It's been almost three years since Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach passed away at 61. Three years later, he's on the verge of being cemented among the games' greats.

On Thursday, Leach officially became eligible for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame thanks to a technicality, per Brett McMurphy of Action Network.

The threshold for coaches was to have a 60% winning percentage. By 2027, that percentage is lowered to 59.5%.

Leach has a winning percentage of 59.6%, exactly one percentage point over.

Leach coached for 21 seasons. He was the helm at Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State.

At Texas Tech, Leach ushered in the “Air Raid offense” and became the winningest coach in program history with 84 wins. In 2023, Leach was posthumously inducted into the Texas Tech Football Hall of Fame.

For seven years, he turned Washington State around and led them to numerous bowl appearances.

Then, Leach coached at Mississippi State for two seasons. He implemented the “Air Raid” offense and leading them to a victory in the 2022 Egg Bowl over Ole Miss 24-22.

A few weeks later, he passed away from a heart attack. Overall, Leach left behind an indelible impact on the game.

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Mike Leach's legacy as a coach

Leach succeed virtually everywhere he went. On the whole, he was an innovator who used cutting edge strategies into his body of work.

The “Air Raid” offense emphasized high passing and spreading the defense a round. A tactic that would later be adopted by other programs.

Leach developed future NFL quarterbacks including Gardner Minshew, Luke Falk, Graham Harrell, Jeff Tuel, and Connor Halliday.

In addition, Leach influenced coaches such as Lincoln Riley at USC and Kliff Kingsbury of the Washington Commanders to utilize his strategies.

He was also known for his often eccentric and witty personality that endeared him to so many.