WSU hires Washington native Kirby Moore as head coach

The WSU Cougars are bringing Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore back to his home state.

WSU announced the hiring of Moore as its next head football coach on Friday. Moore agreed in principle to a five-year deal, the school announced.

“Coach Moore is the real deal, and exactly who we needed to propel us to the top of the new Pac-12,” WSU President Elizabeth Cantwell said in a statement. “Our student-athletes have lucked out. This man cares deeply not only about winning, but their success on and off the field. We look forward to welcoming Coach Moore and his family to Pullman, and to Coug Nation. Join me in wrapping Coach Moore in Cougar Pride. Go Cougs!”

Jimmy Rogers introduced at Iowa State, addresses leaving WSU Cougars

Moore replaces Jimmy Rogers, who left the Palouse last week to become the head coach at Iowa State after going 6-6 in his only season. He is WSU’s third coach in three years and 36th in program history.

“I’m honored and excited to join Washington State University as its new head football coach,” Moore said in a release from the school. “Becoming a first-time head coach at a special place like Washington State is a dream come true for my family and I. I want to thank President Cantwell and (interim athletics director) Jon Haarlow for the opportunity to return home and continue the proud tradition of Cougar football. The future of our program is bright. I look forward to leading this team and making our state proud!”

The 35-year-old Moore is a Prosser native with deep ties to the Pacific Northwest and a strong history of coaching in his family. Moore’s older brother, Kellen, is in his first season as the head coach of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and spent six seasons prior as an NFL offensive coordinator. His dad, Tom, was the longtime head coach at Prosser High School, guiding the Mustangs to 21 league titles and four state championships.

Kirby Moore played wide receiver under Chris Petersen at Boise State before before landing a job as the wide receivers coach at the College of Idaho in 2014. The following year he rejoined Petersen at the University of Washington as a graduate assistant, a role he served in for two seasons.

Moore then spent six seasons as an assistant at Fresno State from 2017-22, where he started as a wide receivers coach. In 2020, he took on the added duty of being the passing game coordinator, and he served as the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2022. Two of Moore’s seasons at Fresno State (2020-21) were under former UW head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Moore took over as the offensive coordinator at Missouri in 2023 and has spent the past three seasons with the Tigers.

In his first year at Missouri, Moore helped the offense make substantial improvements while going from 10th in the SEC in scoring (24.8 points per game) the year prior to sixth (32.5). This year, the Tigers are sixth in the SEC in scoring (32.2) and total offense (429.3 yards per game).

Moore will be tasked with leading a WSU football team that has felt the impact of the fast-changing landscape of college athletics about as much as any program.

After the Pac-12 crumbled following the 2023 season as 10 schools announced departed for new leagues, then-head coach Jake Dickert left WSU for the same role with Wake Forest in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Dickert’s departure after three-plus seasons led the Cougs to hiring Rogers, who’s tenure lasted less than a full year.

WSU is set to be a part of a new-look Pac-12 next season that will feature some very familiar foes for Moore, including his alma mater Boise State and Fresno State. Oregon State, Colorado State, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State round out the Pac-12’s eight-team football league.

The Cougars finish this season Dec. 22 when they face Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Bowl Breakdown: WSU Cougars in Potato Bowl, UW Huskies to LA

Related

Cougs Weekly: Kirby Moore reflects on Apple Cup, previews K-StateBrock Huard’s take on UW Huskies’ Apple Cup win over WSU CougarsApple Cup: WSU Cougars take positives from defensive performanceApple Cup Notebook: UW shows ‘resilience,’ but has plenty to improveApple Cup: Takeaways from UW Huskies’ win over WSU CougarsNo. 17 UW Huskies shake off offensive struggles, beat WSU 24-10 in Apple Cup