So now that the sky has fallen

[random soul]

Let's take a look at what we have relative to what we need.

As others have mentioned, the offensive and defensive lines (offensive in particular but not always, and it's improving fast) have cost us a ton of games, and both units got a lot of love. I still wish we had gotten Paulo but otherwise this is a solid group of players that will make everyone around them and behind them better. Leach always had good offensive line play at Tech and I think this offense really requires it to make everything hum the way it ought to. I know people are most excited about Myers and Price, but Madison may end up being our best offensive lineman and not many folks were excited about him two years ago. McGuire is doing a good job steadily upgrading this group's play and talent level, and the numbers game is much more favorable now than it was. I actually wonder what fall camp will bring, because aside from the tackles (Dahl and Madison) I would wager that there are other guys on the roster that will push the other returners very hard for time. That can only be a good thing, and it will give this class a little time to cook.

We got another high-quality quarterback locked up early and that gives us three at the position and an early favorite for the starting nod that saw a lot more action than we anticipated this season. Barring an injury to Falk I figure Bender and Hilinski will duke it out in the fall of 2016 for the backup spot and the best man of those two will still give us a chance to compete.

At running back I still wish we had a guy that could run through arm tackles more effectively. Wicks can do this but he was banged up a lot, Morrow will probably be better with another year of conditioning and I'm actually really excited to see what Harrington can do, though I think production from this group on the ground is contingent on more physicality up front (not just run blocking but pass blocking, those splits create lanes for a guy like Harrington to burst through, but they can only open up if you trust the line to hold up well being that far apart and handling the guys across from them). Williams will likely redshirt with his knee issue and we'll see what he can do after that. Price used to chase down high quality JCs regularly to fill this spot, and I would have loved to see one in this class.

As others have noted about the receiver spots, losing Burnett hurt a lot (but if the kid would rather walk-on at USC than take an immediate ride here he clearly wanted to be a Trojan and I doubt he was that in love with WSU) but I'm ok with the Dimry/Green tradeoff (Green won't be a conference opponent and Dimry gives us someone to use in the red zone) and if Sweet really is Cracraft with wheels then I'd love to see him redshirt (he's got three similar players ahead of him in Cracraft, Bartolone, and Tyler Baker) and then push for a starting job next year. Priester will have to sit for a year but we have Marks and Dom Williams coming back so we have a starting pair at the outside positions. Depth behind them may be an issue for a season but this system attracts lots of receivers so that's an area of need next year that's in this program's wheelhouse. The flips here hurt our rankings, but they weren't at a weak spot on the roster. Galvin left but Lewis and Green and Bartolone all return so we have plenty of slot guys. Myers and Kristoff Williams were nice players but Marks and Dom are just as good on the outside. Mayle's departure is the one that really hurts because that presence can't be replaced. Barry Ware may end up being the closest approximation.

The defensive line really should be more able to shuffle people in and out this year, though losing Cooper a year early hurts. We still have Paulo, Barber, and Vaeao with lots of experience and guys like Fernandez, Tapa, and Ekuale coming up, plus likely immediate help from Mitchell and Mattox and Toki. McLennan would likely be more effective with his hand in the dirt so we'll see how Grinch uses him. Fehoko is a guy we may not see on the field for two years yet, but when he shows up I bet he makes plays. Oguayo may take longer to grow into his body and find his technique. Overall I'm excited about this group because there appears to be some pass rushing ability here AND the possibility of moving back to a 4 man front if Grinch chooses to. I like the versatility of the overall group now a lot more.

Linebacker is the other place where the class just evaporated, and the problem here is that this actually is a position of need. Aaron Porter will probably provide immediate help, and Leniu and Luvu coming off of redshirts will push Pelluer and Allison, but who takes over for Coen? Su'a? Taylor? Luvu? Greg Hoyd? Hanser? These guys are either just names or haven't been able to crack the lineup for a while now. Palacio may or may not end up on the line but he makes plays either way. This might be the thinnest spot on the roster now and a lot of the help we thought we had coming flipped on us, so to me this is the real disappointment on signing day. Tago may be a player but it'll be two years before we really know that.

