Washington wide receivers coach Jimmie Dougherty will be the next offensive coordinator at San Jose State, according to multiple reports. Neither school would confirm the reports.
Dougherty is the second Washington assistant to leave since the Huskies’ 28-26 loss to Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl last Saturday. Running backs coach Joel Thomas left Monday to take the same position at Arkansas.
Like Thomas, Dougherty was part of head coach Steve Sarkisian’s original staff when he took over in late 2008. Now, just two assistants remain from that group: offensive line coach Dan Cozzetto and assistant head coach/recruiting/special teams Johnny Nansen.
The Spartans hired Ron Caragher as their new head coach Dec. 17 after Mike MacIntyre accepted Colorado’s offer to coach the Buffaloes. Dougherty previously worked two seasons under Caragher at the University of San Diego.
It’s an interesting shift for Washington. Sarkisian lauded the continuity of his staff the first three seasons on the job before last season’s purge of the defensive staff. During the first three seasons, Sarkisian often said how difficult it was to keep assistants. The past two offseasons are proving that to be true.
todd.dybas@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/uwsports @Todd_Dybas
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