Five storylines to watch as Washington State opens fall camp

PULLMAN – One evening over the weekend, Jake Dickert was relaxing outside his home when he spotted two of his neighbors, a couple who work as farmers. As they walked closer, they made small talk with Washington State’s head football coach.

“Coach, it’s harvest time,” one neighbor said.

They’re farmers, Dickert figured. He figured she was talking about the Palouse wheat fields.

“No,” the neighbor replied. “It’s harvest time for you.”

“And I think she’s exactly right,” Dickert said on Tuesday afternoon. “We put in a lot of work behind the scenes to grow and work. It’s time to cash in. It’s time to cash in and get the fruits of our labor. I think that’s what fall camp and the season really represents.”

As Washington State’s fall camp kicks off with practice on Wednesday morning, this has become clear: What the Cougars reap this season depends on what they sow in August. In Dickert’s second season, WSU will roll out what feels like a thousand new faces, from the coaching ranks to the players, but whatever results it produces might depend on how they approach the preseason.

With that, here are five storylines to watch from the Cougars’ fall camp, which runs until Aug. 19. It includes 13 practices and two scrimmages. That will prepare WSU for its season opener, set for Sept. 2 at Colorado State.

1. How will the wide receiver corps develop?On Tuesday afternoon, when Dickert held a Zoom meeting with the media, one reporter asked him if there’s one position group on which he’ll be keeping a closer eye . He hardly blinked before he answered.

“Yeah, wide receiver,” Dickert said .

It’s no mystery why. Over the offseason, WSU bid farewell to four impact receivers, some via transfer and others via graduation: De’Zhaun Stribling (602 yards, five touchdowns), Rob Ferrel (582 yards, four touchdowns), Renard Bell (310 yards, two touchdowns) and Donovan Ollie (491 yards, three touchdowns).

To replace those guys, the Cougars landed three transfers : DT Sheffield (NW Mississippi CC), Kyle Williams (UNLV) and Josh Kelly (Fresno State), all of whom Dickert and quarterback Cameron Ward have s praised. Expect them to take on a giant chunk of the receptions this fall.

Two other freshman receivers could make splashes: Carlos Hernandez, a 6-foot California native, and Brandon Hills, 5-foot-10, from Colorado Springs, Colorado. This spring, competing in track and field, Hills long jumped 24-8 , shattering the previous state record by nearly 4 feet.

Dickert said Hills shows all of that athleticism on the football field, but he tempered expectations, saying, “Let’s see how he processes and puts some of those things together.”

2. Which freshmen could see meaningful action?Outside of Hills and Hernandez, Dickert said, a few other true freshmen will be in the mix for playing time this season: defensive lineman Ansel Din-Mbuh, 6-3, 299 pounds; and defensive backs Adrian Wilson, 6-1, of Dallas; and Warren Smith, 6-1, of California.

“I think he’s gonna able to get early reps at that position,” Dickert said of Wilson. “We’re a little thin at free safety, but excited to see what he can do, and if he can push to travel.”

Four true freshmen on last year’s roster traveled, Dickert said, making the road roster around 70.

“A lot of those guys contributed,” Dickert said. “And who will those guys be (this year)? We’ll see, but excited about some of those young guys.”

3. Who will make impacts in the core of the defense?Dickert won’t need to make many difficult decisions around the edges of his defense. Defensive backs Chau Smith-Wade, Sam Lockett and Jaden Hicks have their spots all but locked up. Same goes for edge rushers Ron Stone Jr. and Brennan Jackson.

How will the Cougars fill out the rest of their defense?

“Who that’s gonna be throughout fall camp will be very, very important for our future success,” Dickert said.

At least ahead of camp, a few options exist at the linebacker spots: redshirt senior Devin Richardson, a transfer from Texas; redshirt junior Kyle Thornton, who started one game at WSU last season; and redshirt freshmen Hudson Cedarland and Taariq Al-Uqdah.

“They gotta be ready to go,” Dickert said. “Those guys need to make that sophomore year jump.”

4. Which offensive linemen could help plug gaps?A few Cougars appear to have jobs lined up on the offensive line: returning starters Konner Gomness, center; Christian Hilborn, left guard/left tackle; Fa’alili Fa’a, right tackle; and Ma’ake Fifita, left guard and right guard.

Other linemen could vie for snaps, Dickert said, including right guard Christy Nkanu, a Southern Utah transfer; redshirt freshmen Zack Miller, Jonny Lester, and Luke and Landon Roaten; and Esa Pole, a Chabot (California) College CC transfer.

“I can’t say enough about Konner Gomness and the leadership that he has provided, really not only our offensive line, but our whole team,” Dickert said. “And Ma’ake moving back inside – I see a confident guy again. I see a guy that’s gonna have some major contributions as we keep going.”

5. Other position changes, housekeeping notesDickert said several players have changed positions. Those are:

• Redshirt freshman Reece Sylvester has moved to strong safety;

• Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Rashad Mckenzie will miss fall camp with “a lingering spring ball injury;”

• Hilborn will bounce between right guard and right tackle.