Cougars open camp

PULLMAN – It’s been either a lifetime, 23 years or eight months in the making, but whatever the time frame, today is officially the first day of the Paul Wulff era at Washington State.

When Wulff greets the Cougars’ starters and main backups as they jog onto Rogers Field this morning at 9, it will be the culmination of a lifetime of effort, some 23 years with a WSU logo figuratively tattooed on his leg and nearly eight months since he was named to succeed Bill Doba as WSU’s 31st head football coach.

“I’m actually excited,” he said Monday. “We know there is so much room for improvement based on how we finished spring. And I’m saying this in a positive way. We’re going to have a lot more players to work with that weren’t able to help in spring also.

“I’m excited to see all the players out there.”

Wulff takes over a team that returns 15 starters from last year’s 5-7 squad, including nine on defense. The defense, however, yielded a Pac-10-worst 32.4 points per game. In an attempt to improve that, three of the returners will be practicing at different positions.

“We moved people around to get their talents to fit their positions, and try to put players in positions that will fit their abilities,” Wulff said. “And I don’t see that being done. We still have a lot of practices in front of us and things will probably change. It wouldn’t shock me if there’s a position switch here or there, anywhere on the football field, offense or defense.”

The offense lost five starters, including school career record holders Alex Brink (pass attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns) and Michael Bumpus (receptions). But all but one offensive line starter returns along with all-Pac-10 first-team receiver Brandon Gibson. The Cougars will also feature a no-huddle, up-tempo offense guided by new offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy.

“So much of it is communication,” said Wulff, talking about how the players will adapt to a new scheme.

“How we communicate and then understanding what we are trying to accomplish and get out of our style of play,” is the most important thing he added

But possibly the biggest transition since December has been in the team’s culture, Wulff said.

“We’ve definitely made some headway there,” Wulff said. “It’s not final, but the players have done a good job buying in and trying to be more responsible.

“I think they are doing a better job communicating with us coaches now then they did, clearly, the first two or three months.”

Wulff expects today’s practices to continue that process and to set a tone for the season. Still, he’s keeping the goals for the first day simple.

“The ability to practice hard throughout the practice,” said Wulff when asked what the most important thing he wanted to see. “And the kids, hopefully, have retained a lot from this last spring’s football.”

Speaking of retention, does Wulff have any physical stamp from his years as a WSU offensive lineman in the mid-1980s?

“I escaped that,” he said, laughing, after being asked if he got a tattoo while playing at WSU. “A lot of my teammates did. I almost pulled the trigger when I was here, but I chickened out.

“I’ve got a couple scars on my knees and my ankle, so that’s probably the only thing I’ve got in remembrance of being here.”