Secondary emphasis
PULLMAN – Washington State gained 24 players on Wednesday and lost one coach.
Shortly after head coach Bill Doba spent nearly an hour discussing his latest haul of recruits, the Oakland Raiders announced that WSU running backs coach and special teams coordinator Kelly Skipper would become its assistant offensive line coach.
There, Skipper will join former USC assistant and current Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin, as well as former Idaho head coach and current Raiders offensive line coach Tom Cable.
Doba declined to comment on Skipper’s situation, but he had much to say about his newest players, a group that may be counted on for immediate help in some positions as the Cougars attempt to snap a three-year streak without a bowl game this fall.
“It seemed like a real battle this year, more than in other years,” Doba said of bringing in this class. “I think we filled some needs that we had. We were short in the secondary, and we signed eight secondary guys — four safeties and four corners.”
If there is a recruit likely to start when WSU opens at Wisconsin in September, it will probably be at cornerback. The star of the class, at least based on the recruiting rankings, is probably junior college defensive back Terry Mixon. But Doba would not go so far as to say that Mixon was a likely starter this fall, only saying that he would have a chance to compete for a starting job in the summer and fall.
Beyond Mixon, though, a number of recruiting services did not view this group of players highly. On ESPN.com, Scout.com and Rivals.com, the Cougars were ranked last in the Pac-10 and no higher than 54th in the nation, although the class those services expected WSU to sign and the actual group had a few discrepancies.
“I really don’t worry about where we’re ranked. I think what matters is if the kids fit your scheme,” Doba said. “It’s hard. Sure, you take the guy that’s 6-5, 285 and runs a 4.6 (40-yard dash) already. But they’re hard to get. Sometimes they’re pampered so much, you beg them so much, that they’re kind of a pain in the neck, too.
“I want to get 11 guys in the huddle that want to be Cougars, that are happy to be there and that want to be here.”
Possibly as a result, the Cougars have signed some players who have been overlooked by other programs.
For instance, cornerback Devin Giles spent the last two years at a junior college in Kansas but never played in a game, redshirting his first season and then again only practicing in his second year because the school was required to limit the number of out-of-state players on the field. WSU evaluated him based on tapes from practices and his success in track and field.
Junior college offensive lineman Vaughn Lesuma, already enrolled at WSU, could compete for playing time this fall – he’ll miss spring practice because of a broken wrist – but he’ll take the field in August as a 25-year-old junior.
The coach, who will enter his fifth season in charge of the Cougars this fall, said he logged 20,500 miles in the air over the last five weeks helping to put this class together. Only one of the recruits came from the local area – quarterback JT Levenseller, whose father, Mike, is a longtime Cougars assistant – and Doba has to hope that he’s found the right group of players from around the country, plus one from Canada, to restore WSU’s winning ways.
“I just felt good about the homes I was in,” Doba said. “I think the priorities were right.”
Notes
Doba said he expects Andy Roof to move out to tackle, which would mean the competition on the offensive line would come primarily for a starting guard spot. … The coach confirmed that running back DeMaundray Woolridge would be applying for re-entry to WSU in the fall after being kicked out because of academic issues over the semester break. Cornerback Courtney Williams may also fall into that same category, but quarterback Arkelon Hall will not return to WSU, Doba said. … Defensive tackle Feveae’i Ahmu’s foot surgery was not as simple as team doctors had hoped, and the rising junior will not participate in spring practices as a result. … Safety-turned-wide receiver Michael Willis is also going to miss spring football because of his shoulder surgery. … Doba said his staff looked at the possibility of bringing in a kicker, but instead he said to expect another battle between Romeen Abdollmohammadi and Loren Langley in practice.