Good read ~ How Dickert minimized roster turnover...

[M-I-Coug]

How did WSU’s Jake Dickert minimize roster turnover? ‘It takes a team’​

Greg WoodsJan. 19, 2024 at 5:14 pm
By
The Spokesman-Review
Weeks before Washington State’s football season ended, before the Cougars played their final game in the Pac-12 as we know it, Jake Dickert went public with one assertion.

“It’s going to be open-target season on our players,” Dickert said.

By that he meant the way representatives from other schools would surely try to lure his players away, using lucrative NIL offers to ransack his team through the transfer portal. Dickert believed in his program, he said, but retaining players in this day and age isn’t always so simple.

So all the Cougars did was hold on to nearly all non-graduating seniors and maintain nearly their entire staff. Starting wideout Josh Kelly hit the portal and transferred to Texas Tech. Quarterback Cam Ward declared for the NFL draft, then veered course and committed to Miami. Those were the only WSU starters to hit the portal and transfer elsewhere.

In total, 18 Cougars hit the portal, which closed this month. Outside of Ward and Kelly, the Cougars’ costliest loss might have been backup cornerback Javan Robinson, who transferred to Arizona State. After that, running back Jaylen Jenkins and wideout DT Sheffield each hit the portal, but both departed the program during the season, long before transfer season had begun.

On the coaching staff, Washington State lost only a couple of support employees. No major assistant coaches took jobs elsewhere, a change of pace from the previous couple of seasons, when the Cougars lost coordinators over the winter.

It’s encouraging for the Cougars, because, on the surface several factors were lining up against them. They had just wrapped up a 5-7 season, missing a bowl for the first time in nearly a decade (outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).

They scored a giant victory in court, securing the rights to the Pac-12, but as they try to rebuild the conference they’re entering a temporary scheduling agreement with the Mountain West — a departure from the Power Five status the program enjoyed for so long.

All of which is why for Dickert, losing only two starters to the portal amounted to a promising development.

“Tremendous amount of pride,” Dickert said. “The biggest thing is, you gotta realize in today’s world, everyone chooses to be here. It wasn’t like that all the time. Everyone made a choice, right? So you gotta take advantage of it. That means they’re connected to it. It means they’re connected to our staff, which I think is vitally important, and the importance of all those guys in the room and how they’re doing it and what we’re doing. And they want to be part of this program. I don’t take that lightly at all.”

Central to that approach, Dickert explained, is recruiting his own players throughout the season — not just on the day after the season ends. “If you think you’re gonna recruit them all of a sudden when [Dec. 1] hits,” Dickert said, “you’ve whiffed.”

Dickert added:

“It isn’t just the front-line starters. It’s about maintaining competitive depth so you can put them through the developmental process. … Retaining the young guys is just as important as retaining the starters. But now it takes a team of people. It isn’t just me. It’s the program. It’s how you treat them. It’s the staff. It’s a whole community of people that help retain these players.”

The Cougars also suffered just one decommitment, which came from four-star prospect Trae Davis, who flipped from WSU to Kansas State in December. Otherwise, in December WSU signed a 25-man signing class, which has ballooned into the 30s thanks to transfers like former Oregon players Kris Huston and Keith Brown.

This time around the offseason, part of that process meant Dickert staying at Washington State. Last week, when the coaching carousel began to churn with the departure of Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, Arizona’s job opened up and The Athletic named Dickert a potential candidate.

Dickert brings stability and structure to the WSU program, reporter Bruce Feldman wrote, which is part of what made him a promising candidate for the Wildcats opening. The same reasoning held back in the fall, after the Cougars bolted to a 4-0 start and Dickert’s name surfaced for the opening at Michigan State.

“There was never a conversation with Arizona, same as there was never a conversation with Michigan State,” Dickert said. “Anything that’s out there is noise until anything really happens. So didn’t pay it much credence. At the end of the day, it’s what we wanna do here at Washington State to be successful, and to me, it’s being better with the outside noise — including myself. I think at some point last year, I really felt a deep connection to be the voice for our university.”

