Washington State Football: Quantifying the David Yost Influence Pt I

Aug 30, 2012; Provo, UT, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach Mike Leach during warm-ups before a game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

There is a new influence ready to make his mark on the Washington State Cougar offense and his name is David Yost. At Missouri he took several Qb’s and helped them all become great in their own way. Then he carried that ability to every other job he was given.

He won’t be involved with the quarterbacks here, Leach has that covered. But his knowledge of them and plenty of work as an offensive coordinator will help smooth his transition to inside receivers coach, where he’ll see at least a few different player types. Based on some of the new things Leach has been trying, it’s possible that a tight end type could be part of that mix (maybe a big bodied athlete like Cole Madison fits that profile), but it doesn’t matter because coach Yost will handle whatever and whoever is thrown his way. Not to mention they ran out plenty of quality tight ends at Mizzou.

Yost is an “R.I.P. to tradition” type coach, the ultimate players’ coach. The golden flowing locks at 40 some odd years, the “Joe Cool” sunglasses, the hugs, high fives and generally big, approachable personality all just sort of give it away. But make no bones about it, he’s a precision coach as much as anyone in the country. He demands perfection from his players and his knowledge and teaching abilities will infinitely improve the ways in which our receivers will work their craft.

Leach and Yost.

When was the last time we saw a two-coach tandem like this at WSU? I’m reminded of the Mike Price/Bill Doba years, myself. Remember those guys? Remember their influence? The coach’s coach that everybody respected and wanted to play for alongside the players’ coach jumping around on the sideline firing guys up. Granted they were on opposite sides of the ball, but the idea is the same. Yost is headed ultimately for the booth on gamedays, most likely, but he’ll do his “pump-up” work on the practice field and in the locker room.

Back to that other coaching staff, who instilled a team attitude that led to the “Fab Five”, “Fat Five” and a rejuvenated “Palouse Posse” defenses. Then they did it again with Jason Gesser led teams of early 2000’s. That staff brought an entire team together year after year with their demand for perfection and their jubilation for their players in a way that very few tandems can. Even the melo-dramatic pre-madona Ryan Leaf bought in to the team attitude for a year and it changed the way those Cougars played the game.