Happy Sunday Cougar Fans! With Spring football finally starting to heat up and the release of new football uniforms coming tomorrow, I have some wsufootballblog EXCLUSIVE breaking news to report. One of the benefits of living in Pullman and going to school at Wazzu is the relationships you can build with Division One athletes through classes, mutual friends, and at parties. In my first two years at WSU, I have been fortunate enough to make nice with a few prominent members of the football team. Without naming names, they have given me the inside scoop (and permission) to leak new information regarding the program.
Click on the jump to read more about two WSU football players who won’t be with us next season and for an idea of what the new football uniforms will look like.
First, we will start with the attrition that will hit the program. According to multiple sources, Aire Justin will be suspended by the NCAA for what will likely be the entire season after testing positive for a banned substance in a recent drug test. Justin, who weighs 160 pounds soaking wet, apparently was trying to put on muscle by taking a performance enhancing drug this offseason.
The loss of Justin will no doubt hurt the Cougars depth at the cornerback position. He figured to compete for a starting job with Nolan Washington, Daniel Simmons and Damante Horton. For a team predicted to feature one of the weaker pass defenses in the Pac-12 in 2011, the loss of a senior who also would serve as a kick-returner is not something Paul Wulff and Co. were looking for.
In other, unrelated news, freshman wide receiver Blair Bomber tore his ACL ligament at practice on Tuesday. The Lynden, Washington native’s right knee buckled during a tee-off on your teammate-type tackling drill midway through practice. Perhaps the only reason the team ran the drill was because Wulff became enraged with his squad for an overall lack of intensity early in the session. According to Bomber, he will have surgery on his damaged right knee in the coming weeks. Recovery time will be 6-9 months and he will ask the NCAA for a medical redshirt in 2011.
Bomber was probably a year away from making a significant contribution on offense. However, with his blazing speed, I wouldn’t have been surprised if coaches picked him to return punts or kickoffs for WSU next season.
Anyone else wondering why very little has been said about C.J. Mizell this spring? The stud linebacker, punished by the coaching staff for his lackadaisical attitude in practice, has been running with the 3’s this spring. According to one player, Mizell’s relationship with new Linebackers Coach Chris Tormey has been strained.
Tormey, unlike former Coach Travis Niekamp, has refused to put up with any sh*t Mizell flips him during practice. Unfortunately for WSU fans, Mizell hasn’t responded well to it. Obviously it will be interesting to see how this situation develops as we plod towards the 2011 regular season.
Finally….. on to the uniforms. While I haven’t personally seen the new designs, all reports out of Pullman indicate they will feature a finer number and letter font. In addition, the pants will have the Cougar-head logo predominantly featured on them. Uni’s won’t feature a black alternate uniform that some alumni have been calling for. Instead, the team will wear white pants and a white top with a gun-metal gray and white helmet.
The new red, according to my source, is a slightly darker shade that looks similar to blood leaking from your finger after a papercut. Needless to say, I’m excited to see exactly how these guys will look in Phil Knight’s latest creation this fall.
On another note, WSU baseball salvaged a three game sweep from UCLA this weekend with a come-from-behind 3-2 win today at Bailey-Brayton Field. The Cougars are just 2-7 in conference play, but the second-half of their schedule is significantly less difficult. A late run to the postseason is still within reach, but they will need to avoid being swept in their upcoming series against Arizona State.
That’s all I have for you guys today. Until next Sunday….
Go Cougs!
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