PASCO – About 35 miles from where he rewrote the Washington state high school receiving record book, Prosser alum Kirby Moore brough his new team to town.

Three-and-a-half months into the job as Washington State football coach and on the third day of spring drills, Moore had the Cougars practice for nearly two hours Saturday at Pasco’s Edgar Brown.

Players and coaches then put on a kids camp for a good chunk of the several hundred in attendance.

The afternoon seemed to serve as much of an injection of pride for a fan base left standing in the game of conference musical chairs as it did a football practice.

“I wanted to make sure we got around the state from a fund-raising standpoint, an alumni standpoint,” Moore said. “We want to make sure we make an effort to come to them.”

The energetic 35-year-old got his steps in Saturday, orchestrating the station-by-station practice that rotated every five minutes capped by live plays minus the tackling.

Moore’s hiring continued a steady trajectory that has had him working on the staffs of coaches like Chris Petersen, Jeff Tedford, Kalen DeBoer and Eli Drinkwitz, under whom he served as offensive coordinator the last three years.

When Jimmy Rogers ditched the Cougars for Iowa State after one year, going for the position was no-brainer for Moore.

“This was really on his radar and the interview process went pretty smooth,” said Tom Moore, Kirby’s father, the Hall of Fame coach who made the Mustangs a state power, winning four championships, the final of which in 2007 featured his youngest son at receiver.

“There was no doubt if he was offered, he was going to take it.”

Enthusiasm around the program felt an expected bump that comes with a new coach, perhaps a bit more with a veritable local taking the reins.

It was even enough to push a former University of Washington player to don the Cougar colors, albeit without the familiar logo.

“I only do this for a few people, and Kirby is one of them,” said fellow Prosser alum and prolific receiver Cody Bruns, sporting a raglan T-shirt with three-quarter crimson sleeves.

Bruns had been as close to the Moore coaching legacy as anyone.

He was an all-state receiver for Tom Moore, caught passes from Kellen Moore, the left-handed quarterback who was a Heisman finalist at Boise State before climbing the NFL coaching ranks to become New Orleans Saints coach, and won a championship playing with Kirby.

So the nine months in which the brothers earned their first head coaching jobs seemed more of a when than if for Bruns.

“It doesn’t surprise me one bit,” he said. “It’s surreal and it’s awesome, and so cool to follow them, but they were born to do this. Football is in their blood.

“You knew they were destined for this.”

And he understands the crimson enthusiasm.

“He’s getting the hype going and getting everybody excited, especially with everybody in this area.” Bruns said.

Moore wants that all over the state, and has Washington broken into nine recruiting areas for his assistant.

“We want to make the state an emphasis,” he said. “I think there’s something to be said when the fans know who’s on the field. That’s where it’s gotta start.”

To that end, Moore – with former Oregon State head coach and new WSU defensive coordinator leading the charge – and the Cougars pried former Davis star and state Player of the Year Lance McGee, who led Sumner to a Class 4A championship repeat, away from the Beavers.

There is one drawback, however. Travel for the eldest Coach Moore and wild Kris will need more planning. Trips from their New Orleans home to catch Kirby’s games is no longer a 10-hour drive.

They’ve built a home in Richland, and will sketch out plans for fall later this spring.

“We’ll wait until the NFL schedule comes out and we’ll have to figure it out,” Tom said.

It’s a minor hiccup, if any, in the next step of the coaching journey.

“It’s been awesome,” Kirby said. “Football will take you anywhere and everywhere.”