PULLMAN – A month has passed and spring football is over at Washington State, which is on the doorstep of a new era. The Cougars have a new head coach, Kirby Moore, who will pilot his group into the new Pac-12, which launches in earnest this summer.
PULLMAN – Washington State didn’t have anyone selected in this year’s NFL Draft, the first time that’s happened in five years, but the Cougars are still placing players in the pros.
PULLMAN – For the majority of Washington State’s spring practice slate, the Cougars’ defensive unit commanded many of the headlines. Their defensive line surged into the backfield for sacks. Their secondary picked off a bevy of passes. And their linebackers showed a little more depth than expected, underscoring the theme of their first 14 practices.
PULLMAN – These days, Isaiah Hung is all about taking care of his body. As he completes his second slate of spring practices at Washington State, where he’s made a big splash at the linebacker position over these last four weeks, he’s grown fond of using the hot and cold tubs after practice.
PULLMAN – The ball fluttered through the air like a leaf petal, changing direction by the millisecond, tipped at the line of scrimmage by one Washington State defender and headed in the direction of another.
Approximately 30 minutes into the news conference Monday to formally introduce Jon Haarlow as Washington State’s 16th athletic director, the money quote arrived – and its author was not Jon Haarlow.
PULLMAN – Before he started his day on Feb. 21 , Jon Haarlow had to head to the bookstore. He was in search of a crimson jersey, the kind that would fit in seamlessly at Washington State’s Beasley Coliseum, where the Cougars were set to host conference power Saint Mary’s later that evening .
PULLMAN – Throughout Washington State football’s spring practices with two-hand touch tackling, running back Maxwell Woods will receive a handoff, take off upfield, encounter a defender, make his move and dash past.
PULLMAN – When he talks, at least in front of a collection of cameras, Paul Hutson III likes to keep his eyes down. At that angle, his dreadlocks hang in front of his face, partially obscuring his face. He talks a bit quietly.
PULLMAN – A beaming grin washes over the face of Leo Pulalasi, one of the Washington State running backs who chose to return to the team. It’s the end of the Cougars’ seventh spring practice, which unfolded last week, and he’s asked if anything about this spring slate, the coaching or the structure or anything else, has taken him by surprise.