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WSU’s spring semester starts with news

Posted by Vince

Jan. 11, 2010 4:16 p.m. • 6 comments

COUGARS

The second semester started at WSU on Monday. The football team welcomed three new players, but said goodbye to a walk-on and lost another hoped-for grayshirt. Plus, two suspended players are close to being reinstated. Read on.

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• Here’s the story I put together for the S-R …

PULLMAN – Spring semester started at Washington State University on Monday and with it came some news for the football team.

Three junior college transfers – defensive end Brandon Rankin and offensive linemen David Gonzales and Wade Jacobson – enrolled as expected, though Jacobson is still awaiting one piece of paperwork that is en route, according to the sports information office.

However, expected enrollee Quayshawne Buckley, a standout high school defensive tackle from Ontario, Calif., failed to qualify and told recruiting website Cougfan he was headed instead to Oregon State, though he has yet to qualify for admission.

Rankin, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound four-star recruit, spent the fall semester finishing needed classes in North Carolina. Jacobson (6-6, 310), from Gavilan College in Gilroy, Calif., and Gonzales (6-6, 275), from California’s Fresno CC, are expected to challenge for starting spots when spring practice starts March 25.

Buckley becomes the fourth member of the 2009 signing class that failed to qualify. He joins linebacker Terrel Thompson, who is attended junior college in Arizona and has indicated he may still enroll at WSU after earning his associate of arts degree, defensive back Asi Hosea and defensive lineman Chris Mastin, from Spokane’s Lewis and Clark High.

Senior-to-be walk-on Easton Johnson has also left school, citing financial constraints. Johnson, a wide receiver most of his junior year, moved back to safety for the season’s final two games and had 16 tackles, including 10 against Oregon State.

Two Cougars suspended from the team last season, receiver Kevin Norrell and defensive tackle Toby Turpin, are on track to be reinstated, pending a meeting with head coach Paul Wulff, , according to Bill Stevens, WSU sports information director.

Norrell missed the season after being dismissed from the team following an early Labor Day morning arrest. He later pled guilty to first-degree negligent driving. Turpin missed the final two games of the season, suspended for a violation of team rules.

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• That’s it for now. We’ll be back in the morning. Until then …

Six comments on this post so far. Add yours!

CougarCorey on January 11 at 5:23 p.m.
Vince,

What are the plans for the two (Hosea and Mastin) remaining members of the 2009? I was wondering if you were hearing anything on them…..
TommyCoug on January 11 at 5:29 p.m.
Sounds like Quayshawne Buckley is right where he should be…if he qualifies?…with good ‘ol Mike Riley at Oregon State and the Beavers!

GO COUGS!!
Radbooks on January 11 at 11:06 p.m.
Give Easton Johnson one of the scholarships! The kid gets 16 tackles in 2 games when he’d just been moved back to safety? That’s better than a lot of the scholarship kids did! :)
JugHead on January 12 at 2:29 a.m.
How do guys not qualify to go to WSU but then get into other Div 1 schools like Oregon State. Just like that Charles Garcia basketball player who couldn’t qualify for UW but plays (and plays quite well) for Seattle U. Anyone know how this works because it always confuses me?
bson25 on January 12 at 9:20 a.m.
Buckley has not qualified for Oregon State either, he just plans to attend Oregon State if he does qualify.

From what I have read, I would not be surprised if Buckley never gets qualified. Sounds like the WSU coaches had backed off on pursuing him for whatever reason.

The Charles Garcia thing was different. He did not get into UW, but did get into Seattle U. I think that just had to do with the admission board at UW not thinking Garcia could be successful academically at UW.
MVTravis on January 12 at 9:52 a.m.
JugHead,
My guess is since OSU is on trimesters, he can still qualify for the spring term, giving him a couple extra months to get his act together to get enrolled. Since WSU is on semesters you can only enroll in fall, spring and summer.