Here’s the 10th of 12 spring previews rolling out over the course of six weeks.
(Coming next: Washington.)
This preview follows the same general format as those previously published, with tweaks to reflect specific situations.
Links to prior installments:
Colorado
Stanford
Utah
USC
UCLA
Oregon
ASU
Cal
Arizona
WASHINGTON STATE
Spring starts: March 22
Spring game: April 21 (1 p.m., Pac-12 Networks)
*** The big picture.
It’s muddled, extraordinarily so, due to a barrage of offseason personnel moves — most of them unavoidable and one of them heartbreaking.
The departures of 19 seniors from the two deep and a handful of assistant coaches/coordinators, combined with Tyler Hilinski’s death, leave the Cougars with as many questions for spring practice and fall camp as any team in the conference.
At stake: The momentum they’ve built over the past three seasons (26 total wins and a 19-8 mark in conference).
For WSU — as is the case for Oregon State and a few other programs — the margin for error is remarkably thin.
One offseason of heavy attrition can hit the depth chart with enough force to cause a multi-year setback.
We’re about to find out just how well the Cougars have recruited: Is the talent pipeline solid enough to prevent a steep backslide?
*** Coach: Mike Leach
Five-year win total: 6-3-9-8-9
Contract status: Signed through 2022
Heat index: The Cougars can’t do any better, but it’s hardly unreasonable to wonder if Leach believes he has taken the program as far as it can go. (He reportedly was interested in the Tennessee vacancy.)
His work in Pullman has been first rate, but the North is only getting more competitive with Oregon’s resurgence and Cal’s improvement.
*** Personnel moves
Coaching staff additions for 2018: Tracy Claeys (defensive coordinator), Kendrick Shaver (safeties), Darcel McBath (cornerbacks), Matt Brock (outside linebackers), Steve Spurrier Jr. (outside receivers), Mason Miller (offensive line)
Org chart change: The key change came at defensive coordinator, where WSU must replace Alex Grinch, mastermind of the defensive turnaround and commander of the so-called ‘Speed D.’
Into those sizable footsteps walks Claeys, a former Big Ten head coach (Minnesota) who has vowed to keep speed as the foundation of the Cougars’ unit and maintain the essence of Grinch’s playbook.
Any other course would be ill-advised, given that WSU has recruited to Grinch’s system for several years.
Key losses: OT Cody O’Connell, G Cole Madison, QB Luke Falk, RB Jamal Morrow, DL Hercules Mata’afa, LB Frankie Luvu, K Erik Powell
Essential addition (true freshman): RB Max Borghi
The versatile rookie from the Denver suburbs looks a bit like a former Pac-12 star from the Denver suburbs. If he can play a bit like Christian McCaffrey, the Cougars will add a crucial dimension to their offense.
The No. 7 all-purpose prospect nationally in the class of 2018 (per 247sports), Borghi enrolled in December and is on the field this spring.
That gives the coaching staff 15 extra practices to figure out how to best make use of his skills.
Essential non-addition addition I: LB Peyton Pelluer
Granted a sixth year of eligibility after a season-ending foot injury, Pelluer provides essential experience and playmaking ability to the heart of a defense that is reloading on the line.
If healthy, he’s one of the five best linebackers in the conference.
Essential non-addition addition II: RB Keith Harrington
Played extensively in 2015, then saw his role diminish for two years.
With the Cougars in need of depth at running back — and receiving options out of the backfield — Harrington could be used often on third down.
At 5-foot-8 and 200 pounds, he’s sturdy, quick and ideally suited to make the first defender miss in the open field.
Limited (at best) for spring: No major injuries.
Star in the making: WR Davontavean Martin
I considered safety Jalen Thompson for this spot, because he’s not a familiar name to many fans across the Pac-12 footprint. But Thompson was a second-team all-conference pick in 2017 — he’s more established than fledgling playmaker.
Martin certainly qualifies. In his only start last year, the Holiday Bowl, he produced seven catches and two touchdowns.
That the 6-foot-3 sophomore plays a position of need — the Cougars lost their top-two receivers, Tavares Martin and Isaiah Johnson-Mack — merely adds to his potential value.
QB comfort level (1-10 scale): 1 for spring practice, 4 for training camp
Hilinski’s death leaves the Cougars with five quarterbacks on the spring roster and not a lick of game experience among them.
Cammon Cooper, a touted freshman, will participate in spring, but that’s about the only encouraging development for the unit, at least in the short term.
Gardner Minshew, a graduate transfer from East Carolina with 500+ passes on his resume, will join the program in May and should compete for the starting job.
His presence will make the situation slightly less desperate.
*** Unit in the spotlight: Offensive line
A strong case could be made here for the defensive line, which must replace Mata’afa and dependable nose tackle Daniel Ekuale.
But I settled on the offensive line as the unit of highest priority/greatest concern because of the two-tiered issue:
WSU is replacing three starters up front and will have a new quarterback — either a pure rookie or a newcomer to the system (Minshew).
The season, it seems, depends greatly on the speed with which the line coalesces.
Two key players in that process are Robert Valencia, a former JC transfer (City College of San Francisco), and redshirt freshman Abraham Lucas, who could be a multi-year starting left tackle.
*** Bottom line on the Cougars.
Combine production, experience and leadership, and the Cougars were hit harder by attrition than any team in the conference.
They didn’t merely lose 19 seniors off the two-deep; they lost the players at the heart of their ascent. (That list starts with Falk, of course, but it winds through every unit.)
There are far too many issues to be solved in 15 spring practices, but even partial clarity on the lines of scrimmage will make March and April a success.
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