TCU head coach Sonny Dykes and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley are making sure the memory of their mentor is in plain sight at the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday.

All TCU players will wear a pirate flag on their helmets as a tribute to late Mississippi State coach Mike Leach.

“I think that’s going to be a big part of my feelings pregame, just the impact Mike had on my life and really college football in general,” Dykes said at a joint press conference with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Friday. “I’m sure there’ll be a little bit of shoutout to Coach Leach before I take the field, just what he meant to me personally in my life. I certainly wouldn’t be here without his guidance or mentorship and the huge impact he had on my life.”

Dykes was an assistant coach who worked with Leach at Texas Tech and Kentucky. Riley played quarterback for the Red Raiders on Leach’s watch. Leach died from a heart condition on Dec. 12 at age 61.

“He was just an original guy that did things his way, outside-the-box thinker and I just was really blessed and fortunate to have a chance to work with him,” Dykes said.

–Field Level Media