SEATTLE — Brad Larrondo, the first-year general manager of the Washington State football team and an executive senior associate athletic director, cuts straight to the chase when asked what Cougar fans should expect from their team this fall.
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"We want to be bold," he says, noting that the Cougs will "cut it loose" under a "head coach that's extremely offensive minded."
Larrondo made the remarks during a panel discussion — dubbed The Business of Football — at the CougsFirst! Show in Seattle on May 29.
Installation of Kirby Moore's offense over spring practices was, as one might expect, something of a roller coaster. There were struggles on one end and "times where we've really, really looked extremely good" on the other, Larrondo said.
"It's a work in progress but this is what I do truly believe: We have on our roster 105 guys that care deeply about that opener against the University of Washington. There will be no lack of motivation for that game on the part of Washington State University.
"I think we have built an offense that has weapons. We have a very veteran and experienced offensive line with five guys returning that have started games and a couple new ones that we've brought in, and then some younger guys that really got experience during the spring ..."
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He said the Cougars are loaded at tight end, and the top three running backs — Kirby Vorhees, Maxwell Woods and Leo Pulalasi — are as good a trio as there is in the Pac-12. He also loves how the defense is coming together under coordinator Trent Bray.
[Watch the video above as Larrondo talks about the importance of WSU running the football and his thoughts on Bray's intriguing Cougar defense]
"I do believe we have talent and we have the coaching staff that has poured into it, and the guys that really, really care, about every day coming into that facility with a purpose to get better, to just win that day and to be one-and-oh on that given day. And if we continue to do that in that opener on September 6th, it's going to be a whole lot of fun to be in the crimson and gray."
The Cougars' opener, against Washington on a Sunday in Husky Stadium, will be nationally televised on NBC as part of a double-header preceding Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin.
LARRONDO SAID THE MOORE ERA at WSU got off to a great start by retaining 57 players (about 70 percent of the roster with eligibility remaining). And then they dove into the transfer portal with gusto, aided by an infusion of revenue sharing dollars.
A big focus was on the trenches.
"We knew what we needed to go get. We had to build our offensive line and defensive line, because that is what wins championships in football. If you can do it up front, you can compete with anybody in the country," he said.
The offensive line, which returns five experienced players, needed a couple more seasoned hands, but the defensive front required a major rebuild. The Cougars landed seven defensive tackles and three defensive ends from the portal.
And they pass the eye test. The new tackles average 282 pounds, with five of them checking in at 6-3 or taller. The new ends average 256 and stand between 6-2 and 6-6.
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"On the defensive line, we went and got some big guys," Larrondo said. "But it wasn't just big guys that could eat up space. We wanted them to be able to push up field, play on the other side of the line of scrimmage, and make life miserable on the quarterback."
LARRONDO TOLD COUGFAN.COM in an interview after the panel discussion that the staff brought 45 transfer portal prospects to Pullman on official visits. He noted that the recruiting process is about more than ability on the field; attitude and drive are critical to what Moore is building.
Larrondo said he had no problem sending several official visitors home early because it was clear they weren't going to fit Washington State's culture and standards.
"When you've got 57 returners, and 35 or 36 new guys, you're trying to blend it together," Larrondo said. "And our intent isn't to take two to three years to get that blended together.
"Our intent is to go win a championship this year, and to put a team together that can do that, and focus on that. So we had to really get to know those guys in a hurry, within 24 hours. They had to do the same with us and build that trust."
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UPON HIS ARRIVAL IN PULLMAN, Larrondo said, he quickly understood the value proposition offered by WSU when he talked with current players. Sitting down with the likes of running back Leo Pulalasi and tight end Trey Leckner was akin to unfurling a blueprint for winning recruiting battles.
"They had opportunities to go elsewhere," Larrondo said. "Part of our role as the staff was to sit down and ask, 'Why did you choose Washington State in the first place? What was it about this place that was special, that you saw that you could become the best football player, the best student, the best son, whatever it is, to be your personal best?'
"When you ask those questions you meet them where they are, which develops a relationship. The answers may have been slightly varied but typically came down to a school with a strong football brand, in a place where they could focus on the most important things, and a fan and alumni base that is extremely passionate about waving the Wazzu flag."
THE GENERAL MANAGER'S ROLE has been in the Washington State football staff directory since 2023, but it's a completely different position in this new era defined by the transfer portal, revenue sharing and NIL.
Originally, it was largely about managing the inflow and outflow of the transfer portal. Now it's a full-blown, NFL-style GM role, where Larrondo must 1) manage what effectively is a salary cap dictated by the money available via revenue sharing; 2) deal with player agents, and; 3) oversee NIL payments.
Above all, Larrondo said he wants to take the negotiating load off Moore, so the coach can focus on having the best relationship he can with his players.
"Coaches really need to focus on coaching the sport, and having that coach-to-player relationship, that coach-to player-parent relationship," Larrondo said. "So the general manager, in my role, can step in and have those conversations, can try to work within the budget realms we have."
Legendary Cougar quarterback Luke Falk noted on the CougsFirst! panel that his father negotiated directly with Mike Leach over an insurance policy for his son going into his senior season and that wound up putting a riff in the relationship between the quarterback and The Pirate. Larrondo is on a mission to prevent that scenario from ever happening to Moore and his staff.
Larrondo told CF.C one aspect he enjoys about being WSU's general manager is negotiations are more relationship-driven; as opposed to his time in the SEC, which felt much more transactional, simply driven by the bottom dollar.
"As a 30-year veteran of college athletics, the purity of the game, holistic approach to being a student-athlete, and the relationships that are developed between the players and staff still drive (me)," Larrondo said. "That's definitely a key reason (why I'm) at Washington State now alongside Kirby Moore."
NOTABLE NOTES:
Larrondo has known Moore since Moore was a senior at Prosser High being recruited by Boise State (where Moore eventually played.) Larrondo was the sports information director at Boise State at the time.
Larrondo was director of football external relations and recruiting at Missouri when head coach Eliah Drinkwitz decided to replace himself as offensive coordinator. Larrondo pushed heavily to bring in Moore, who was the offensive coordinator at Fresno State at the time.
Moore's impact on the Missouri offense was immediate, as the 2023 Tigers went 11-2, culminated by a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. The impact of that success on the broader university was huge, Larrondo said, as applications to the school the following year climbed by 37 percent and enrollment grew by 18 percent.
Cougar football's general manager, Brad Larrondo, speaks to a gathering of WSU partisans at the CougsFirst! Show in Seattle on May 29. (Photo: CougsFirst! screen grab)
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