Washington State’s Marcus Strong makes a play for a starting spot in Cougs’ secondary

PULLMAN – Marcellus Pippins finds himself this spring in the awkward position of playing mentor to his competitor, helping his team by advising Marcus Strong, who will be a sophomore next season, but not himself by bettering the player who is taking some of his reps at a starting cornerback spot.

Pippins is defending the spot viscerally, nabbing an interception in the team’s scrimmage on Saturday, his second in two practices. But he’s been more territorial about his status as the team’s best dancer, a title he defends with some barbs thrown at Strong, who stood nearby during a recent post-practice interview.

“Marcus’ strength is he has little legs, so I call him ‘flamingo legs,’” Pippins said. “He’s got a dance called ‘The Flamingo,’ where he puts one leg in the air and stands in place. “

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and the Cougars coaches have expected for a while that Strong would be a contributor early in his career, which is why he did not redshirt his first season on campus.

While Strong played only sparingly, taking the field in just six games and making three tackles, he believes the experience was a positive one. In many ways he was still treated like a redshirting player, participating in WSU’s underclassmen scrimmages.

He came out of that initial year ready to compete for a starting, and has spent much of spring ball playing with the first unit on defense. Whether or not he ultimately beats out Pippins (Darrien Molton appears to have the other starting spot secured), the Cougars will head into next season with the luxury of having three cornerbacks capable of starting.

“The redshirt year would have given me a little bit of development, but getting on the field and seeing the speed actually helped me develop more,” Strong said. “Now going against (Isaiah Johnson-Mack) and (Tavares Martin) is showing me what to expect from great receivers on other Pac-12 teams.”

Strong is a nimble cover corner whose biggest strength may be his ability to prevent passes from coming his way, sticking close enough to receivers to convince quarterbacks to move on in their progressions.

He admits he’s surprised to be in contention for a starting spot this early in his career considering the experience in front of him at his position, a dose of humility instilled in him by his older brother, Victor Butler, who played six seasons in the NFL.

Another brother, Justin Strong, was a starting safety at Oregon State but has since transferred to Montana.

Strong came to Pullman and immediately started going up against players like

Martin, Johnson-Mack and Gabe Marks. Cornerbacks are like starting pitchers (or quarterbacks, or goalies, or any athletes, really) in that their most important skill is forgetfulness. A good receiver is going to be a good cornerback. What’s important is not getting down on yourself after it happens.

“(Butler) told me to realize you’re not the best anymore,” Strong said. “There’re other people out there that were the best in high school and you’ve got to keep fighting. Hone your talent and your abilities.

“It’s really frustrating when you come out here and get beat a lot and you’re not making the plays you should be, and coach is on you,” Strong added.

That’s actually happening more often for Strong now that he’s in the coach’s crosshairs and being asked to go up against WSU’s top receivers every day.

Much like having three starting cornerbacks, it’s a good problem to have.