Happy Thursday Cougs (how can it be Thursday already??), as we wind down another week here at the blog. And what a week it's been, with "OldSavage" basically taking things over in his supersized preview of '13 WSU that was so big, we have managed to space it out over an entire week! In case you missed any of them, you feel free to check his work from Monday (skill positions), Tuesday (O and D line) and Wednesday (LB's and DB's).
Anyway, today Savage hits on special teams, and then takes a deeper look at the new faces brought on in February by Mike Leach and company. So here we go…
SPECIAL TEAMS & NEW FACES
BY OldSavage
PK – Andrew Furney, 5-10, Senior
P/KO – Michael Bowlin, 6-4, Senior (RS)
This time of year there is little that can be said about the projected special teams. Other than the kickers, the participants are yet to be determined. I have already noted the progress that was made last year in an earlier preview – the work of special teams coach Eric Russell paid off and, except for one game in 2012, the Cougar special teams played good, consistent football – inconspicuous on coverage and returns but much improved on distance, accuracy and protection (at least until the UCLA game).
Andrew Furney, who proved himself with pressure field goals last season will be a senior, as will punter Michael Bowlin, who averaged 42 yards a try – with a very nice improvement in opponent’s return yardage. Furney was All PAC-12 second team, after making 14 for 20 in 2012, and is on the Lou Groza watch list. And the Cougars outgained opponents on both kick and punt returns behind the toe of Bowlin.
In general I would expect overall improvement, after a year under Russell for many of the returning candidates. Particularly, I would expect some improvement in return yardage and, with the returners that are available (Teondray Caldwell? Brett Bartolone? Other?), I would anticipate that a couple big ones will be broken off. Just being “inconspicuous” was a big improvement last year, but I expect more than that is time around. The special teams disaster that was the UCLA game will not happen again and will provide the motivation to keep it from recurring.
THE NEW CUBS IN THE DEN
While the recruiting sites have placed the 2013 WSU class near the bottom of the PAC-12, I think this has been an exceptional year for coach Leach and his staff – certainly the best in recent history for WSU. In other years the Cougars might be in the upper half of the league with the commits that have signed so far. My evaluation is that they are in a virtual tie with Utah and OSU and those three are just a smidgeon behind the Arizona schools.
The rankings are a little skewed due to the analytical approach the rating organizations all take, which puts a premium on quantity. Consequently, USC and Stanford are under-ranked due to the small size of their respective classes. Also, final rankings may be influenced by the way grey-shirts are handled. (Hence, Scout ranked WSU higher than Utah and OSU in their system, because it included the grey-shirts from last year as well as those that will be enrolling in 2014.) Generally the systems had UCLA, SC, UW and Oregon filling out the top four, with Cal and the Arizona schools following and Colorado and Stanford bringing up the rear.
USC is hampered by sanctions, but would lead the league if they were to fill out a normal non-sanction quota with nothing but three star players (So– I have them numero uno in the conference). Stanford suffers in the rankings because their academic standards and low dropout rate limit both their recruiting pool and total scholarships available. However, they have four quadruple star recruits and that places them (average-wise) at about the level of Oregon and Washington, consequently, I have them as fifth in the conference instead of eleventh.
The Cougars were dinged in the rankings because of a few “under the radar” players they went after. However, I do not doubt that the two Samoans will end up being major contributors and, there was no dead wood in the group. With a couple of exceptions at DB, a grey shirt and one of the Samoans everyone in the class is ranked three or four star by at least one of the sites. In addition a couple of the players are probably under-ranked because they are classified as “Athletes” and will likely have good success once they find the position that matches their abilities. Finally, this year, as was alluded to above, the Cougars suffer by comparison to the recruiting performance of the conference as a whole – it was a great year recruiting year all around the PAC-12.
The dust still has not completely settled. There are four players who, at time of writing, have not signed LOIs and the door is still open for late comers. It seems that Marcellus Pippins (5-10, 175 CB) and Dylan Hansen (6-5, 220 LB) are scheduled to grey-shirt. Markell Sanders (6-1, 175 CB) indicated on a social site that he is committed to WSU, but exactly where he stands is less than clear. The fourth non-signee, Olito Thompson (5-10, 210 RB) is something of a mystery, but rumor has it that he has grade problems. It may be that Leach is waiting for academic situations to clarify and/or attrition to occur before making things final.
There is some question as to just which players the class includes. First there are the four high-schoolers without LOIs. Second there are 5 players who enrolled in January. Three are JC transfers and two are grey-shirts who really came in last year. Scout included the grey-shirts in this year’s class and other rating orgs did not. In any case, the numbers can run anywhere from nineteen to twenty-eight. My guess is that Leach is still working the system to maximize the scholarships available.
I did not consider the two JC transfers that the Cougars picked up in the late spring in this part of the analysis. I will refer to them in the position sections but I look at them as outside the formal requiting process.
