How Mike Leach's legacy is still felt from Mississippi State to Texas high school football

STARKVILLE — Clint Hartman saw the quirkiness that separated Mike Leach from his peers.

There was much more.

A teacher.

And a football coach.

“I remember when I watched him practice -- a really, really good football coach,” Hartman, the coach of Midland (Texas) Legacy High School, told the Clarion Ledger.

From attending practices during Leach’s tenure at Texas Tech, Hartman got a first-hand look at the mastermind who, with the help of Hal Mumme, created one of the most prolific and influential offenses in football.

Yet, in typical Leach fashion, the science to the Air Raid was simple to the point where a high school in Midland could incorporate its concepts. However, Hartman was skeptical at first of his ability to implement Leach’s offense into his system.

“The first thing he told me was, ‘In the vert game, we’re going to read it,’ ” Hartman said. “I thought, ‘You want me to go teach high school kids to read?’ ”

As long as the gameplan was created properly, Leach told him, the offense would always be right. So Hartman gave it a shot. One spring, he tried incorporating Air Raid concepts into his offense.

“Hell, I think we can do it,” he realized about a week in.

Hartman is one of many coaches to take concepts from Leach’s work. From the high school level to the NFL, the former Mississippi State coach’s legacy is still evident on the field even a year after his death on Dec. 12.

“I’m sure it’s affected everybody around the nation,” Hartman said. “We’ll never know the depth or magnitude of it. There’s no way.”

Implementing Mike Leach’s offense in high school

Had Hartman not gone up to Lubbock to spend time with Leach, he says he wouldn’t have had the guts to implement the Air Raid concepts.

Leach had an open-door policy with players, but he was also open to allowing high school coaches from across the state to attend practices. The extent of his coaching tree also helped spread his knowledge.

Hartman is close with Graham Harrell, a former quarterback at Texas Tech who is now the offensive coordinator at Purdue. While implementing Air Raid concepts, Hartman was unsure if his staff could properly implement Y-Sail.

The next day, Harrell came to Hartman’s office because he was recruiting a receiver.

“Just the man I wanted to see,” Hartman said.

Football is complex, but Leach’s ability to simplify his offense stood out. During a class he taught at Mississippi State, he explained his goal as just finding open grass. When an assistant suggested a run-pass option, Hartman said, Leach asked why they wouldn’t just call a pass play.

That simplistic approach caught on with those he mentored, such as Harrell. That’s why Hartman wanted to see him.

Mike Leach’s relationship with quarterbacks

Rockwall High School coach Trey Brooks looked forward to hearing from former player Braedyn Locke, who played for Leach at Mississippi State before transferring to Wisconsin a year ago.

Brooks knew the relationship Leach had with his quarterbacks, so he anticipated the unique tales Locke would have shared. It’s that bond with quarterbacks that helped Leach’s offenses thrive.

“That’s why (Locke) went to Mississippi State,” Brooks said.

For as vast as Leach's coaching tree is − including a distant branch of new Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby − it's also strong. Will Rogers, who spent the past four seasons as MSU’s quarterback before entering the transfer portal, is second in career passing yards among SEC quarterbacks. In the NFL, former Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew has led the Indianapolis Colts to a playoff charge despite an injury to starter Anthony Richardson.

Leach's quarterbacks often received the label of “system player” but he never bought into it. If Air Raid concepts are used throughout the sport, why should his quarterbacks be punished for thriving under him?

Y-Cross is among the most popular concepts in Texas high school football to come from the Air Raid. With a receiver running a deep route to occupy a safety, a slot receiver or tight end can cut across the middle of the field for open space.

The state is a hotbed for recruiting quarterbacks. Their knowledge of the Air Raid at an early age is one of the reasons why.

“We’ve had several quarterbacks that have gone to play at the next level,” Brooks said. “Everybody runs some version of Y-Cross, for example. It definitely helps, and guys are more familiar with those types of concepts.”

Mike Leach did things his way

Hartman praised Leach’s hard-nose approach, saying players had to be built a certain way to play for him. However, that comfort in pushing players came from a familial approach away from game, Hartman says.

“When he lined up in practice, he changed,” Hartman said. “He was Coach Leach. I think off the field, for lack of a better term, he was Mike. I think those kids knew he was straightforward and cared about them. He was fair.”

BOATS, BIKES AND BARSTOOLS: How Key West became memorable part of Mike Leach's life

Hartman praises the football mastermind that Leach was, but that’s where his personality also mattered. Leach wasn’t bothered by new trends or criticisms of his offense.

When he was hired at MSU, many questioned if the Air Raid could work in the SEC. It worked at Texas Tech and Washington State, but could it lead to wins in the toughest college conference? Leach’s last MSU team won nine games, including a victory over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl.

“Coach Leach just showed that you can be yourself,” Hartman said. “I just don’t think there will ever be another one of him.”

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mike Leach's impact still felt at Mississippi State, Texas high schools