Happy Thursday Cougs!
It’s funny really, how year after year we get caught up in all these “star” rating systems for recruits. Then, year after year, a player comes along and completely puts them to shame. Whether it’s a 5-star recruit falling on his face, or a 2-star lighting the world on fire, it is proven that recruiting is not an exact science.
Paul Wulff essentially gave recruiting services a slap in the face last year when he landed a skinny wide receiver from Tulare, CA by the name of Marquess Wilson. You might of heard of him, all he did was was light it up for over a 1,000 yards and earn Freshman All-American honors, but you wouldn’t know that by the stars by his name as a high school senior. He was a 3-star by the skin of his teeth according to Rivals.com and Scout.com and he wasn’t even evaluated by ESPN. Now, he’s the backbone of one of the most talented receiving corps we’ve ever had at WSU.
How talented are they? Well when asked about the impact of the redshirting freshman on a recent chat with the Seattle Times, Bill Moos offered up this little nugget…“…I also understand from conversations with the wide receiver coach and former Cougar great Mike Levenseller that our receiver corps is the best he has had during his long tenure at Washington State. Two that come to mind that Kristoff Williams and Bobby Ratliff.”
The best he’s EVER had? Let’s consider that for a moment…
Mike Levenseller has been coaching Cougar wide receivers for 19 years. He’s coached groups like the “Fab 5” of 1997: Chris Jackson, Nian Taylor, Kevin McKenzie, Shawn Tims, and Shawn McWashington. He coached 3 NFL players on the same team at one point when Jason Hill, Michael Bumpus, and Brandon Gibson all donned the Crimson and Gray.
…And this will be the most talented WR corps he’s ever coached? Jeff Tuel must be licking his chops.
Now, the tight ends…well, not so much. The production from the TE position was so horrendous last season that Todd Sturdy essentially took it out of the offense all together. Heading into spring, I’ll give you a breakdown of where we stand from our Cougar pass-catchers.
The Stats (Returning Players):
Marquess Wilson: 55 REC, 1006 YDS, 6 TD, 18.3 AVG
Jared Karstetter: 62 REC, 658 YDS, 7 TD, 10.6 AVG
Isiah Barton: 19 REC, 165 YDS, 0 TD, 8.7 AVG
Gino Simone: 13 REC, 132 YDS, 0 TD, 10.2 AVG
Andrei Lintz: 1 REC, 4 YDS, TD, 4.0 AVG
Seniors:
Jared Karstetter: Despite playing on some of the most anemic offenses in Cougar history, Karstetter has managed to put up some pretty good numbers in his career. If he stays healthy this season, he has a great chance to pass the 2,000 career yard mark. At 6-4 and 210 lbs, he is a big and physical wide receiver who has established himself as a starter and the go-to guy in the red-zone.
Isiah Barton: Barton was a JC transfer who never really found his grove last season. Although, with Daniel Blackledge and Jeffrey Solomon both graduating, Barton has a great chance to step into a bigger role if he can acclimate to Pac-10 football.
Juniors:
Gino Simone: As a true freshman, Gino showed flashes of why he was the Cougs’ top recruit in 2009. He began to build a good chemistry with Jeff Tuel and looked like he could be a very productive slot receiver in 2010. That was until the injury bug hit. He was hampered all season by concussions and hamstring issues in 2010. With all the talent behind him, he’ll need to be healthy if he wants to stay atop the depth chart in 2011.
Andrei Lintz (TE): Lintz caught the only pass by a tight end last year that also happened to be a touchdown. However, he was never able to be counted on consistently and his snaps vanished as the season went on. He’ll have to have a good spring and offseason to regain the coaches trust.
Skylar Stormo (TE): Stormo played as a redshirt freshman in 2009, but was almost non-existent this year. He has excellent hands, but has not been able to put it together quite yet at the Pac-10 level. Like Lintz, he will have to have a good offseason if he wants to consistently see the field in 2011.
Sophomores:
Marquess Wilson: Need I say more? At season’s end, Marquess found his name on the Sporting News’ Freshman All-American Team with the likes of Aaron Murray, Marcus Lattimore, and Seantrel Henderson. Wilson played last season at 175 lbs (soaking wet), so with a year in a Pac-10 weight room and some increased competition at the position, the sky is the limit with Marquess.
Redshirt Freshman:
Kristoff Williams: As noted by Bill Moos, there are a lot of high hopes for this young man. Some reports out of fall camp last year said that Williams was BETTER than Marquess Wilson and both were expected to make an impact. However, Williams suffered through a nasty bout with turf toe and had to redshirt. At 6-2 and 210 lbs, he is a big and physical receiver who will make an impact in 2011.
Bobby Ratliff: Ratliff was actually a higher rated recruit than Marquess according to most services, but he redshirted in 2010. He is a very natural receiver with good hands and good size (6-1). With a productive spring and a solid summer in the weight room, he could potentially beat out Isiah Barton on the depth chart.
Blair Bomber: At 5-8 and 160 lbs, Bomber doesn’t look the part of a D-1 football player. That is, until he steps on the field. I know for a fact that the coaching staff loves this young man and he has been tabbed by Paul Wulff to make an impact in the slot next year. He absolutely lit up the 1st team defense while running with the scout team in 2010.
Aaron Dunn (TE): Of all the redshirts, we need the most from Aaron Dunn. He was our highest rated recruit of the 2010 class and was hoping to make an immediate impact, until he broke his wrist in fall camp. Dunn will be counted on to help add some talent and consistency to the Tight End position in order for the coaching staff to bring it back into the offense.
True Freshman:
Rahmel Dockery: Lightning. That’s the word best used to describe this young man. Rahmel is a freakish athlete who could play either corner or wide receiver, but with his playmaking ability the coaching staff couldn’t help but hand him over to fellow Curtis High School alum Mike Levenseller. If he qualifies academically, he could play right away. He will also be a huge help in the return game.
Henry Eaddy: The coaching staff is hoping that Eaddy can turn into a James Rodgers type for them down the road. He’s an electric athlete who is already enrolled in school and will participate in spring ball. Like Dockery, Eaddy could also give a huge boost in the return game as well and has been singled out by the coaching staff as a freshman who could play right away.
Isaiah Myers: Myers is also enrolled at WSU and will participate in spring ball. With the depth we have at the position, I suspect he will redshirt. However, Wulff loves his potential and even compared him to Marquess Wilson.
Dominique Williams: Williams was an under-the-radar prospect who saw his stock soar as a senior, typical of a Paul Wulff recruit. When the vultures came around on signing day, Williams kept his pledge to the Cougs and he looks to be a good one down the road. He is a legitimate 6-4, and dominated in high school despite regularly seeing double and triple teams. He will likely redshirt in 2011.
Max Hersey: Dominated at offensive and defensive line for Curtis High School, but he will play TE/H-Back for WSU. He will likely redshirt this year.
Mansel Simmons: Mansel is an intriguing prospect that the Cougs landed on signing day. He is definitely a project, but his speed and athleticism could pay huge dividends down the road if he develops properly. He will likely gray-shirt or redshirt in 2011.
Final Thoughts:
This is probably the deepest position of any we have on the entire football team. There will be some intense competition this spring and fall for each and every snap, something we haven’t been able to say for a few years. Competition only breeds success, and if this group can push each other to be at their best, then they could potentially be special. Add that to the fact that we have one of the Pac-12’s brightest young Quarterbacks, and the production in the pass game could make the 2011 Cougars an aerial force to be reckoned with.
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