Arizona D-Line coach Joe Salave’a ‘so grateful’ for time at Washington State

PULLMAN, Washington — Arizona defensive line coach Joe Salave’a will always have a profound respect for Washington State.

Salave’a has been to Gesa Field at Martin Stadium in Pullman several times as an opposing player and coach.

“There’s certain venues, like this one here in Pullman, it has a mystique about it,” Salave’a said. “It’s a true college town.”

It’s also a place Salave’a called home for five seasons as a defensive line coach and associate head coach from 2012-16. Salave’a worked under “Air-Raid” offense pioneer and head coach Mike Leach, who went 55-47 (36-36 in Pac-12 play) at Washington State from 2012-19.

Salave’a recruited and mentored Washington State defensive end Hercules Mata’afa, who became a Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American. The Hawaii native was also named the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year.

In 2017, Salave’a joined head coach Mario Cristobal’s staff at Oregon from 2017-21 and in Miami from 2022-24, before returning to his alma mater, Arizona, where he was an All-Pac-10 defensive lineman in 1997.

Washington State was also Salave’a’s final loss as a Wildcat. In Salave’a’s senior season in ‘97, Arizona lost to Washington State, 35-34, in overtime at Martin Stadium in Pullman. Arizona attempted to win with a two-point conversion, but was stopped short.

“You’ll never forget those,” Salave’a said. “In hindsight, it’s a reminder that when you go up there, you need to bring your hardhat and blue-collar shirt, because it’s that kind of game. … You better show up, compete and get after it, because they don’t make it easy.”

Arizona won the final four games of the 1997 season, including the Insight.com Bowl at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats beat a New Mexico Lobos team that had Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher and UA defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales, who was a safety for UNM.

Salave’a finds himself on the visiting sideline again in Pullman. Arizona’s defensive line coach joined ESPN Tucson’s “Spears & Ali” to reflect on his time at Washington State:

What were those five seasons like for you in Pullman under Leach?

A: “There was a lot of work that needed to be done. It didn’t have the amenities like everybody else in the Pac-10 at the time. But with Coach Leach, it was awesome. I’m so grateful for coach for letting me be a part of that stuff. I went to work and started recruiting. The school in itself has history with success, from the ‘Palouse Posse’ (in the 1990s) with (defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer) and (head coach Mike Price).

“They had that thing cracking. Outside of the Palouse Posse, there was another group down here in Arizona in the ‘Desert Swarm.’ It was always a dogfight. Fast forward to our time under Leach, we had to reestablish the identity and get players that fit the Palouse. I’m so happy Coach Leach allowed me to recruit and get guys from the islands there.”

How was it like working for an entertaining character like Leach?

A: “I know for sure he’s not the same as 80 or 90% of the coaches in the profession. For Mike, it was more than football. He allowed us to do our thing on the defensive side of things. He was always great and kind to my family during our time there.

“Having Coach Leach in the conference was like, ‘What the heck is going on?’ … They gave the Palouse another opportunity to rekindle the magic that Mike Price had there. I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of that.”

How do you reflect on the time recruiting and developing someone like Hercules Mata’afa?

A: “Pullman is not one of those big-city places. You have to identify certain characteristics in a football player. You couldn’t just go get flashy talent, because of the location and the dynamic of that. But Hercules Mata’afa, Frankie Luvu, Destiny Vaeao, those guys needed to be in the program. They were your blue-collar, throwback type of players.

“It worked out well, because the development piece was at the forefront. Coach Leach was gracious enough to allow me to develop those guys. Those guys instantaneously moved the needle for what we were trying to establish there.”

How did your time at Washington State prepare you for future stops at Oregon, Miami and now Arizona?

A: “There’s still a premium at not looking at what you don’t have and embracing what you have and go to work. You can certainly put together a blueprint and development plan from Year 1 to Year 2 and I’m grateful to be a part of that. Part of my coaching journey is how I was raised as a high school and collegiate football player. You gotta identify the type of prospect you’re recruiting.

“They gotta have mental toughness and you gotta find as much as you can with their background. Then you gotta pour into those young men on the daily and you have to connect. We didn’t come into a well-stocked program. We had to build it from the ground up and put the wiring and cement on the floor, but it was gratifying to see a guy like Hercules, who was under-recruited, and came in and became a freshman All-American and live out his dream in the (NFL) for a couple of years.

“With all of the things that are happening in this profession and the different components in collegiate athletics, it still comes down to development and fit. When we got there, it was about getting the right players into Pullman. … It’s about how you teach, educate, empower and inspire those players. That will never change.”