EWU football: Freshmen turn heads

Alek Kacmarcik shook his head at the thought: The Eastern Washington linebacker hasn’t played a down in two years, but will be in the middle of the action when the Eagles open the season in three weeks.

At Oregon.

That figures to be a big step up from Kacmarcik’s last game at Woodinville High, a season-ending loss to Newport of Bellevue back in November of 2013.

Then again, Kacmarcik has been stepping it up since he arrived in Cheney a year ago. He was the defensive scout player of the year last season, then dialed up the intensity even more last spring to put himself in the conversation over who’ll be replacing longtime backers Ronnie Hamlin and Cody McCarthy.

“It’s going to be crazy,” said Kacmarcik, a redshirt freshman from Woodinville, Washington, who’s one of several newcomers expected to make a big impact this fall.

To most fans, Kacmarcik’s emergence during spring ball was a pleasant surprise, but they’re only half-right.

“It was pleasant, but it wasn’t a surprise,” coach Beau Baldwin said. “We’re very excited about where he’s heading.”

At this point, the depth chart is etched in wet cement, but Kacmarcik acknowledged Thursday that it’s “very special” to see his name at the top of the list at strongside linebacker in the Eagles’ new 4-2-5 formation.

“I just keep going out there and busting my butt every day and see where we end up,” said Kacmarcik, a 6-foot-1, 205-pounder who spent the summer in Cheney to improve his game.

“I’ve tried to do all the little things right,” said Kacmarcik. That included going early to bed, eating the right food, staying hydrated and “sticking your head in there and going for it,” he said.

Kacmarcik isn’t the only one. Jonah Jordan, a defensive lineman from Mead High School, is atop the depth chart at end.

“I’m just trying to work hard for it,” said Jordan, a 6-2, 250-pounder who redshirted last year while several fellow freshmen were pressed into action following injuries on the defensive line.

Redshirting was “definitely a good thing,” said Jordan, who said he gained 12 pounds of muscle during the off-season while learning from the older players during practices and team meetings.

The depth chart is even more of an abstract on the defensive line, where the Eagles typically rotate up to dozen players per game. Still, Jordan is expected to be in the mix.

“He’s made huge strides since last fall, and you can see that he’s had a great three to four months since spring,” Baldwin said.

Other newcomers in the spotlight include long-snapper Curtis Billen, a redshirt freshman from Everett who is expected to replace standout Cory Alcantar; redshirt freshman safety Cole Karstetter from Ferris High School; and nose tackle Monike Sarte.

Notes

Looking back at Wednesday’s opening day of practice, Baldwin said he thought it went “really well,” partly because the players put in so much time during the summer. Looking back to his own playing days at Central Washington in the early 1990s, Baldwin said “these guys are doing a heckuva lot more during the summer. We didn’t do close to what these guys do.” … The Eagles will practice again today at 9:15 a.m. and will wear full pads on Saturday. Two-a-days begin Monday.