New Eastern Washington offensive line coach Jase Butorac inherits young but experienced group

This is the fourth of an eight-part series on spring football at Eastern Washington. Today: the offensive line.

Eastern Washington’s new offensive line coach is a former center, and Jase Butorac believes that’s no coincidence.

“As a center you have to see everything,” said Butorac, who now must see even more.

It’s been an eye-opening spring for the 24-year-old, who is barely two years out of uniform but now is in charge of a dozen guys old enough to be his roommates.

Butorac has spent the last two years learning from the Best – as in longtime O-line coach Aaron Best, who’s now Eastern’s head coach.

“I’m still learning from him,” Butorac said. “He’s a guy that’s going to be involved, a guy that always wants to be around.”

Butorac, a senior captain in 2014, still fields the same questions from Best that he did as a player, but with more at stake.

“It’s not, ‘Why do you want to do this, but understand exactly what happens if you chose X, Y or Z,’ ” Butorac said.

Fortunately for Butorac, he takes over a group that’s young but not raw, with most of the key players seeing action for last year’s record-breaking offense.

The Eagles’ O-line, however, is seeing some surprising changes this spring, with some players switching positions as others still look for the best fit.

On top of that, the Eagles will accentuate the run this year, increasing the learning curve for the younger players. After EWU gained just 75 yards in 33 carries in Saturday’s scrimmage, Best said, “The running game is always the last thing that kind of takes form.”

With that, here’s a position-by-position look at the O-line:

Center: Last year, Spencer Blackburn was one of the biggest surprises in the program. Second on the depth chart going into the opener at Washington State, the 6-foot-2, 285-pounder from Bellingham replaced injured senior Jerrod Jones in week four and ended up a second-team All-Big Sky Conference pick. “He’s the epitome of a grinder,” said Butorac, who has plenty of backups in juniors Jakob Stoll (6-2, 260), Jack Hunter (6-4, 300) and freshman Brett Thompson (6-4, 250).

Guard: This is where things get interesting. Tristen Taylor performed so well last year at left tackle, the Eagles have moved him closer to the middle of the action for his sophomore season. The 6-6, 320-pounder gives the Eagles much-needed beef inside to boost the running game. On the right side, junior Matt Meyer (6-5, 315) has been “phenomenal” since last year’s season opener, according to Butorac. There’s no shortage of quality backups: Redshirt freshman Conner Crist (6-3, 305) will see action at right. Hunter and D.J. Dyer look to be the utility men, capable of playing all three interior positions. Troy, Idaho, product Will Gram will also be in mix.

Tackle: To fill the space vacated by Taylor, the Eagles are flipping Nick Ellison from the right side. “Every right tackle should be able to play on the left,” said Butorac, who praises Ellison’s versatility. That leaves an opportunity at right tackle for former guard Chris Schlicting (6-5, 300). “He’s very smart, very coachable and understands the game,” Butorac said of Schlichting. In the mix at both tackle positions are redshirt freshmen Brett Thompson and Nick Blair. Butorac also expects former defensive lineman Kaleb Levao to have an impact.

Tight end: The Eagles have three experienced ends in Henderson Belk, Jayce Gilder and Central Valley product Beau Byus, who caught the winning touchdown pass on a fake field-goal attempts against Northern Iowa. The tight ends will be coached by offensive coordinator Fred Salanoa, but it’s unclear how much of a role they will play in the passing game.

Coming up: part five, the defensive line