That, Dickert said, is part of why he doesn’t feel pulled to leave WSU any time soon.

“I think coaches get themselves in trouble by overpromising,” Dickert said. “I love it here. This is my job. I’m investing in my job each and every day. If anyone could see the amount of hours and time that we all put in here. … We just kept the whole staff here, maybe for the first time in a long time. So it just shows that we’re doing things right, and we never have taken shortcuts to create success.

“Any time opportunity comes up, just put your head down and just keep working. That’s what I’ve always been about. Have I taken new jobs over time? Yeah, I wouldn’t be sitting in this seat. But I’m just really appreciative of the people that have given me this opportunity, to say the least. And I think I embody Cougs. I love Pullman, here and our place. I’m everything that Washington State stands for, so I’m excited to represent everybody.”

Greg Woods on Twitter: @GregWWoods. Washington State beat writer for The Spokesman-Review

 

[Loyal Coug1]

How did WSU’s Jake Dickert minimize roster turnover? ‘It takes a team’​

Greg WoodsJan. 19, 2024 at 5:14 pm
By
The Spokesman-Review
Weeks before Washington State’s football season ended, before the Cougars played their final game in the Pac-12 as we know it, Jake Dickert went public with one assertion.

“It’s going to be open-target season on our players,” Dickert said.

By that he meant the way representatives from other schools would surely try to lure his players away, using lucrative NIL offers to ransack his team through the transfer portal. Dickert believed in his program, he said, but retaining players in this day and age isn’t always so simple.

So all the Cougars did was hold on to nearly all non-graduating seniors and maintain nearly their entire staff. Starting wideout Josh Kelly hit the portal and transferred to Texas Tech. Quarterback Cam Ward declared for the NFL draft, then veered course and committed to Miami. Those were the only WSU starters to hit the portal and transfer elsewhere.

In total, 18 Cougars hit the portal, which closed this month. Outside of Ward and Kelly, the Cougars’ costliest loss might have been backup cornerback Javan Robinson, who transferred to Arizona State. After that, running back Jaylen Jenkins and wideout DT Sheffield each hit the portal, but both departed the program during the season, long before transfer season had begun.

On the coaching staff, Washington State lost only a couple of support employees. No major assistant coaches took jobs elsewhere, a change of pace from the previous couple of seasons, when the Cougars lost coordinators over the winter.

It’s encouraging for the Cougars, because, on the surface several factors were lining up against them. They had just wrapped up a 5-7 season, missing a bowl for the first time in nearly a decade (outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).

They scored a giant victory in court, securing the rights to the Pac-12, but as they try to rebuild the conference they’re entering a temporary scheduling agreement with the Mountain West — a departure from the Power Five status the program enjoyed for so long.

All of which is why for Dickert, losing only two starters to the portal amounted to a promising development.

“Tremendous amount of pride,” Dickert said. “The biggest thing is, you gotta realize in today’s world, everyone chooses to be here. It wasn’t like that all the time. Everyone made a choice, right? So you gotta take advantage of it. That means they’re connected to it. It means they’re connected to our staff, which I think is vitally important, and the importance of all those guys in the room and how they’re doing it and what we’re doing. And they want to be part of this program. I don’t take that lightly at all.”

Central to that approach, Dickert explained, is recruiting his own players throughout the season — not just on the day after the season ends. “If you think you’re gonna recruit them all of a sudden when [Dec. 1] hits,” Dickert said, “you’ve whiffed.”

Dickert added:

“It isn’t just the front-line starters. It’s about maintaining competitive depth so you can put them through the developmental process. … Retaining the young guys is just as important as retaining the starters. But now it takes a team of people. It isn’t just me. It’s the program. It’s how you treat them. It’s the staff. It’s a whole community of people that help retain these players.”

