Three years ago, head coach Mike Leach took over as head ball coach of the Washington State Cougars. In the process, Leach began a journey to fulfill his vision to return the Cougars back to Pac-12 relevancy. Despite not coaching for the three years prior, Leach has been able to improve the overall direction of the program, and in 2013, helped earned their first bowl game appearance since 2003. Nonetheless, Washington State struggled to a 3-9 record in 2014, but Leach’s long-term aspirations took a major hit when the team dismissed leading tackler Daquawn Brown from the team.
According to CougFan.com, the defensive back was dismissed from the program for a reported violation of team rules prior to the winter break. The school, however, did not further comment on the decision and it remains unclear what exactly the violations entailed.
In 2014, Brown recorded 82 tackles and 11 pass breakups and was one of the lone consistencies in a rather tumultuous year. Brown earned Pac-12 honorable mention for his outstanding performance, while starting 11 of 12 games. On top of the loss of Brown, Leach will have to replace cornerback Kevin Griffin, who elected to leave the program. Leach will rely on an influx of youth to his secondary as well as coaching knowledge to improve a defense that ranked 11th in the conference.
While attending WSU, Brown had several run-ins with the law, including one last March where he was booked on charges of second degree misdemeanor assault. He later pleaded guilty to both of those charges before being eventually arrested for operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license. The eventual demise of Brown’s tenure at WSU should come as no real surprise to fans and it appears unlikely any top program would give Brown another chance.
*Section Photo credit to William Mancebo, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to James Snook, USA Today Sports.
