Mike Leach is reaching back into the Lone Star State to complete his Mississippi State coaching staff.
According to 247Sports, the Bulldogs will hire ex-Texas assistant Jason Washington. He coached cornerbacks while in Austin and is expected to take a similar role in Starkville.
Washington was part of a staff shakeup under Tom Herman this offseason that saw the school part ways with most of their 2019 assistants. Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and safeties coach Craig Naivar landed at USC in recent weeks but will split ways with Washington for the first time in several years after all spent time on the Forty Acres and at Houston before that.
In addition to a stint with the Cougars, Washington coached at Rice and Texas State. A Lone Star State native known for his recruiting, the detour to the SEC is his first gig outside the republic’s borders.
The hire also complete’s Leach’s staff at Mississippi State barring any surprise departures. Washington will likely split defensive backs coaching with holdover Tony Hughes and possibly Darcel McBath. Coordinator Zach Arnett was brought in from San Diego State (by way of Syracuse) and is set to implement a 3-3-5 alignment with the Bulldogs.
MSU opens their intriguing 2020 campaign under their eclectic head coach against New Mexico on Sept. 5.