The Cougars also suffered just one decommitment, which came from four-star prospect Trae Davis, who flipped from WSU to Kansas State in December. Otherwise, in December WSU signed a 25-man signing class, which has ballooned into the 30s thanks to transfers like former Oregon players Kris Huston and Keith Brown.

This time around the offseason, part of that process meant Dickert staying at Washington State. Last week, when the coaching carousel began to churn with the departure of Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, Arizona’s job opened up and The Athletic named Dickert a potential candidate.

Dickert brings stability and structure to the WSU program, reporter Bruce Feldman wrote, which is part of what made him a promising candidate for the Wildcats opening. The same reasoning held back in the fall, after the Cougars bolted to a 4-0 start and Dickert’s name surfaced for the opening at Michigan State.

“There was never a conversation with Arizona, same as there was never a conversation with Michigan State,” Dickert said. “Anything that’s out there is noise until anything really happens. So didn’t pay it much credence. At the end of the day, it’s what we wanna do here at Washington State to be successful, and to me, it’s being better with the outside noise — including myself. I think at some point last year, I really felt a deep connection to be the voice for our university.”

That, Dickert said, is part of why he doesn’t feel pulled to leave WSU any time soon.

“I think coaches get themselves in trouble by overpromising,” Dickert said. “I love it here. This is my job. I’m investing in my job each and every day. If anyone could see the amount of hours and time that we all put in here. … We just kept the whole staff here, maybe for the first time in a long time. So it just shows that we’re doing things right, and we never have taken shortcuts to create success.

“Any time opportunity comes up, just put your head down and just keep working. That’s what I’ve always been about. Have I taken new jobs over time? Yeah, I wouldn’t be sitting in this seat. But I’m just really appreciative of the people that have given me this opportunity, to say the least. And I think I embody Cougs. I love Pullman, here and our place. I’m everything that Washington State stands for, so I’m excited to represent everybody.”

Greg Woods on Twitter: @GregWWoods. Washington State beat writer for The Spokesman-Review

It's a Coug thing, people don't understand. At the dog park yesterday, decked out in my Coug stuff. 30-ish guy ask when I graduated, then how come I never got "over it" (being a proud Coug). I just laughed - "it's a Coug thing, you don't understand". I love that expression. He was like, well every school is like that. Uh, no they aren't.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

One thing that is lost on the gen z and onward is accountability, and again its because gen x has raised a bunch of entitled shitheads who are allowed to blame all of their problems on everyone else and not figure out how or even if they had a role in their own situation (spoiler: they 100% do).

This xfer portal bullshit is just a symptom of the lack of accountability epidemic. "Oh, I'll just bail on my commitment and coaches and teammates because something THEY did is the reason I'm not starting or getting my PT." Included in that is the "I made a poor choice of school to attend based of factors that weren't favorable to my desired outcome, so I can own it and make the best of the situation or quit." Now that there are ZERO negative results of quitting on their commitment, we now have the situation that we have witnessed the last two years.

Now you have NIL making matters worse by compelling kids to quit to chase a couple of dollars, regardless of the long term outcome for the player.

 

[95coug]

How did WSU’s Jake Dickert minimize roster turnover? ‘It takes a team’​

Greg WoodsJan. 19, 2024 at 5:14 pm
By
The Spokesman-Review
Weeks before Washington State’s football season ended, before the Cougars played their final game in the Pac-12 as we know it, Jake Dickert went public with one assertion.

“It’s going to be open-target season on our players,” Dickert said.

By that he meant the way representatives from other schools would surely try to lure his players away, using lucrative NIL offers to ransack his team through the transfer portal. Dickert believed in his program, he said, but retaining players in this day and age isn’t always so simple.

So all the Cougars did was hold on to nearly all non-graduating seniors and maintain nearly their entire staff. Starting wideout Josh Kelly hit the portal and transferred to Texas Tech. Quarterback Cam Ward declared for the NFL draft, then veered course and committed to Miami. Those were the only WSU starters to hit the portal and transfer elsewhere.