We have a lot of interesting names at corner now and even if Brown is gone I really like White and Pippins, plus Porter can redshirt (thought he should've last season) and Farrar and LaRue will be able to push for time. Harper is a bit of a flyer but Broughton will be able to come in and contribute right away. This is a green bunch, but there's talent here to work with. I figure they'll take their lumps this season but it could pay off down the road.

Safety was super thin coming into this class, but between getting Singleton in and signing Luani and Powell I feel much better about it now. This may be the position that got the biggest short-term upgrade, and it's the position that most needed it. Lemora is a physical presence at strong safety but he's no burner, and while Hameed can play I'd love to see him redshirt. Dotson may never get on the field with his injury issues, I'm not sure where Markell Sanders fits into the secondary picture, and Bucannon might never emerge, which leaves us with Taliulu, who is physical enough but not fast enough to start back there. Luani probably starts right away here if he's what we think he is, and Singleton, Powell, and Hameed give us something to be excited about for the future.

I like the constant chatter about kickers coming in to compete, because Lord knows we need someone to emerge there. Dascalo was a pleasant surprise as a punter, but we may need a new long snapper. I figure the coverage teams will be better with some of these guys coming off of redshirts but there's a lot of work to do in that area.

I was disappointed with the way signing day played out like everybody else, and I won't say it doesn't matter, BUT, the only area where the day's events really hurt the roster, to me, was linebacker. Losing Moi, and Tezino, AND Rudinski, in quick succession, was a big blow in a place where we need help. We needed more than we got there and at running back, but the lines got a nice influx of new blood, we got another good quarterback recruit, and a much-needed injection of talent at safety.

Luckily, running back, linebacker, and receiver are all places where JCs can come in and make a difference right away. After this week, we may need them to.

 

[ttowncoug]

I don't know anyone is feeling we had a bad class. I think there is frustration that Simmons' kids didn't follow through.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

Random, as usual, you waited and gave it some thought before committing a good post. Appreciate your thoughts.

I agree with most of what you said. I am not sure about how big a loss Moi/Tezino were. Probably, of the two, at least one would have turned out to be able to stay eligible and play at the PAC level, so it would have been nice to keep both to get which ever one panned out. One went to Oregon, and unless he is really good, will not get a lot of PT. The other picked SDSU if I remember correctly, so if he can stay eligible he will probably get PT…but we'll have to see how that works out, and how good he really is. Rudinski I don't miss. Any kid who decides that he isn't confident of his ability to compete in the PAC, or who decides that he doesn't really want to play top level football because he has other priorities (reality here is probably a bit more of the former, but the latter is important from a face saving perspective), is a kid we were probably fortunate to not sign.

As for help at LB, Porter, Leniu and Luvu between them will line up with Allison for sure and Pelluer if he continues to progress to form a starting group of 3 with some support. You mentioned some of the other guys on the roster. One of them may emerge to give us 6 viable LB's. I suspect that the Buck this year will mostly be some of the smaller, faster linemen…the DE types on a 4-3 defense…rather than a true LB. At LB we've got enough for a starting group and a few back-ups. It will be a thin position, from a back-up standpoint, so we can't afford the big injury hit that we took last season. But we should start the season with a decent group.

I think we moved in the right direction as a team with this class. Maybe we didn't move as far as we would have liked, but we moved. And we are thin at LB, but not helpless.

 

[SaveFerris]

I look for info on how people feel we did along the lines. With LOI day behind us we are at 20-ish OLM with pretty good balance between the classes. I wish Sorenson hadn't burned his redshirt but picking up 5 OLM this year gets the numbers up where they want to be. Paulo would have been a nice get but even with his brother on the roster was a longshot.

You never know how they will do 2 or 3 years down the line but at least we are starting to get to the point where we can afford to be patient with the incoming kids as long as attrition doesn't jump up and bite us. I am a little more concerned on the other side. It looks like we are sticking with a 3-4 with Barber, Vaeoa (??), or perhaps Tapa needing to step up at the Nose. Should be an interesting spring.

 

[425cougfan]

Re: LBs

A lot of good thoughts here, but it bears mention that "sky has fallen" shouldn't be the message about this class. This is the best class in at least 12 or 13 years. If the sky fell, it landed on a cloud. The class would have been absolutely incredible if we hung onto the Simmons recruits, but it's still great.

