Leach Providing Opportunities To Former Bulldogs
November 10, 2022 | Football
STARKVILLE – There are a lot of adjectives that have been used to describe Mike Leach over the years.
But one word that can certainly be associated with Leach is loyalty. Seven of Leach's assistant coaches came with him from Washington State when he took the head coaching job at Mississippi State three years ago and two of those assistants actually played for him.
Leach is also providing opportunities for several former Bulldog players to get their foot in the door as a college football coach. Rod Gibson, Taveze Calhoun, Tim Washington and Scott Lashley are all former MSU players currently working under Leach.
"I think it's good because there's a lot of natural enthusiasm," Leach said. "They just have some general enthusiasm about the program and can share the heartbeat of the guys that come here. They've grown up with it and that translates. I think that's something important to translate."
Washington has been with Leach all three years since he concluded his college career in 2019. The former MSU linebacker spent two seasons on the Bulldogs' strength staff and has since shifted to being an on-field graduate assistant this year.
"I got out of ball and knew that I wanted to coach but didn't know where my opportunity was going to come from," Washington said. "But being back at my alma mater and being able to coach some of the guys I played with along with the new guys coming in has been terrific."
Washington had some options to remain a strength coach but had his heart set on coaching on the field. Leach afforded him that opportunity starting this past spring and has been working with the defense ever since.
"I had some good opportunities to stay in strength but I've always wanted to coach ball," Washington said. "I can never thank coach (Tyson) Brown enough because I wouldn't be the type of coach I am without the strength staff. They helped mold me and gave me many opportunities and even pushed my name for jobs. I didn't play for these coaches, but it's been great to work with these guys."
Calhoun never played for Leach either but was given the chance to return to MSU this fall as a defensive graduate assistant. Calhoun played cornerback for the Bulldogs from 2012-15 and spent four seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons.
When his professional career came to a close, Calhoun decided to get into coaching and spent last season at Brandon High School before jumping at the option to return to Starkville and work at his alma mater.
"I'm just super blessed to be back here," Calhoun said. "Obviously, this place means the world to me and for me to be able to get my first college job here means the world to me. I'm super excited to be back."
A large part of Calhoun's responsibility is to work with the scout team defense in order to give State's offense the best possible looks at its opponents each week. He credits defensive coordinator Zach Arnett and cornerbacks coach Darcell McBath for really taking him under their wings this season.
"I've learned a ton from coach Arnett and coach McBath," Calhoun said. "They're brilliant and have taught me so much about the game and x's and o's. I've also learned what it takes to win a game. I don't think I really realized how much preparation and time it takes to get everything together."
Lashley, who was the Bulldogs' starting right tackle last season, suddenly transitioned from player to coach whenever he was offered an internship with the strength and conditioning program during the spring. The relationships that his made with his former teammates have helped him quickly adapt in his new role.
"It helps that I have an in with them (having been their teammate)," Lashley said. "The difference is now I'm stepping into more of a leadership role. Not only was I an athlete, now I'm their coach. The beautiful thing is that I have a respect for the players. I talked with some of the rest of the staff about how they had to adjust from being a player and into coaching. They gave me some tips and it's been a great, great process."
Lashley, a West Point native that transferred from Alabama in 2020, is grateful to land his first coaching job so close to home while also getting his start in the Southeastern Conference instead of having to move away and begin at a smaller school.
"This is such a great opportunity," Lashley said. "It's so rare that a former player gets the opportunity to stay home and I'm trying to take advantage of that every single day. It's a beautiful thing because I got to have this opportunity at an SEC school and also a school that I played at. I have a great relationship with coach Brown and coach Dan (Kistler Jr.) and the position coaches as well. They kind of put their arm around me and helped me out."
Gibson is the longest tenured former player working on Leach's staff. Gibson serves as the director of football recruiting communications and has been back with the Bulldogs since 2016. He played fullback for State in 1998-98 and also spent two years as a graduate assistant on the strength staff.
"Since I got the opportunity to come back in 2016 under Dan Mullen, I've really been blessed to have the opportunity to sign a lot of NFL guys," Gibson said. "It's been tremendous for me. I never thought it would happen in a million years but it's happened and it's really been great."
Having been a former player himself, Gibson can give an honest assessment of what playing football for Mississippi State is like and how the fan base continues to support players for years after their playing careers end.
"When people ask me about Starkville, I get to tell them my experiences here from back in the 90's," Gibson said. "Today, people still treat me like I still played ball here last Saturday. What makes this place so unique is the people. It's a small town and everyone knows everyone. The fans make this a special place to work and play football at."
Gibson, Calhoun, Washington and Lashley are not the only former Bulldogs that Leach has provided positions to during his tenure. DeAndre Ward (2014-16) worked as an assistant strength and conditioning coach from 2020-21 before taking a job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season. C.J. Morgan (2017-21) also completed a coaching internship this past spring and is now coaching at Bossier High School in Louisiana.