In total, 18 Cougars hit the portal, which closed this month. Outside of Ward and Kelly, the Cougars’ costliest loss might have been backup cornerback Javan Robinson, who transferred to Arizona State. After that, running back Jaylen Jenkins and wideout DT Sheffield each hit the portal, but both departed the program during the season, long before transfer season had begun.

On the coaching staff, Washington State lost only a couple of support employees. No major assistant coaches took jobs elsewhere, a change of pace from the previous couple of seasons, when the Cougars lost coordinators over the winter.

It’s encouraging for the Cougars, because, on the surface several factors were lining up against them. They had just wrapped up a 5-7 season, missing a bowl for the first time in nearly a decade (outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).

They scored a giant victory in court, securing the rights to the Pac-12, but as they try to rebuild the conference they’re entering a temporary scheduling agreement with the Mountain West — a departure from the Power Five status the program enjoyed for so long.

All of which is why for Dickert, losing only two starters to the portal amounted to a promising development.

“Tremendous amount of pride,” Dickert said. “The biggest thing is, you gotta realize in today’s world, everyone chooses to be here. It wasn’t like that all the time. Everyone made a choice, right? So you gotta take advantage of it. That means they’re connected to it. It means they’re connected to our staff, which I think is vitally important, and the importance of all those guys in the room and how they’re doing it and what we’re doing. And they want to be part of this program. I don’t take that lightly at all.”

Central to that approach, Dickert explained, is recruiting his own players throughout the season — not just on the day after the season ends. “If you think you’re gonna recruit them all of a sudden when [Dec. 1] hits,” Dickert said, “you’ve whiffed.”

Dickert added:

“It isn’t just the front-line starters. It’s about maintaining competitive depth so you can put them through the developmental process. … Retaining the young guys is just as important as retaining the starters. But now it takes a team of people. It isn’t just me. It’s the program. It’s how you treat them. It’s the staff. It’s a whole community of people that help retain these players.”

The Cougars also suffered just one decommitment, which came from four-star prospect Trae Davis, who flipped from WSU to Kansas State in December. Otherwise, in December WSU signed a 25-man signing class, which has ballooned into the 30s thanks to transfers like former Oregon players Kris Huston and Keith Brown.

This time around the offseason, part of that process meant Dickert staying at Washington State. Last week, when the coaching carousel began to churn with the departure of Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, Arizona’s job opened up and The Athletic named Dickert a potential candidate.

Dickert brings stability and structure to the WSU program, reporter Bruce Feldman wrote, which is part of what made him a promising candidate for the Wildcats opening. The same reasoning held back in the fall, after the Cougars bolted to a 4-0 start and Dickert’s name surfaced for the opening at Michigan State.

“There was never a conversation with Arizona, same as there was never a conversation with Michigan State,” Dickert said. “Anything that’s out there is noise until anything really happens. So didn’t pay it much credence. At the end of the day, it’s what we wanna do here at Washington State to be successful, and to me, it’s being better with the outside noise — including myself. I think at some point last year, I really felt a deep connection to be the voice for our university.”

That, Dickert said, is part of why he doesn’t feel pulled to leave WSU any time soon.

“I think coaches get themselves in trouble by overpromising,” Dickert said. “I love it here. This is my job. I’m investing in my job each and every day. If anyone could see the amount of hours and time that we all put in here. … We just kept the whole staff here, maybe for the first time in a long time. So it just shows that we’re doing things right, and we never have taken shortcuts to create success.

“Any time opportunity comes up, just put your head down and just keep working. That’s what I’ve always been about. Have I taken new jobs over time? Yeah, I wouldn’t be sitting in this seat. But I’m just really appreciative of the people that have given me this opportunity, to say the least. And I think I embody Cougs. I love Pullman, here and our place. I’m everything that Washington State stands for, so I’m excited to represent everybody.”

