Price Doesn’t Play The Numbers Game
After putting his newest Washington State recruiting class through a 90-minute session of physical testing, Cougar football coach Mike Price was talking quality rather than quantity.
And with good reason.
A mere 13 rookies showed for Wednesday morning’s workout, leaving Price hard-pressed to put a positive spin on the dramatically low number of scholarship players he will have on his roster when the Cougars open fall camp Saturday morning at 9.
“It’s good quality rather than quantity,” Price said after watching his new recruits work out. “Obviously, we didn’t over-sign this year for the first time in six years, and therefore we’re well below our scholarship limit.
“Because of the climate at the time, we chose not to over-sign this year, and we got burned a little bit.”
Price had made a habit in the past of offering more scholarships than the NCAA allows, realizing each year that several of his recruits were at academic risk and would probably not qualify under NCAA academic standards.
In each instance the Cougars came in either at or under the scholarship limit, but WSU administrators strongly suggested that Price curtail the policy this year.
As a result, Price offered only 18 new scholarships last February, and five of those who signed letters of intent will not be eligible to compete at the Division-I level this fall.
That means the Cougars will open camp with only 74 scholarship players, 11 under the DivisionI limit of 85.
Among those who failed to meet NCAA academic requirements are linebacker-running back Earl Riley, defensive back-wide receiver Ray Butler, defensive end Eboni Wilson, linebacker Malcolm Stewart and running back Nian Taylor.
In addition, Price announced that running back Major Norton, a transfer from San Francisco City College, has decided to pursue a rap music career and will not enroll at WSU.
Price said Wilson and Stewart have enrolled in classes and will pay their own way to WSU this year. Neither will be eligible to compete until next fall, however.
Taylor, according to Price, is also trying to gain admission to WSU and plans to pay his own way this year.
But Riley, a 6-foot-2, 210-pounder from Dos Palos, Calif., and Butler, a late signee from Morningside High School in Inglewood, Calif., have decided to attend junior colleges this fall.
Riley was considered the plum of this year’s recruiting class after being named to the Tacoma News Tribune’s Western 100 and Super Prep Magazine’s All-Far West team last year.
Price said he and his staff tried to recruit several junior college prospects over the summer to make up for the academic losses.
“But we got nothing,” he explained, “and by then we were too late to recruit any other high school kids.”
Adding to WSU’s number woes is the uncertainty about the academic status of junior defensive tackle Leon Bender and junior college transfers Dorian Boose and Kevin McKenzie.
Bender, a projected starter on the defensive line, needs decent grades from his recently completed summer school classes to remain eligible, Price said.
Price said Bender’s status will not be determined officially until final grades are posted next week.
Boose, a defensive end from Walla Walla Community College, is on campus but cannot compete until his junior college transcripts arrive. And McKenzie, a running back from Long Beach City College, still needs to pass a class to obtain his AA and probably will not join the team until Saturday.
Price also announced Wednesday that junior Johnny Nansen, a projected starter at outside linebacker, was involved in a roll-over automobile accident on his way back to school last weekend and probably will not be at 100 percent when fall camp opens.
“He bruised up his shoulder and suffered a concussion,” Price said of the 215-pounder from Long Beach, Calif. “He wasn’t hurt badly, but we’re going to let him take his time coming back from the trauma of the whole thing.”
Price said Nansen apparently fell asleep at the wheel near Hermiston, Ore., and rolled his car several times after driving off the road.
, DataTimes