PULLMAN - Jeff Choate and Eric Russell, a pair of St. Maries High graduates, are among the coaching staff announced Friday by new Washington State football coach Mike Leach.

Choate, the former Post Falls High football coach who most recently was an assistant coach at Boise State, will coach linebackers. Russell will be assistant head coach/special teams coordinator.

Others new to the Cougar staff will be Dave Emerick (chief of staff), Mike Breske (defensive coordinator/defensive backs), Jim Mastro (running backs), Clay McGuire (offensive line), Eric Morris (inside receivers), Joe Salave'a (defensive line), Dennis Simmons (outside receivers), Paul Volero (outside linebackers) and Antonio Huffman (director of football operations).

"This group of assistant coaches is hard working and one that I have a high level of comfort with," Leach said. "Each one has had success at a high level and brings a tremendous passion to Washington State. Having worked with many of them previously, the communication element is already in place, they understand my vision and this will be a staff that works well together."

Choate has spent the past six seasons at Boise State where he coached special teams and nickel backs (2010-11), linebackers (2009) and running backs (2006-08). He joined Boise State after spending one season as Eastern Illinois' special teams coach as the Panthers finished the 2005 season first in the Ohio Valley Conference. Prior to that Choate spent two years as the special teams coach at Utah State, also working with the defensive line and safeties before becoming the special teams coach. A 1993 graduate of Montana Western, Choate coached high school football for eight seasons prior to Utah State.

Russell arrives at Washington State after spending the last two seasons at Tennessee, where he was the special teams/tight ends coach. Prior to that he spent one season as special teams coordinator on Leach’s staff at Texas Tech (2009), following two years (2007-08) in a similar position at Louisiana Tech. Russell served 13 seasons (1994-2006) at North Texas, including five as special teams coach, helping lead the program to four consecutive Sun Belt Conference titles. He began his career as a graduate assistant at New Mexico (1993) and Idaho (1991), where he earned a degree in public relations.

Emerick reunites with Leach following a two-year stint as the assistant director, operations and director of on-campus recruiting at Arizona.

Breske is a 30-year coaching veteran who has spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator/safeties coach at the University of Montana.

Mastro, a veteran in the collegiate coaching ranks for more than two decades, joined Leach’s staff after spending the 2011 campaign as tight ends and F-backs coach at UCLA.

McGuire arrives in Pullman having spent the past two years as running backs coach and special teams coordinator at East Carolina.

Morris played for Leach from 2005-08. He has spent the past two seasons as an offensive graduate assistant at Houston, which led the nation in passing, total offense and scoring in 2011.

Salave’a is in his fourth year of collegiate coaching following a nine-year NFL career.

Simmons returns to a familiar role on Leach’s staff as the outside receivers coach after spending the previous two seasons (2010-11) in a similar position at East Carolina.

Volero last coached collegiately during the 2009 season when he was the defensive ends/special teams coach at Central Michigan.

Huffman arrives in Pullman following two seasons at East Carolina.