Notebook: Washington State football picked seventh in Pac-12 media poll

LOS ANGELES – Pac-12 media members figure Washington State will end up somewhere in the middle of the pack.
The Cougars were picked to finish seventh this fall in the Pac-12’s preseason media poll, released by the conference Thursday afternoon – less than a day ahead of the Pac-12’s annual media day in Los Angeles.
WSU came up with 177 total points – 213 back of first-place Utah, the defending conference champion. The Utes claimed 26 of 33 first-place votes.
The participating media members might have been uncertain about WSU’s prospects this season, considering the Cougars are fielding a new staff and a new offense – captained by a transfer quarterback – under first-year head coach Jake Dickert, who guided WSU to a winning record and a bowl berth last year as an interim coach.
The media members are more confident that Oregon and USC will enjoy successful campaigns under first-year coaches.
The Ducks, led by former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning, came in at second in the poll and got two first-place votes, while USC – well-stocked with high-caliber transfer talent and headed by former Oklahoma boss Lincoln Riley – checked in at third with five first-place votes.
Washington, picked to finish sixth with 35 more points than WSU, will also be playing under a new staff this year. After a four-win 2021 season, UW hired Kalen DeBoer out of Fresno State in late November.
WSU will face Oregon, USC and Utah during a grueling stretch between Sept. 24 and Oct. 27.
The Pac-12 did away with its North/South divisional format earlier this year.
The top two teams in the league’s standings at the end of the season will meet for the conference title on Dec. 2 in Las Vegas.
WSU receives commitment from Utah pass rusher
One of Utah’s top prep talents is headed to Washington State.
Isaac Terrell, an ultraproductive pass-rusher from Lehi High, announced his verbal commitment to the Cougars’ football program on Wednesday evening over Twitter.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound edge-rusher amassed a staggering total of 23½ sacks as a junior last season and was named player of the year in Utah’s 5A classification by Deseret News.
Across three varsity seasons, Terrell has registered 214 tackles – 46 for loss – and 35½ sacks.
Terrell – a three-star recruit, a top-20 prospect in Utah and a top-100 edge-rusher in the nation, according to 247Sports.com – chose WSU over offers from Utah State and UNLV.
The Lehi Pioneers drubbed Springville 35-6 in the 5A state championship game last November and finished the season with an 11-3 record. Terrell tallied two sacks in that contest. Two months later, Terrell captured Utah’s 5A wrestling crown in the 285-pound weight class.
Terrell joins 12 other commits in the Cougars’ 2023 class.