Blood transferred from the S.E.C when Kirby Moore was hired as the head coach of Cougar football. With NFL aspirations, many may see this as a downgrade. Blood begs to differ.
“I feel like coach Moore is building something special here,” Blood said. “He came from the SEC and brought that mindset with him, so I wanted to be a part of that. It wasn’t just about football, it was about trusting the vision he has for this program.”
Being born and raised down south, coming up to the pacific northwest would be a big change for most. But, Blood says that it has been “smooth” and there are no distractions, just “ball.”
In today’s college athletics life, jumping from school to school is the norm. Not many have felt the effect of this as much as Washington State, having three new football regimes, three athletic directors and over 150 new athletes in the past few years.
“In this new day and age of NIL and college football, it’s kind of normal now,” Blood said. “After my first year, it felt like a new team every year, so I’m kind of used to that. You just have to learn how to adjust quick and build chemistry with the guys around you.”
That chemistry has already started to develop during spring ball, as Blood and his teammates have made an effort to connect outside of practice.
“Before spring, we were hanging out a lot. Going to Spokane, grabbing food, just getting to know each other,” Blood said. “That stuff matters when you get on the field.”
Loyalty is not something most expect in today’s world. Blood is the exception.
Moore was Blood’s offensive coordinator at Missouri. When he got the job as head coach in Pullman, Blood quickly followed. His brother JR Blood, came to WSU as well and is the director of recruiting strategy.
Blood leaving an SEC school could have gone an alternative route and went to a power-four school instead of a revamped Pac-12.
“I trust coach Moore and what he’s doing,” Blood said. “That relationship meant a lot to me, and I knew coming here would give me a chance to grow on and off the field. It wasn’t a hard decision once I really thought about it.”
As Washington State prepares for a new era, Blood believes the foundation being built will show on the field and in the stands.
“I am excited for the new Pac-12,” Blood said. “I feel like people should really come out and see what we’re building here.”