The breakdown by position is as follows (assuming all the verbals sign):
QB: 1
RB: 3
WR: 2
OL: 6
DL: 5
LB: 3
DB: 4
ATH: 2*
(*Lots of versatility, with one ATH being a pretty good high-school QB and the other a WR/CB combination. One of the RBs may look better as a CB and a number of the linemen have played both sides of the ball.)
But gone is the heavy dose of TE/LB/DE players that populated the Wulff classes. The emphasis was on the areas that need depth – the lines and defensive backfield. I think Leach probably came close to accomplishing what he desired with the linemen but my guess is that he is somewhat disappointed that he could not attract some more highly regarded DBs (although, Daquawn Brown looks pretty good and Isaac Dotson could turn out to be a quality safety).
There are four JC recruits, three of whom have already enrolled. 6 of the class are from Washington, 10 are California products, 3 are Texans, 2 are Samoan and Montana, Arizona, Alabama and Oklahoma are home to 1 each. There is no indication that any of the signed players have serious academic problems, which seems to be another area of emphasis for Leach. Also, there did not appear to be any players offered solely to keep the recruiting channels open – these are all players someone else wanted and most all had offers from other BCS schools.
QB: The one unanimous four star recruit for the Cougars this year is Tyler Bruggman.
(Good news, since backups at the position have been abandoning ship port, starboard and aft.) He was highly regarded, more for his overall command of the position than for his arm strength, but he is accurate. Isaac Dotson (6-3, 200) was recruited by Nevada as a QB in their pistol offense and is an intriguing QB candidate. While I could see him running the scout team (particularly before Oregon and Arizona games), I think he is too good an athlete to waste as a back-up QB, so I have him as an “Athlete”.
RB: Three 3-stars. However the best of the lot was probably Olito Thompson and we do not really know where he stands at present. There was an Arizona transfer (Daniel Jenkins) who indicated he would attend WSU this fall and it may be that Thompson, who “verbaled” before Jenkins announced his intentions, was a bit miffed, if he had been told he had a shot at seeing lots of time on the field this coming year. Jenkins is headed back to Arizona now – he apparently spent a couple of months in Pullman and, if the months were January and February, I can understand his decision.
WR: The Cougs are not really hurting for depth at the position but got some good ones. The JC transfer, Vince Mayle, should see playing time right from the get-go.
He’s 6-3, 220 and really athletic. And River Cracraft has gotten raves for the way he runs routes and squares up defenders. In addition, there is the possibility that high-school tight end Cole Madison could play slot receiver (a la Lintz of last Spring), but I wouldn't’t hold my breath, at 6-6, 270, he seems destined for other things.
OL: The focus of this class seemed to be protecting Bruggman in years to come. Leach added six (seven if you see Madison as eventually ending up on the line) big, long bodies with center Carlos Freeman as the most vertically challenged of the group, at only 6-3 (and 290). The emphasis was on guys big enough and quick enough to handle defenders one on one in the wide split offense. Technique will come later and expect most to red-shirt this year. The one exception is JC transfer Jacob Seybel (6-6, 285), who should make it to the rotation this season.
DL: After the OL, the next biggest area of emphasis was the D-Line, with two tackles and three end types. These are not the DE/LB/TE types Wulff recruited – they are all beef, with the little one being the growing boy Emmitt Su’a-Kalio at 6-4, 250. Immediate help will come from JC transfer Lyman Faoliu, 6-5, 275, but the future will look up after the other four have a year to develop. (However, if one freshman is ready to provide immediate help it would be a big boost to the depth of the defense.)
LB: One of the three LBs will grey-shirt and I bet another will red-shirt. But JC transfer Ivan McLennan (6-3, 220) has already enrolled and surely be entering the rotation in the fall. The fact that only three LBs were taken reflects the progress Choate and Volero made last year – after dire predictions for the position of last spring.
DB: As indicated this is an area where the recruiting results may have been a little disappointing. But with DBs, in particular, you can’t depend on the rating organizations – look how many of the 2 star Cougar DBs have ended up being NFL quality talents. Daquawn Brown (6-0, 170) was probably the most sought-after of the group and Isaac Dotson (6-3, 200) could make waves as a safety if he gives up his QB aspirations. Since the DB positions are the least deep of the team, Brown and, Texas native, Darius Lamora (6-0, 180) might have a shot at playing time next year. At least one other DB, and probably two, will grey shirt and will be unavailable for the 2013 season.
All in all, it would appear that this was a great recruiting class, by WSU standards. Not only does it address immediate needs, it lays the groundwork for future success. By adding quality, long term depth at the line, on both sides of the ball, Leach made WSU a more attractive option for athletes at the other positions. Everything starts at up front and stalwart lines give all players a better chance to succeed.
That's it for now. Thanks again to OldSavage for all his work this week. He will put a wrap on things tomorrow with a glance at each game on the 2013 schedule, and that will be that.
RISE & GRIND, AND GO COUGS!
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