Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich to leave for Washington State
STEVEN ERLER / SPECIAL TO THE HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER
Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich at a press conference on Dec. 7, 2019 in Boise, Idaho. Rolovich will be named Washington State’s head coach, according to multiple reports.
Hawaii football coach Nick Rolovich has accepted the head coaching job at Washington State, UH athletic director David Matlin confirmed tonight.
“Nick called me tonight to inform me that he accepted the Washington State job,” Matlin wrote in a news release. “Our football team is in a better place because of Nick, and we wish him all the best. Our search for our next head coach begins immediately.”
Rolovich, 40, succeeds Mike Leach, who recently resigned as WSU coach to become Mississippi State’s head coach. In December, Leach signed a contract extension with WSU through 2024 worth $4 million annually. Rolovich earned about $600,000 this past season on a contract extension he signed earlier in 2019.
Rolovich, who was a UH quarterback and then offensive coordinator for the Rainbow Warriors, was named his alma mater’s head coach in November 2015. In Rolovich’s four seasons as UH’s head coach, the Warriors qualified for the Hawaii Bowl three times. This past season, the Warriors represented the West Division in the Mountain West’s title game in Boise, Idaho.
After the season, Rolovich received inquiries about the vacancies at Colorado State and Mississippi.
— Nick Rolovich (@NickRolovich) January 14, 2020