Greg Woods on Twitter: @GregWWoods. Washington State beat writer for The Spokesman-Review

The thing this article overlooks is that we had very few players that other schools were likely to be interested in. Kelly and Ward were top of the list. The rest of our best are in the draft. The players left behind are either the ones who haven’t really distinguished themselves yet, or who have probably peaked.

 

[CougPatrol]

I understand how people aren't yet sold on Dickert the coach, but how in the world can anyone not applaud him for the maturity and leadership that he's provided throughout some unprecedented challenges?

 

[KRUSTYtheCOUG]

One thing that is lost on the gen z and onward is accountability, and again its because gen x has raised a bunch of entitled shitheads who are allowed to blame all of their problems on everyone else and not figure out how or even if they had a role in their own situation (spoiler: they 100% do).

This xfer portal bullshit is just a symptom of the lack of accountability epidemic. "Oh, I'll just bail on my commitment and coaches and teammates because something THEY did is the reason I'm not starting or getting my PT." Included in that is the "I made a poor choice of school to attend based of factors that weren't favorable to my desired outcome, so I can own it and make the best of the situation or quit." Now that there are ZERO negative results of quitting on their commitment, we now have the situation that we have witnessed the last two years.

Now you have NIL making matters worse by compelling kids to quit to chase a couple of dollars, regardless of the long term outcome for the player.

Maybe transferring today is seen as a generational thing because it is allowed today, when it never used to be. These players are leaving for better opportunities, much like coaches have always been allowed to do.

As Biggs has correctly pointed out, players only get a limited number of years of eligibility. Would any of us in a similar situation really be okay with having zero options other than sitting on the bench behind some other dude for 2 or 3 years waiting for that one chance.

We don't like it as fans, but player (labor) empowerment is a positive step for them - the ones making the sacrifice.

The main problem with NIL is it's inequality in how it's disbursed amongst all competing schools, not the fact that players can be compensated. That's all I have to say about that.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Maybe transferring today is seen as a generational thing because it is allowed today, when it never used to be. These players are leaving for better opportunities, much like coaches have always been allowed to do.

As Biggs has correctly pointed out, players only get a limited number of years of eligibility. Would any of us in a similar situation really be okay with having zero options other than sitting on the bench behind some other dude for 2 or 3 years waiting for that one chance.

We don't like it as fans, but player (labor) empowerment is a positive step for them - the ones making the sacrifice.

The main problem with NIL is it's inequality in how it's disbursed amongst all competing schools, not the fact that players can be compensated. That's all I have to say about that.

The transfers are driven by kids wanting these things and being granted them. Nay, demanding these things. Because we give children everything they want now, including gender affirming medical treatment to minors... but I digress.

Kids in the past didn't want to run away from their situation because there was more value on commitment and pride in follow through. You can't convince me otherwise. Look at the job market - kids value gig work waaaaay more that previous generations did, because previous generations valued the stability and commitment of a steady job, even if it wasn't their "dream job." Kids have no issue with leaving after a couple of years or less for the "next big opportunity" while contributing to their 5 page resume, all the while chasing the "dream job." Its just a different value system, and I don't share those values and don't believe those values are beneficial to a society in which we all depend on each other.

 

[KRUSTYtheCOUG]

The transfers are driven by kids wanting these things and being granted them. Nay, demanding these things. Because we give children everything they want now, including gender affirming medical treatment to minors... but I digress.

Kids in the past didn't want to run away from their situation because there was more value on commitment and pride in follow through. You can't convince me otherwise. Look at the job market - kids value gig work waaaaay more that previous generations did, because previous generations valued the stability and commitment of a steady job, even if it wasn't their "dream job." Kids have no issue with leaving after a couple of years or less for the "next big opportunity" while contributing to their 5 page resume, all the while chasing the "dream job." Its just a different value system, and I don't share those values and don't believe those values are beneficial to a society in which we all depend on each other.

