Washington State University has hired Eastern Washington coach Paul Wulff to take as reins of its football program, a source close to the search process said Monday night.
The school has scheduled a 3 p.m. news conference Tuesday to make the announcement.
Wulff, 40, a former Cougars offensive lineman, has coached EWU of Cheney, Wash., to a 50-32 record in eight years, taking the Eagles to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs this season.
He was an offensive lineman for WSU from 1986 through ’89, playing under three head coaches: Jim Walden, Dennis Erickson and Mike Price.
Also believed to have interviewed for the job were former Idaho head coach John L. Smith and Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin.
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Washington State University has decided upon Eastern Washington head football coach Paul Wulff to replace Bill Doba, The Spokesman-Review has learned.
The school has scheduled a press conference for 3 p.m. Tuesday to make an official announcement.
Wulff interviewed with WSU president Elson S. Floyd on Sunday and attended the WSU basketball game. He was offered the position by athletic director Jim Sterk, according to sources close to the process, and a contract was agreed upon this morning. Final approval of Wulff's hiring came from Floyd this afternoon.
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Wulff did not return calls asking for comment.
Wulff is a former Cougar offensive lineman who played under three of WSU's most prominent coaches: Jim Walden, Dennis Erickson and Mike Price from 1986 to 1989.
After a short professional career, Wulff began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant under Dick Zornes. He has been in Cheney for the past 15 years, moving from offensive line coach to offensive coordinator under Mike Kramer in 1998 and then replacing Kramer in 2000.
In his eight years, the Eagles are 53-40 and have appeared in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs three of the past four years.
After suffering their only losing season in the Wulff era in 2006, when they posted a 3-8 record, the Eagles bounced back this season. They finished 9-4, losing a quarterfinal FCS playoff game 38-35 to two-time defending champion Appalachian State, who is in the finals this Saturday.
The school decision comes just prior to an NCAA-mandated recruiting dead period for high school students, which means there can be no contact with recruits from Dec. 17, 2007 through Jan. 3. Recruits are allowed on campus the first two weekends of January, but all other days are off limits until Jan. 13.
Wulff will be 31st head coach in the school's history and the first since Phil Sarboe, who coached the Cougars from 1945 to 1949, to lead his alma mater.
He is also continues a recent tradition of Big Sky Conference coaches moving on to Washington State, following Erickson, who coached at Idaho, and Price, who came to WSU from Weber State.
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