Leach relishes chance to test himself at Mississippi State

By Paul Jones

STARKVILLE, MISS. (AP) » The opportunity to coach in a talent-rich area helped persuade Mike Leach make the decision to leave Washington State and accept the Mississippi State job, giving him the chance to test himself in the Southeastern Conference.

“I know we’ve got a lot of work to do here, but we’ve got some great players here,” Leach said Friday at his introductory news conference. “I’m really excited about this challenge. We’ve got plenty of hard work ahead of us but it’s going to be fulfilling work. We’re going to have a lot of fun and we’re going to work harder than any team in the country to be a team that everyone in here can be proud of.’’

Leach agreed to a fouryear contract that will pay him $5 million annually in base compensation.

He spoke in front of a standing-room-only crowd that filled the Seal Complex on Mississippi State’s campus. Mississippi State President Mark Keenum gave Leach a taste of the Bulldogs’ football tradition by providing the new coach with his own cowbell.

Leach made a couple of references to Mississippi State’s athletic history in his opening statement.

He credited former Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill for taking him under his wing early in his career. Leach also mentioned that he coached baseball as a teenager and relied on the “Baseball Playbook” written by former Mississippi State baseball coach Ron Polk.

“Although I will forever be proud — and if I’m not careful get emotional — about my time at Washington State and the opportunity to coach there because I’m very proud of that team and very proud of the Cougs. I’m excited about this next step, this next challenge and to be a Mississippi State Bulldog,” Leach said.

He has earned a label as one of college football’s most interesting personalities while also showing a knack for succeeding at places where it’s considered difficult to win. Leech went 55-47 in eight seasons at Washington State after going 84-43 at Texas Tech from 2000-09. He does have SEC experience from a stint as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator in 1997-98.

Leach replaces Joe Moorhead, who was fired last week after posting a 14-12 record in his two-year stay at Mississippi State.

Mississippi State’s ability to lure Leach away from the Pac-12 comes after in-state rival Mississippi made its own attention-getting move by hiring former Southern California and Tennessee head coach and Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin away from Florida Atlantic.