Kyle Smith leaving; 5 Washington State head coach candidates
Leon Rice
Rice may have the deepest affinity for the Cougars program of all the coaches on this list. The Boise State head coach grew up in Richland, Washington and graduated from Washington State in 1986. He has coached in the state before too, serving as an assistant coach at Gonzaga from 1999-2010 so he knows how to recruit the area well. As the Broncos head coach, Rice has gone 290-166 with five NCAA Tournament appearances, three NIT appearances, two Mountain West regular season titles, two Mountain West Coach of the Year awards and one Mountain West Tournament title over 13 years.
While Rice鈥檚 resume is strong, the question remains if he would want to leave the Mountain West for the West Coast Conference. However, unlike other coaches who may ask themselves that question, Rice could be more interested thanks to the school being his alma mater. If he wishes to make a change from Boise State, the Cougars may provide him the best opportunity as he would get the chance to help lead his alma mater into the future.
