Former Minnesota head coach named defensive coordinator for Cougs
Former Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys has been hired to be the defensive coordinator at Washington State, the school announced Monday night.
According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Claeys agreed to a two-year contract to succeed Alex Grinch as WSU's chief defensive play-caller. Grinch's hire, rumored for weeks, by Ohio State as the 10th assistant on the Buckeyes staff was announced earlier Monday. Grinch will reportedly become Ohio State's co-defensive coordinator.
"Tracy comes highly recommended as a tremendous teacher, strategist, and a player’s coach with an impressive body of work that has withstood the test of time,” Leach said in a school press release. “We are fortunate to have him at Washington State University.”
Claeys, who led Minnesota to a 17-12 victory over WSU in the 2016 Holiday Bowl, is the second Gophers coach to join the Cougars since that game. Weeks after Minnesota defeated WSU in San Diego, Mike Leach hired Jeff Phelps as defensive line coach.
Around the same time, Claeys was fired by Minnesota amidst a sexual assault scandal that rocked the school, and led to several Gopher players being suspended for the Holiday Bowl.
Claeys served as Minnesota head coach for 19 games, going 11-8 during that span. He was UM's interim coach in 2015 after Jerry Kill resigned mid-season. In 2016 he led the Golden Gophers to a 9-4 record that included the win over WSU at San Diego in which the Cougars were held to 12 points and a season-low 303 yards. Claeys was fired in January 2017 and replaced by P.J. Fleck.
"I would like to thank Coach Leach and Washington State University for the opportunity to coach the Cougs,” said Claeys. “I am looking forward to getting to Pullman, working with a great staff and getting to know the players.”
Claeys was part of the Minnesota coaching staff from 2011-16, where he served as defensive coordinator before adding the title of associate head coach prior to the 2014 season.
Minnesota’s defense allowed an average of 22.1 points in 2016, which was the lowest since it allowed 21.9 in 2003. In 2011, when Claeys was in his first year as defensive coordinator, Minnesota allowed 31.7 points, but since then the most it has allowed in a season is 24.2 points.
At the conclusion of the 2016 season, the Gophers had held 36 of their last 48 opponents below their scoring average. In 23 of those games, Minnesota held its opposition to eight or more points below their season average and in nine games, the Gophers held their opponents to 14 or more points below their season average.
During the 2015 season, Claeys guided Minnesota to a 2-4 record after replacing Kill the second half of the season. That included a 21-14 win over Central Michigan in the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl. That season the Gophers finished 24th in total defense and 11th nationally in pass defense.
Claeys has coached four First Team All-Big Ten defensive selections - Briean Boddy-Calhoun (2014), Damien Wilson (2014), Ra'Shede Hageman (2013) and Brock Vereen (2013) - at Minnesota in five years. In contrast, Minnesota had five First Team All-Big Ten defensive selections from 2000-10.
Prior to his 6-year stint at Minnesota, Claeys spent three seasons at Northern Illinois (2008-10) and seven years at Southern Illinois (2001-07), all as defensive coordinator. In 2008, his first season at Northern Illinois, Claeys and the defensive staff engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in the country, as the Huskies led the MAC in pass defense, scoring defense and total defense. The Huskies finished in the top 20 nationally in three categories – fifth in pass defense, 14th in scoring defense and 17th in total defense.
