Kirby Moore is officially taking the reins as the new head football coach at Washington State, and according to WSU President Betsy Cantwell, it wasn’t just his résumé that set him apart-it was the fit.
Cantwell described Moore as one of three "stellar" finalists for the job, but what tipped the scales in his favor was how naturally he connected with the university’s leadership and culture. “I’m absolutely sure this is our guy,” Cantwell said Wednesday.
“We need a football coach who can work with me personally and fundraise together. Kirby is very comfortable with university leadership, and that impressed the heck out of me.”
That comfort level matters-especially at a time when college athletics are undergoing seismic shifts. Just last month, Cantwell addressed Cougar supporters in Spokane at the CougsFirst!
Show, emphasizing the urgency of raising an additional $20 million annually to support revenue sharing and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) initiatives. That kind of financial lift takes more than just wins on Saturdays-it takes a head coach who can rally donors, connect with boosters, and serve as a face of the program beyond the field.
Moore, in Cantwell’s eyes, checks all those boxes.
And while Moore’s coaching pedigree certainly helped, his roots in the region gave him another edge. “His backstory, a local guy with deep familiarity with WSU, isn’t just a convenient angle for him here,” Cantwell said. “I looked him in the eye and saw the sincerity.”
The hiring process moved quickly but deliberately. When former head coach Jimmy Rogers left for Iowa State on December 5, Moore wasted no time.
According to sources close to the program, he began reaching out to contacts within the WSU community-people who could help get his name in front of decision-makers. This wasn’t Moore’s first brush with the job, either.
His name had surfaced during last year’s search, when Rogers was ultimately chosen to replace Jake Dickert.
This time around, Moore wasn’t just in the mix-he was the guy who rose to the top. And with a program facing big challenges and even bigger opportunities, Washington State believes it has found the right leader to guide the Cougars into the next era.