It appears that WSU has found its new defensive line coach: Jeff Phelps, who previously held the same position at Minnesota, will be replacing Joe Salave’a, according to a report by Cougfan.com.
WSU has not officially confirmed the hire, and is not expected to for some time, according to the story.
Phelps, who had been at Minnesota since 2011, oversaw a unit in 2016 that performed exceptionally well by virtually any statistical measure — and in a conference that is known for its physical play. The Golden Gophers ranked in the top 30 in virtually all of Bill Connelly’s rushing metrics, and 16th overall in “adjusted line yards,” a metric that aims to assign credit/blame to the lines.