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Mike Leach agrees to extension with WSU through 2023 season

WSU's beloved head football coach Mike Leach has agreed in principle to a clause in his contract keeping him in Pullman through the 2023 season.

PULLMAN, Wash. — WSU head football coach Mike Leach has agreed to extend his term at WSU for another year, bringing the contract's total to five years.

According to a release on the WSU Athletics website, Leach and the Cougars "agreed in principle to a provision in Leach's contract that extends the agreement an additional year through the 2023 season, bringing it to a five-year contract."

Leach's contract will see him receive $3.75 million for the 2019 season and $4 million a season for the four years after that, according to the release. Leach will also get a $750,000 bonus after the 2020 season.

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The release also said that WSU's defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, known best for his trademark "Speed D", agreed to a three-year contract through the 2021 season. Details of his contract were not contained in the release.

The release quoted WSU Director of Athletics Pat Chun, who praised Leach for leading the Cougars to national prominence.

"His ability to create and steward a winning culture, combined with his vision and expertise, make him one of the elite coaches in the entire sport of football," Chun is quoted as saying in the release. "Few coaches could have accomplished what Coach Leach did in 2018. There is no greater head football coach for WSU than Mike Leach and we are happy to have him leading our program for many years to come." 

Leach led WSU to an 11-2 record last season, including a win against the Iowa State Cyclones in the 2018 Valero Alamo Bowl. Leach has a 49-40 record in his seven season with the Cougs. 

WSU finished the season ranked 10th in the AP and Coaches' Polls, and Leach was named the American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year.

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