After guiding Washington State to a school-record 11 wins in 2018, Mike Leach has signed a one-year extension that will keep him under contract through the 2023 season.
Leach is set to make $3.75 million this season and $4 million per year through the rest of the contract, which includes a retention bonus of $750,000 following the 2020 season. Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys also agreed to a three-year contract, the school announced.
“It has been a great run here at Washington State over the last seven years, but I still believe that our best days are ahead of us,” Leach said in a statement. “I am just as excited to be the head coach at WSU as I was the day that I was hired here and I look forward to leading this program to big things in the future.”
Wazzu finished No. 10 in the AP poll after going 11-2, including a win against Iowa State in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Leach was honored as the American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year.
“Coach Mike Leach has built a nationally prominent football program at Washington State and our student-athletes continue to excel athletically and academically under his leadership,” WSU athletic director Pat Chun said in a statement. “His ability to create and steward a winning culture, combined with his vision and expertise, make him one of the elite coaches in the entire sport of football. Few coaches could have accomplished what Coach Leach did in 2018.
“There is no greater head football coach for WSU than Mike Leach and we are happy to have him leading our program for many years to come.”
Under Leach’s guidance, East Carolina transfer quarterback Gardner Minshew led the nation in passing during the regular season (4,480 yards) and developed into a NFL prospect. Minshew was a captain at the Senior Bowl on Saturday.