Countdown to camp: What type of shape is WSU’s offensive line in?

PULLMAN – Here is the third installment of our countdown to Washington State fall camp, which starts on July 31. This issue covers the Cougars’ offensive line.

In what type of shape is WSU’s offensive line heading into fall camp?

Fortunately, the Cougs were healthy enough to roll out many of the players they figured would be competing for playing time in spring practice.

That wasn’t the case on the offensive line.

Three presumptive starters missed significant time with injuries: left guard Christian Hilborn, right guard Brock Dieu and right tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe, all veterans in the group. That made it difficult to evaluate the bunch and its progress, especially because it’s unclear how much playing time their backups might see during the season.

Assuming those guys are healthy come Aug. 31 – WSU coach Jake Dickert said they will be, barring setbacks during fall camp – it’s likely the starting offensive line will be left tackle Esa Pole, left guard Hilborn, center Devin Kylany, right guard Dieu and right tackle Fa’amoe.

That’s not much of a change from last year’s group, which included center Konner Gomness and right guard Ma’ake Fifita, both of whom decided to forgo their last season of eligibility and move on with their lives in other ways. Fifita also lost his job midway through last season to Dieu, in part because of injury, so the only full-time starter who won’t return is Gomness.

Improvement in the run-blocking department is the obvious way the group can upgrade. Last season, the Cougs finished second to last in the Pac-12 in PFF’s run-blocking grades and 115th of 133 FBS schools. Their running backs didn’t help matters much – backup Jaylen Jenkins was dismissed from the team early in the season and starter Nakia Watson was hampered by an injury most of the year – but the truth is that WSU’s season cratered in large part because defenses didn’t respect the Cougs’ ability to run the ball.

Not much has changed in WSU’s personnel on its offensive line, but the Cougars do employ a new offensive line coach, Jared Kaster, who worked last season as Austin Peay’s offensive line coach. He briefly accepted the same job at UTEP before changing direction and taking the job at Washington State.

“We feel great about the personnel right now. Technique-wise, we’re a little murky,” Dickert said during spring practices. “So obviously, with coach Kaster, there’s gonna be some new things that we need to do. And I think some changes that I think are gonna be really positive, especially in the run game. Had our first inside run period today. It was physical, it was aggressive.

“Right now, you can see guys hesitating and thinking through a little bit of technique. So it’s still a work in progress.”

For his part, Kaster made clear he’s aware of the issue, and he’s doing his part to try to turn it around.

“You gotta coach that. You gotta preach it, you gotta demand it,” Kaster said. “You gotta hold kids accountable with it. You’re in the chutes every day or you’re hitting every day. We spend a lot more time in the run game fits than we do sometimes in pass because you’re trying to correlate and you’re trying to develop that sense of urgency, and that culture of being physical.”

For WSU, the other players involved in that effort on the offensive line include left guard Rod Tialavea, right guard Noah Dunham and right tackle Jonny Lester, the group that filled in for Hilborn, Dieu and Fa’amoe during spring ball.

Tialavea brings the most experience, stepping in for the injured Pole in spots last fall, but it’s important for the Cougars to keep him at left guard. A slower-footed athlete, Tialavea profiles as much more of an inside force.