Four names could top Wulff's OL coaching list

WASHINGTON STATE CONFIRMED today that offensive line coach Harold Etheridge will not be returning to Paul Wulff's staff in 2010. The question now turns to who will be his replacement.

A speedy process to name the new o-line coach might not be in the cards. Wulff and most of the coaches are currently on break for the holidays. And with recruiting set to enter the final home stretch it is expected that seven WSU coaches, possibly including Wulff, will fly out Sunday night to hit the recruiting trail when the in-home visitation period opens back up.

Among those who could loom as potential coaching prospects to replace Etheridge, a quick list includes four notables who also have ties to WSU:

Steve Morton: Played at Washington State and coached the o-line under Jim Walden. Morton has been coaching for 35 years and 10 of those were at Washington State. He recently completed his fifth season as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at San Jose State but head man Dick Tomey retired and new coach Mike MacIntyre is thought to be mostly filling his staff with his deep connections in the East and South. He also has a combined 10 years Pac-10 experience as an assistant coach with Washington, USC and Stanford.

Jim Michalczik: An offensive lineman who played with Washington State in the '80s, he lined up with Wulff, and his college coaching stops have included Miami 1990-91, Montana State 1992-98, Oregon State 1999-2001 and California 2002-08. He also was hired as Washington's offensive coordinator in late 2008 by Steve Sarkisian but left the Huskies just two months later to coach the Oakland Raiders o-line. With Oakland head man Tom Cable going through a tumultuous season, speculation that he, and presumably his entire staff, will be let go at season's end has been growing in the Bay Area.

Keith Gilbertson: A longtime coaching fixture throughout the West Coast, Gilbertson was much lauded for his work as an assistant with the Huskies' and Seahawks' offensive lines. No stranger to the Palouse, he served as the head man at Idaho, as well as at California and Washington. Gilbertson at Idaho went 28-9 from 1986-88 before leaving in 1989 to become the o-line coach for three seasons at UW under Don James, adding o-coordinator duties in '91. He's served two stints with with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, the first for three seasons (1996–98) under Dennis Erickson. He returned to the Seahawks' staff under Mike Holmgren from 2005-2008 before Holmgren stepped down this past year. He was also the assistant head coach at Washington before assuming the UW top job in 2003, which he held for two seasons before being dismissed. Gilbertson lives in the Seattle area, and his son David is a walk-on quarterback at WSU while daughter Krissy also attends Washington State.

Jason McEndoo: A star player on the Cougars' '98 Rose Bowl team, McEndoo recently completed his sixth season as offensive line coach at Montana State. He's mentored two All-America picks and five first team all-conference selections. Prior to his joining the MSU staff, he coached three years in the Washington prep ranks, at Lake Washington and Mt. Spokane. He was thought to be a finalist for the OL job at Washington State when Ethridge was tabbed two years ago.

NOTABLE NOTE:
Washington State is not expected to make any further staff changes beyond the offensive line position.