Mike Leach to Washington State: Can He Turn WSU into an Offensive Powerhouse?

If you haven't heard the news yet, Mike Leach has found a new job, and it's as the head coach of Washington State. Leach has been out of a job since he was fired in 2009 for incidents that happened when he was the coach of Texas Tech.

Now he is taking over a Cougars team that hasn't won double-digit games or reached a bowl game since 2003.

Fans in Washington State have to be excited about landing the head coach, because Leach is known as an offensive guru. He runs a spread offense that has broken several NCAA records at Kentucky and Valdosta State, where he was the offensive coordinator. When he took over Texas Tech, he not only put the university on the map, but had one of the top offenses in the country nearly every season.

He finished his 10-year coaching career with a 84-43 record and won five of nine bowl games.

The question is, can he turn around the Cougars offense and make them a respectable team in the Pac-12?

The spread offense relies so much on the quarterback and the passing game. Leach will likely go with the sophomore to be Connor Halliday.

Halliday has thrown for nine touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He has also completed 57 percent of his passes, but throws the ball with solid accuracy. Halliday has good size at 6'4, 180 pounds, gets rid of the ball quick and has good enough arm strength to get the job done. He can also be an athlete when he has to and pick up a few yards with his legs.

Washington State has a very weak recruiting class coming in, but with Leach taking over, that should change very quickly. Turning this program around will rely heavily on recruiting, and I believe that Leach will be able to do a great job at that. He has a great offensive mind and should have no problem building on the Cougars' offensive success in the Pac-12.

Leach doesn't need much for his offense to succeed. The Washington State Cougars will climb out of the Pac-12 cellar soon. 

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]