A Grip on Sports: Monday turns out to be a day of change in Pullman, with the football staff losing both coordinators

A GRIP ON SPORTS • A trio of interrelated events happened in Pullman on Monday, throwing the immediate future and its close cousin, next season, into a bit of disarray. Welcome to every offseason from now on in college football.

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• This is the new normal folks. Though what happened to Washington State yesterday was more of the old normal.

Head coach Jake Dickert finished his evaluation of the defense this season – it didn’t take a whole heck of lot of time, did it? – and fired coordinator Jeff Schmedding. About eight hours later, the news broke offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was also leaving town, though his decision – it didn’t take a whole heck of lot of time, did it? – was his own. He’s headed to Norman, Oklahoma where he assumes the same role with the Sooners.

The third, unannounced event? By firing Schmedding, it sure seems as if Dickert has no plans to leave the Palouse. I mean, if you have one foot out the door, a la Arbuckle, why would you? Let Schmedding look for new employment while still, technically, employed.

The speed of the first two changes also lets us know each was in the works while this edition of the Cougars was still, allegedly, hyper-focused on the regular season. After Monday, it’s OK to say the focus was scattered a bit.

How plausible does this scenario sound? After WSU’s 15-14 last-second loss to woeful Wyoming on Saturday night, Arbuckle received his first call from Oklahoma coach Brent Venables. Within less than 36 hours they had developed enough of a relationship he was headed to Norman, filling a position Venables has to get right before he’s run out of town on a goalpost.

Sound believable to you?

Me neither. What’s more likely is the hire has been in the works for a while. Which means Arbuckle, who was making $750,000 to coach the Cougar offense (according to USA Today’s assistants’ salary database), already had a foot in the Midwest. Could that have impacted Washington State’s offensive performance – if that’s what you want to call it – Saturday night?

Sure. Not just because the Arbuckle’s attention had to be jigsawed a bit, but also because there is little doubt at least some players knew what was coming.

As for the other side of the ball, if Schmedding’s fate was determined Sunday, and Sunday alone, then Dickert isn’t the level-headed, analytical coach he seems to be. And, again, the players knew Schmedding was in trouble. Such things have a tendency to cause locker room division, though the defense’s performance Saturday night was its best of the month.

• Think this is it? Nope. There is a fourth event which may happen soon. Monday’s staff changes might even have an impact. Sophomore quarterback John Mateer may exercise his right and declare for free agency.

Despite all the thank-you-but-I’m-blowing-town pronouncements on social media, football players aren’t legally free to shop their talents for six days yet. That’s when the first NCAA portal opens. Players can dive into the talent pool for 20 days. From there, they can see what they are worth. Determine the best fit, not just with the roster but the coaching staff. And make a choice.

Not that the process hasn’t started already. Enough coaches have blown smoke, either forcefully or guarded, about pre-portal offers that it is obvious there is a fire burning in the system. The rules, such as they are, are being ignored. For many, more than likely including Mateer, it’s not a leap of faith to jump into the portal. It’s more like Scrooge McDuck leaping onto his pile of gold, silver and jewels.

Will he end up at Oklahoma, bringing his unique talents to a Sooner squad sorely in need of them? There is no doubt the school’s collective, called, boringly enough, 1Oklahoma (when $1MillionOklahoma would have been more descriptive), has deep enough pockets to make the leap worth it for Mateer and anyone else Arbuckle desires.

Funny, in the “old days” (before 2018), coaches always had a transfer portal available. Angst about the staff was all the rage, especially in places like WSU.

Now everyone has the option to bolt. And bolt they do. So grab a big bowl of popcorn, settle in and prepare to ride an emotional rollercoaster for a few months. That’s the new normal.

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WSU: The two big changes in Pullman are covered in detail by Greg Woods, who first posted a story on Schmedding in the morning, then returned later in the day with one on Arbuckle’s move. … The latter is a big deal nationally. … He stayed up late, too, waiting for men’s basketball to finish in Reno. He has this coverage of the Cougars’ 68-57 upset win over Steve Alford’s Nevada team. … Expect Washington State to play in San Diego or Las Vegas on Dec. 27. … Elsewhere in the (new, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner makes his weekly prediction of how the CFP committee will see the playoff makeup tonight. … Remember how we always say recruiting never stops? That’s partly because a “commitment” is anything but. Call it a “starting point pledge.” Still, changing paths carries some emotional weight. … How do you feel about flag-planting? Before you answer, remember that one Apple Cup. … John Canzano has his usual Monday mailbag. … Christian Caple has his usual last look at Saturday’s Washington game. … The Huskies are still recruiting. Of course. And they lost their punter to the portal. … Oregon hasn’t lost anyone to the portal yet but then again the Ducks are top ranked heading into Saturday’s Big Ten title game with Penn State in Indianapolis. … Dan Lanning got the UW monkey off his back before the playoffs start. … How did Oregon State fare statistically in 2024? Well. And poorly. But a key receiver is coming back. … There are a lot of folks campaigning for Travis Hunter and the Heisman. Especially in Colorado. … There has been no announcement from Utah about Kyle Whittingham’s future. … Former USC starting quarterback Miller Moss is in the transfer portal. UCLA needs a starting quarterback. Will there be a cross-town move made? … Arizona State will be without its top receiver in the Big 12 title matchup with Iowa State. … Arizona has to look forward, as the book on the 2024 season has been written. … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, Utah State is in the market for a new football coach. … The market for MWC title game tickets in Boise against UNLV is pretty high. … San Diego State is already in offseason mode. … In basketball news, the Big Ten schedule begins this week, with the Washington men headed to the L.A. area. The Huskies face UCLA tonight. … Undefeated Oregon jumps up to the top dozen or so in the polls after its Las Vegas performance.

Gonzaga: A drop in the polls was expected, what with the Zags’ loss to West Virginia on their resume last week. They did drop. To seventh in both. Theo Lawson has the story. … Jim Meehan has a story on the news we shared yesterday morning. GU is third in the NCAA’s NET rankings. And already has two Quad 1 wins. … One more story from the Bahamas. Dave Boling delves into the high level of Ryan Nembhard’s play. It’s exceptional and mainly overlooked. Except by coaches, teammates and anyone who really understands the game. … Elsewhere in the WCC, the San Diego men have a tough assignment tonight, facing Arizona State on the road. … Pacific got bounced last night by Colorado in Boulder.

Idaho: The Vandals begin their FCS playoff journey Saturday in Moscow. They host Lehigh in the tournament’s second round. Jason Eck told Peter Harriman the 9-3 Mountain Hawks are a “tough, physical team.” … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, top-seeded Montana State also opens its playoff run, expect to get after UT Martin. … Playing one year in Missoula will have to be enough for Pat Hayden. … In basketball news, the Montana men are ready to start conference play. … The Northern Arizona women fell to Tulane.

Seahawks: Mike Macdonald is the architect but it is Leonard Williams the makes the defense roll. … Macdonald is out this week as he and his wife expect their first child. But that didn’t keep the Hawks from making a roster change after Sunday’s special teams’ mistakes. … Geno Smith made mistakes, sure. But he made up for it.

Mariners: The Times’ position preview that covers starting pitching ran on the S-R site today.

Kraken: Ryker Evans’ defensive play is an early bright spot.

Storm: The expanded 2025 schedule has been released.

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• As players jump into the portal WSU fans, never forget that the transfer railroad runs two ways. Cam Ward? He came from an FCS school in Texas before heading to Miami. Kris Hutson? Oregon. And on and on. Until later …