There have been rumors connecting former UCLA Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel to Washington State’s head coaching vacancy, but on Tuesday, Neuheisel said he had not spoken directly to the university.
Rick Neuheisel appeared on a Seattle-based sports talk show
Neuheisel made his weekly appearance on the Chuck and Buck radio show on KJR 950 AM to discuss his interest in coaching and the Cougars head coaching job. While Neuheisel sounded interested, it didn’t seem as if the two sides were close to reaching an agreement.
Neuheisel claims he hasn’t spoken to Washington State about the job
“I have no idea,” Neuheisel said when he was asked if he’s going to become the next Washington State head coach. “I have not spoken to anyone from Washington State. There have been a number of alums that I’ve talked to. I’ve made a lot of friends over my lifetime. The Jack Thompsons of the world, the Mark Rypiens of the world, the Drew Bledsoes of the world and I’ve always admired greatly how much they love their school.”
It wouldn’t take a direct conversation to express interest
Perhaps this was Neuheisel finding some grey area, talking to alums about the position and of course there’s a chance that school officials have spoken to Neuheisel’s agent along with some of the alumni about his interest and gauging if there’d be a potential fit.
Neuheisel isn’t shy to admit he misses coaching
“I’ve made it clear that I miss coaching. There’s no question about that,” Neuheisel said. “If an opportunity were to present itself, I would certainly entertain it.”
Could Washington State view Neuheisel as a fit in the NIL landscape of today?
Neuheisel certainly sounds interested but would Washington State be? It’s been 14 years since he coached at the collegiate level and things have changed drastically since then. Neuheisel has an all-time college record of 87-59 but could that be enough to entice the Cougars?
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Rick Neuheisel says he hasn’t spoken to anyone from Washington State
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