I won't argue with you that kids today generally lack staying power. But every generation has felt this way about the latest generation to some degree. I'm inclined to think it IS worse today. Maybe we're right, maybe it's not and that it's just different.

Again, the gig-economy hasn't been around very long. It has REAL value as an economy for those who are in it, often with a lot more flexibility. Doesn't mean it's worse.

People leaving for the "next big opportunity" is a freedom that many have never had and is just the market at work isn't it? Is that bad for them as individuals? Maybe. Maybe not. More choices and opportunities seems better to me.

I wouldn't expect that you would be advocating for "values" that systematically limit these flexibilities for the betterment of society, would you?

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

I won't argue with you that kids today generally lack staying power. But every generation has felt this way about the latest generation to some degree. I'm inclined to think it IS worse today. Maybe we're right, maybe it's not and that it's just different.

Again, the gig-economy hasn't been around very long. It has REAL value as an economy for those who are in it, often with a lot more flexibility. Doesn't mean it's worse.

People leaving for the "next big opportunity" is a freedom that many have never had and is just the market at work isn't it? Is that bad for them as individuals? Maybe. Maybe not. More choices and opportunities seems better to me.

I wouldn't expect that you would be advocating for "values" that systematically limit these flexibilities for the betterment of society, would you?

I guess the general idea of "I'm gonna get mine, regardless" just doesn't sit well with me. By all means, I'm all for work/ life balance, putting your needs and family's needs ahead of working 70 hrs/wk for middling pay, but I'm also a big advocate for the messaging of Mike Rowe - hard work, constitution, being ethical and earning what you want instead of demanding someone give it to you.

 

[95coug]

I guess the general idea of "I'm gonna get mine, regardless" just doesn't sit well with me. By all means, I'm all for work/ life balance, putting your needs and family's needs ahead of working 70 hrs/wk for middling pay, but I'm also a big advocate for the messaging of Mike Rowe - hard work, constitution, being ethical and earning what you want instead of demanding someone give it to you.

I’ll revise that - I prefer ‘getting what you earn.’ My biggest issue with young workers today is that so many think they should get paid more because they want more. Not because they bring more value or that they deserve it - they just want it.

My economic utopia includes employees who perform at a reasonable level and employers who offer compensation based on the fair value of what those employees produce. Neither is realistic in today’s world. Everyone is incentivized to cheat.

 

[Cougini5591]

I understand how people aren't yet sold on Dickert the coach, but how in the world can anyone not applaud him for the maturity and leadership that he's provided throughout some unprecedented challenges?

Fair, but being a GREAT person doesn't necessarily make a GREAT Head Coach.

I love the man of all time Greatest Cougs, but Coach Bill Doba kinda hits this as well.

What are you going to say if we go 5 and 7 this next season?

I can tell you my position...if we go 7 and 5 I'm wanting Dickert to stick around.

 

[Wazzubrooz]

How did WSU’s Jake Dickert minimize roster turnover? ‘It takes a team’​

Greg WoodsJan. 19, 2024 at 5:14 pm
By
The Spokesman-Review
Weeks before Washington State’s football season ended, before the Cougars played their final game in the Pac-12 as we know it, Jake Dickert went public with one assertion.

“It’s going to be open-target season on our players,” Dickert said.

By that he meant the way representatives from other schools would surely try to lure his players away, using lucrative NIL offers to ransack his team through the transfer portal. Dickert believed in his program, he said, but retaining players in this day and age isn’t always so simple.

So all the Cougars did was hold on to nearly all non-graduating seniors and maintain nearly their entire staff. Starting wideout Josh Kelly hit the portal and transferred to Texas Tech. Quarterback Cam Ward declared for the NFL draft, then veered course and committed to Miami. Those were the only WSU starters to hit the portal and transfer elsewhere.

