A Grip on Sports: Bowl games are coming, sure, but the next week is about restocking rosters

A GRIP ON SPORTS • If you think college football coaches are spending all their time getting ready for their team’s bowl game right now, you are stuck in the past. That’s secondary to the game that’s playing out all over America. The recruiting game.

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• The pre-holiday rush was simpler not all that long ago. But when the NCAA allowed football an early signing period, and planted it right in the middle of December, that all changed.

Now not only do football coaches at you favorite college and university have to think about such things as how to defend the triple option, they also have to be scheming ways to hold off other schools’ attempts to poach commits – and to map out some poaching of their own.

Merry Christmas ya filthy animal.

OK, so the Home Alone line seems a bit rough, but there’s not a lot of goodwill among men (and women) out on the recruiting trail. Not this time of year.

Take what happened yesterday to Washington State.

The Cougars’ defensive backfield needs restocking. They have seen a trio of players dismissed from the team recently and will lose their best cover corner, Marcus Strong, to graduation.

But for the past six months, the recruiting class was buoyed by the presence of Alaka’i Gilman, a 5-foot-11 safety from Hawaii.

Gilman committed ages ago and was a player WSU was building around.

Not anymore. Yesterday he announced he’s reopening his recruitment. Today or tomorrow or someday soon he’s going to announce he’s headed to, well, wherever.

And the Cougars are scrambling.

Yes, there are other stories too. An offensive lineman from Utah, Rodrick Tialavea, announced Tuesday he’s going to sign with Washington State. It’s the fifth offensive lineman the Cougars have on their list for next week. An area of strength, but one that always needs to be restocked, seems to be well on its way to continuing to grow.

That’s this time of year for you.

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WSU: The All-Pac-12 selections brought with them the usual amount of angst and complaint, but the one bright spot for Washington State? Kicker Blake Mazza was named to the first team. The Lawson has the story of the Cougar honorees. … Former Gonzaga Prep star Evan Weaver was named the conference’s defensive player of the year. … Besides the stories on the players named above, Theo also has the news linebacker Dominick Silvels will be entering the transfer portal. Silvels sat out all season for an undisclosed reason. … Former WSU coach Dennis Erickson is now in the College Football Hall of Fame. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, before we move on to other items, we have to go back once more to the all-conference teams. Jon Wilner feels the coaches were out to get Oregon. That would be petty. No way that happens, right? … Though Justin Herbert wasn’t first- or second-team All-Pac-12, he did win a national award. … What should the expectations be for Jimmy Lake’s first season? National title? (Just kidding.) … The running game at Oregon State improved this season. … This couldn’t happen to a better school. … Colorado lost another receiver to the draft. … Tyler Huntley had an exceptional year. But wasn’t a Heisman finalist. … In bowl season, an announcement out of USC is different. … An announcement out of UCLA, however, isn’t. … Arizona State is a favorite in its Sun Bowl matchup with Florida State. … In basketball news, don’t expect Colorado to be ranked next week. … Arizona has a game tonight before it preps for Gonzaga on Saturday.

Gonzaga: Jeremy Pargo is still playing basketball. It’s just that this year he’s doing it in the United States. We can offer this piece on Pargo’s most recent chapter in his basketball odyssey. … Around the WCC, BYU just crushed Nevada last night.

EWU: Larry Weir spent some time yesterday talking with Paul Sorensen about a couple of subjects, including Beau Baldwin becoming Cal Poly’s football coach. Yep, it’s Press Box pod time. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana has a rematch with Weber State. … Montana State will have its hands full with Austin Peay’s quarterback.

Preps: It was another busy night of high school hoops and we can offer roundups from GSL girls, GSL boys, area boys and area girls.

Chiefs: Spokane exploded in the second period and went on to defeat Seattle 4-2 last night in Kent.

Seahawks: Should Hawk fans be worried after Sunday’s debacle? Maybe not, but another loss this week to Carolina and the alarms will sound. … Quandre Diggs arrived in the nick of time.

Mariners: We are being told we must have patience in 2020. What, we haven’t been patient for the past 20 years?

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• There is a lot on the agenda today. It seems, recently, that’s the case every day. Makes it tough to feel like progress is being made. But before I know it, I’ll have finished the Christmas shopping for one, quite possibly even two, folks. Maybe by Dec. 26. To get everything done on time, I may have to cheat a bit. But that seems to be OK these days. Until later …