Washington State wasted little time filling a vacancy on its coaching staff, hiring former Minnesota head coach Tracy Claeys as defensive coordinator.
Claeys joins the Cougars after Ohio State officially announced Monday that Alex Grinch came on board with the Buckeyes to be a co-defensive coordinator with Greg Schiano.
Washington State confirmed the news Monday night. Claeys worked under longtime head coach Jerry Kill as a defensive assistant and coordinator at Emporia State, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and Minnesota.
Claeys became Minnesota’s head coach when Kill left the job in 2015 for health reasons. After Claeys served at the helm from the 2016 season, the Gophers decided to hire P.J. Fleck from Western Michigan as their head coach.
As Minnesota’s head coach, Claeys won his last game against Washington State in the 2016 Holiday Bowl.
His two-year record as Minnesota coach was 11-8. The Gophers finished with a 9-4 record and a Holiday Bowl win over the Cougars in 2016.
Under Grinch last season, Washington State finished second in the Pac-12 in total defense in 2017.
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