In total, 18 Cougars hit the portal, which closed this month. Outside of Ward and Kelly, the Cougars’ costliest loss might have been backup cornerback Javan Robinson, who transferred to Arizona State. After that, running back Jaylen Jenkins and wideout DT Sheffield each hit the portal, but both departed the program during the season, long before transfer season had begun.

On the coaching staff, Washington State lost only a couple of support employees. No major assistant coaches took jobs elsewhere, a change of pace from the previous couple of seasons, when the Cougars lost coordinators over the winter.

It’s encouraging for the Cougars, because, on the surface several factors were lining up against them. They had just wrapped up a 5-7 season, missing a bowl for the first time in nearly a decade (outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).

They scored a giant victory in court, securing the rights to the Pac-12, but as they try to rebuild the conference they’re entering a temporary scheduling agreement with the Mountain West — a departure from the Power Five status the program enjoyed for so long.

All of which is why for Dickert, losing only two starters to the portal amounted to a promising development.

“Tremendous amount of pride,” Dickert said. “The biggest thing is, you gotta realize in today’s world, everyone chooses to be here. It wasn’t like that all the time. Everyone made a choice, right? So you gotta take advantage of it. That means they’re connected to it. It means they’re connected to our staff, which I think is vitally important, and the importance of all those guys in the room and how they’re doing it and what we’re doing. And they want to be part of this program. I don’t take that lightly at all.”

Central to that approach, Dickert explained, is recruiting his own players throughout the season — not just on the day after the season ends. “If you think you’re gonna recruit them all of a sudden when [Dec. 1] hits,” Dickert said, “you’ve whiffed.”

Dickert added:

“It isn’t just the front-line starters. It’s about maintaining competitive depth so you can put them through the developmental process. … Retaining the young guys is just as important as retaining the starters. But now it takes a team of people. It isn’t just me. It’s the program. It’s how you treat them. It’s the staff. It’s a whole community of people that help retain these players.”

The Cougars also suffered just one decommitment, which came from four-star prospect Trae Davis, who flipped from WSU to Kansas State in December. Otherwise, in December WSU signed a 25-man signing class, which has ballooned into the 30s thanks to transfers like former Oregon players Kris Huston and Keith Brown.

This time around the offseason, part of that process meant Dickert staying at Washington State. Last week, when the coaching carousel began to churn with the departure of Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, Arizona’s job opened up and The Athletic named Dickert a potential candidate.

Dickert brings stability and structure to the WSU program, reporter Bruce Feldman wrote, which is part of what made him a promising candidate for the Wildcats opening. The same reasoning held back in the fall, after the Cougars bolted to a 4-0 start and Dickert’s name surfaced for the opening at Michigan State.

“There was never a conversation with Arizona, same as there was never a conversation with Michigan State,” Dickert said. “Anything that’s out there is noise until anything really happens. So didn’t pay it much credence. At the end of the day, it’s what we wanna do here at Washington State to be successful, and to me, it’s being better with the outside noise — including myself. I think at some point last year, I really felt a deep connection to be the voice for our university.”

That, Dickert said, is part of why he doesn’t feel pulled to leave WSU any time soon.

“I think coaches get themselves in trouble by overpromising,” Dickert said. “I love it here. This is my job. I’m investing in my job each and every day. If anyone could see the amount of hours and time that we all put in here. … We just kept the whole staff here, maybe for the first time in a long time. So it just shows that we’re doing things right, and we never have taken shortcuts to create success.

“Any time opportunity comes up, just put your head down and just keep working. That’s what I’ve always been about. Have I taken new jobs over time? Yeah, I wouldn’t be sitting in this seat. But I’m just really appreciative of the people that have given me this opportunity, to say the least. And I think I embody Cougs. I love Pullman, here and our place. I’m everything that Washington State stands for, so I’m excited to represent everybody.”

Greg Woods on Twitter: @GregWWoods. Washington State beat writer for The Spokesman-Review

Coach speak: Until you don’t.