Five things we know: Takeaways from the first 10 days of spring camp at Washington State

The Cougars are through 10 practices with five to go. Some of the pressing questions have been answered this spring camp; many others haven’t. So, as Washington State prepares for its second scrimmage of the spring slate, set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Pullman, we examine five things we know about the Cougars through approximately three weeks of practice.

Quarterback remains (very) unsettled

There’s simply no expediting this process. It’ll still be another four months until WSU fans know who will lead the first offensive series on Sept. 1 against Wyoming – and the player who does it may not even be on campus yet.

But perhaps the Cougars have established a couple of lead horses for the short term.

Redshirt juniors Trey Tinsley and Anthony Gordon have the early edge on true freshman Cammon Cooper, redshirt freshman Connor Neville and redshirt freshman walk-on John Bledsoe. Until Thursday, Tinsley was the first QB leading the Cougars in their 11-on-11 team period, usually with Gordon following. Gordon took the first series Thursday, followed by Tinsley and then Cooper. Bledsoe was thrown into 11-on-11 play for the first time during Tuesday’s practice.

Tinsley’s poise in the pocket is better than Gordon’s and, as a self-proclaimed Baker Mayfield enthusiast, he brings a certain edge to the line of scrimmage that players on both sides of the ball seem to feed off. Gordon is more reserved, but Leach has complimented his arm strength and ability to fit the ball into tight spaces. He’s probably been more consistent than Tinsley the past few practices.

“I think we’ve got a lot of them doing some good things,” Leach said. “The guys that move the unit the best right now are Tinsley and Gordon, but I think those other three guys throw the ball well. It’s just, they operate a little slower. But yeah, you’ll see them throw some really good balls.”

Of course, East Carolina grad transfer Gardner Minshew is bound to ramp up the drama when he arrives for fall camp.

Early enrollees are ready to contribute

There may not be a starter among the bunch, but all six of WSU’s early enrollees could be contributing in some shape or form when the Cougars start playing real opponents. Max Borghi could usurp Keith Harrington as the second-string running back – if he hasn’t already – but overtaking James Williams is a tall task. “He’s really good. I haven’t seen someone run that powerful in awhile,” left tackle Andre Dillard said of the freshman running back.

Cooper is on the outside looking in when it comes to the quarterback battle, but he’ll enter fall camp with a much better understanding of the offense than he did coming into the spring. Rodrick Fisher, a Spokane native and East Valley standout, is also still learning, but has a good chance to back up Tay Martin at “X” receiver. “His day one progress, from day one to now, is really good,” outside receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. said. Keenan Forbes may not push for a starting job on the offensive line, but could work his way into a backup role.

On the defensive side, Jonathan “Pono” Lolohea, a 6-3, 300-pound nose tackle, already has the sheer mass to play at this level and he’s shown enough competence during spring practices. Kendrick Catis is buried behind Peyton Pelluer, Justus Rogers, Jahad Woods and Dillon Sherman on the linebacker depth chart, but if injury strikes the group again, there could be a role for the juco transfer. “Kendrick, he’s the man, he’s a hitter,” Pelluer said.

There’s not much depth in the secondary …

The first-stringers are all capable players, but behind that quartet, there’s still a lot to sort out.

Cornerback Darrien Molton has 35 games of college football under his belt and Marcus Strong and Sean Harper Jr. shared the team lead in pass breakups last season, both knocking down six balls. That’s a good place to start, but if any of those three go down – or even worse, two at a time – it could become troubling, considering George Hicks III is the only other corner with game experience. All four players have consistently lost one-on-one battles through the spring. You can either take that as a sign of the talent at wide receiver, or the growing pains at corner.

The depth is razor-thin at safety, too. The first line consists of an All-Pac-12 talent in junior Jalen Thompson, and a first-year starter in redshirt sophomore Skyler Thomas. Thompson has come up with interceptions in each of the last two practices and Thomas has had his moments, but the Cougars are still sorting out backups for both – and it could take awhile.

“We’ve gotta get the secondary figured out and who’s where and what they do well,” defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said. “Haven’t done a very good job of that so far. They’re a little bit behind.”

… But plenty at inside linebacker

Ken Wilson has it good this season. The inside linebackers coach returns three players who’ve started in 48 games – and two of those are just redshirt sophomores. But his group is also loaded with talent behind Peyton Pelluer, Jahad Woods and Justus Rogers.

Dillon Sherman was a trusty reserve last season, Fa’avae Fa’avae was one of the regular standouts during Thursday Night Football scrimmages designed for young players, Dominick Silvels earned his stripes as a special teams contributor and Catis, mentioned above, already has the physical makeup of a Pac-12 linebacker, but just needs more time with the playbook.

Rogers and Woods each benefited from another offseason in the weight room and are noticeably stronger this spring after each gaining 5 to 10 pounds. Pelluer’s voice and leadership are invaluable traits that make their way back to Wilson’s position group this spring.

“It’s awesome that he’s back for another season,” Rogers said of Pelluer, the sixth-year senior. “Last year we had four seniors like him for me to learn from and watch, just the nuances of the position. So it’s great that he’s there and I can keep elevating my level (of play) and he’s probably one of the more complete playes on out team.”

WSU can win with Winston

It’s possible that nobody on the 93-man spring roster has put together a stronger spring resume than junior college transfer Easop Winston. The outside receiver from San Francisco was superb last spring, catching 10 passes for 126 yards and three scores in one scrimmage, but he disappeared in the fall and had to spend a redshirt year in 2017.

So Winston got in tip-top shape and came back this spring as one of the better playmakers on the team.

“I definitely was in the gym doing stuff on my own,” Winston said. “Treadmill, do a few laps, so when this year came I could be more in shape, could stay in longer and I can definitely see the benefits of that this spring.”

Winston has pulled in more touchdown catches than any other receiver through the first 10 practices – often making himself available in space when other routes break down – and he should make a strong push for the “Z” receiver position many assumed would automatically fall to 6-4 junior Dezmon Patmon.