Mike Leach coaching tree: Ranking every head coach to serve under The Pirate
By John Buhler
Kevin Wilson can only really go up from here after a bad first season at Nevada
Kevin Wilson may have been incredibly familiar with the Nevada Wolf Pack when taking it over last season, but he went an absolutely dreadful 2-10 during his first year back in Reno. Wilson famously learned under the iconic Chris Ault prior to joining Leach’s staff as a linebackers coach at Washington State in 2013. Rather than follow him to Mississippi State, he opted to go to Oregon.
Once Mario Cristobal took over his alma mater in 2022, Wilson decided to stay out west once again. Despite being a North Central alum, pretty much his entire coaching career has been in the two western-most time zones. Wilson stems from several excellent coaching trees, but it remains to be seen if he has what it takes to be a Group of Five head coach. His first season was so rough…
The Nevada job is not the easiest job west of the Mississippi, but you can’t be going 2-10 in Reno.
Sonny Cumbie may have shown why he didn’t get the job leading his alma mater
Although Sonny Cumbie only briefly served as a graduate assistant under Leach at Texas Tech before scandal ensued, he did play quarterback for him from 2001 to 2004. Cumbie stayed on in Lubbock under Tommy Tuberville before going to work for Gary Patterson at TCU. In Fort Worth was where Cumbie really started to develop his identity as a play caller and a future head coach.
He returned to his alma mater in 2021 to work for Matt Wells. When Wells was canned mid-season, it was Cumbie who served as the interim head coach. Texas Tech opted to hire former Baylor assistant Joey McGuire over him. Cumbie then took over at Louisiana Tech last season where he went a miserable 3-9. LA Tech isn’t an easy job, but Texas Tech made the right call here.
Cumbie might need to achieve bowl eligibility by the end of Year 3 in Ruston to keep his job.
Greg McMackin is no longer with us but did sustain success while leading Hawaii
While Greg McMackin is best known as the former Hawaii Rainbow Warriors head coach, taking over for June Jones once he left for SMU in 2008, he did briefly serve as Leach’s defensive coordinator at Texas Tech from 2000 to 2002. After a stint as the San Francisco 49ers’ linebackers coach, he returned to Hawaii to then work for Jones, taking over for him in the season to follow.
In four years as the Rainbow Warriors head coach, Hawaii went 29-25 overall and 18-3 in the old WAC. While they were bowl eligible all four years he was in charge, they only had one winning season. That came in 2010 when the Rainbow Warriors went 10-4, won the WAC, but lost the Hawaii Bowl. McMackin resigned from his post in early December 2011. He passed away in 2023.
In the decade-plus since he last coached, Hawaii can only hope for the stability McMackin showed.