College football fans, rejoice, the rumors are true: HBO is doing a behind-the-scenes-access show similar to "Hard Knocks" with an NCAA team.
Washington State will be the subject of the documentary television series, something the team's Twitter account acknowledged Saturday and coach Mike Leach addressed at practice Friday.
This should be fun! #GoCougs #JoinTheHunt pic.twitter.com/w08jW8IwkT
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) August 17, 2019
No additional details have been released, but it was reported earlier in the week that HBO was in discussions with Washington State, Arizona State, Alabama and Penn State to be the subject of the series.
Leach had not told his team about the show prior to Friday's practice, but players began noticing HBO cameras around the practice facility, per The Spokesman-Review.
“Hard Knocks” has descended on #WSU. Sounds like a deal still hasn’t been finalized, but all signs are pointing to the HBO program featuring the Cougars this fall. pic.twitter.com/Lfv29xqDlT
— Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_SR) August 17, 2019
"It’s all right," Leach said he told his players. "Just ignore them. Practice ignoring the cameras, because they want a genuine look and we’re not going to get our work done unless we effectively ignore one another."
MORE: How NFL teams have fared after appearing on 'Hard Knocks'
While it's unclear how much of the series will be centered around the players, Leach and his colorful personality are likely to be a predominant element.
"I don't care, it's just cameras," offensive lineman Abe Lucas said. "It doesn’t matter to me. Half the time there's so many cameras out here and I don’t know what they’re for, so I don't care."
The Cougars' confirmation doesn't preclude the other schools under consideration from also being featured. Penn State coach James Franklin confirmed the school was in discussions with HBO when he spoke to the media at practice on Wednesday.
"It's great that we're in that conversation, but no decisions have been made at this time," Franklin said. "At this point, we haven’t made a decision, but once we have all the details, we can make a decision at that point.”
HBO is following the NFL's Oakland Raiders through their 2019 preseason for the 14th season of "Hard Knocks."