I also have a few thoughts on the LB situation. Overall, I think you're right that the late movement in the class hurt us the most at LB, even more than receiver, given existing depth.

I share your concern about Coen's replacement. I'm hoping Taylor is fast and strong enough to do it ... he was listed as Coen's backup last year, but I don't recall him getting any meaningful PT.

Hoyd redshirted last year, and Hanser and Luvu played a small amount as true freshmen. Some chance of them being able to step up and be in the two-deep capably.

I think Tago ultimately is the guy here, but it's not clear he can play this year.

Also, you're dead-on re safeties, IMO, but one note -- Markell Sanders is gone. Either never made it to campus or was gone very shortly thereafter.

Originally posted by random soul:

Linebacker is the other place where the class just evaporated, and the problem here is that this actually is a position of need. Aaron Porter will probably provide immediate help, and Leniu and Luvu coming off of redshirts will push Pelluer and Allison, but who takes over for Coen? Su'a? Taylor? Luvu? Greg Hoyd? Hanser? These guys are either just names or haven't been able to crack the lineup for a while now. Palacio may or may not end up on the line but he makes plays either way. This might be the thinnest spot on the roster now and a lot of the help we thought we had coming flipped on us, so to me this is the real disappointment on signing day. Tago may be a player but it'll be two years before we really know that.

 

[YakiCoug]

Re: LBs

Originally posted by 425cougfan:
A lot of good thoughts here, but it bears mention that "sky has fallen" shouldn't be the message about this class. This is the best class in at least 12 or 13 years. If the sky fell, it landed on a cloud. The class would have been absolutely incredible if we hung onto the Simmons recruits, but it's still great.

I also have a few thoughts on the LB situation. Overall, I think you're right that the late movement in the class hurt us the most at LB, even more than receiver, given existing depth.

I share your concern about Coen's replacement. I'm hoping Taylor is fast and strong enough to do it ... he was listed as Coen's backup last year, but I don't recall him getting any meaningful PT.

Hoyd redshirted last year, and Hanser and Luvu played a small amount as true freshmen. Some chance of them being able to step up and be in the two-deep capably.

I think Tago ultimately is the guy here, but it's not clear he can play this year.

Also, you're dead-on re safeties, IMO, but one note -- Markell Sanders is gone. Either never made it to campus or was gone very shortly thereafter.

Originally posted by random soul:

Linebacker is the other place where the class just evaporated, and the problem here is that this actually is a position of need. Aaron Porter will probably provide immediate help, and Leniu and Luvu coming off of redshirts will push Pelluer and Allison, but who takes over for Coen? Su'a? Taylor? Luvu? Greg Hoyd? Hanser? These guys are either just names or haven't been able to crack the lineup for a while now. Palacio may or may not end up on the line but he makes plays either way. This might be the thinnest spot on the roster now and a lot of the help we thought we had coming flipped on us, so to me this is the real disappointment on signing day. Tago may be a player but it'll be two years before we really know that.

Paris Taylor actually played quite a bit in the second half of the season. He'll be a redshirt junior this season, so if he progresses in the weight room he should contribute more. He came to WSU as a safety, as you might recall, and at 6-3 has a nice frame. Other returnees include Allison, Pelluer, McLennan, Palacio, Luvu, Leniu, Hoyd, Hanser, and Parker Henry, a walk-on now on scholarship.
One name people were buzzing over is Hercules Mata'afa, a 6-2, 225 pounder who was impressive as a true frosh but redshirted.
Leach doesn't usually gush over incoming recruits, but his tone was borderline effusive when he talked about Logan Tago, who played multiple positions in high school and turned down Oregon State and UW. Leach said WR is a possibility. He's listed as 6-3, 230/6-4, 225, so he's already bigger than Vince Mayle.
And Aaron Porter's resume is undeniable. He's a former 4-star recruit who was heavily recruited out of high school.
Does it hurt losing Jonah Moi? Without question, but we do have a teammate of his who was responsible for some of the great LB play at Riverside CC. Jeremiah Mitchell was a terror at d-end. If he can continue that level of play in the Pac-12, we should improve at LB, or so we can hope.

 

[random soul]

The post title was meant to be ironic

the hand-wringing got a bit heavy. The losses at linebacker were a bummer but this is the best class WSU has had in at least a dozen years, I absolutely agree.