He’s put a lot of his heart and soul into his job,” Moos said.
Wulff met with the team Tuesday afternoon. A WSU player said a sports information department employee told players not to discuss Wulff’s firing with the media.
Moos spoke at length about the need for WSU to substantially increase booster donations and improve facilities in order for the Cougars to “compete for championships.” He said Wulff’s firing was partly related to declining football attendance and “apathy in our fan base.”
Asked about Moos’ statement that he hopes to “bring some energy” to the football program by hiring a new coach, Wulff said, “Yeah, I don’t know. I think that winning games generates fans and excitement, and there is a process to getting to win football games.”
Wulff won only nine of 49 games as WSU’s coach during a rebuilding cycle. The Cougars’ final home game, a Senior Day contest held in the snow against Utah with WSU still clinging to bowl hopes, drew just 16,419.
“I’m really excited to watch the next few years of Cougar football,” Wulff said, “because all of us are going to watch these players bring us back to a bowl and great excitement to Martin Stadium and to contend for championships.”
Wulff said he believes the Cougars can go to a bowl game next year, and might have done so this year without key injuries.
Wulff said he hopes to become a head coach again, but does not rule out taking an assistant’s job. Wulff said he has not decided whether he wants to coach next season.
Wulff has often been the subject of scathing criticism from fans, but he received a standing ovation at a WSU boosters luncheon in Spokane on Monday. Moos estimated 80 percent of WSU fans support Wulff.
“The 80 percent is fine,” Moos said, “but we need 80 percent of a larger fan base.”
