WSU football notebook: Another QB battle in store, several Cougars to miss spring with injuries and special teams notes

PULLMAN – From coaching stop to coaching stop, from the West Coast to the Midwest, Kirby Moore has learned what he values most in quarterback play. He’s learned from all manner of head coaches, all of whom have received shoutouts from Washington State’s new head coach in his first few months on the job, all of whom have colored the new Cougar head man’s approach.

Over those years, Moore has established a few criteria above all for his quarterbacks: Completion percentage and taking care of the football.

“And explosive plays,” Moore said. “So those are things we’re going to be tracking every day.”

As WSU prepares to kick off spring practice, beginning with Thursday’s opener at the Taylor Sports Complex, Moore won’t just be looking for those qualities from Cougar quarterbacks Caden Pinnick, Owen Eshelman and Julian Dugger. He’ll be looking to see who wields them the best.

It’ll be WSU’s third straight year hosting a QB battle. Two years ago, the winner was John Mateer. Last year, the honors went to Jaxon Potter, who later lost his spot to Zevi Eckhaus. Who will take the reins in Moore’s debut season in Pullman?

That much may not be determined until this fall – “I am in no hurry for that to happen,” Moore said – but if you created a list of intriguing developments to come from WSU’s spring ball slate, the QB situation may live at the top, no matter which way it goes.

Pinnick has by far the most experience, last fall completing 70% of his passes for 3,206 yards and 32 touchdowns against 10 interceptions for FCS UC Davis, winning Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors. But to earn starting duties for Washington State, Moore says, he’ll have to beat out Dugger and Eshelman, neither of whom have extensive experience at the college level.

Notably, none of the quarterbacks will go through live reps, Moore said, meaning they won’t be able to get tackled in earnest. That represents a change of pace from former coach Jimmy Rogers, who set aside a period for his QBs to practice live, which he said forced them to make quick decisions and simulate game situations.

Instead, Moore said, these quarterbacks will get that experience by keeping score and simulating situations like third downs, red zone opportunities and more. It’s also clear that WSU’s new coaching staff prioritizes avoiding injuries, which Moore said is “the quickest way we can hinder someone’s development.”

“I think there’s a ton of other ways to make them feel the heat,” Moore said, “in terms of pass under pressure, specific red zone situations where there’s a high likelihood that they’re getting pressure from the defense. Obviously, I’ll be a part of calling sacks and making sure they’re feeling those because we have to take care of the football, and we gotta make sure we get the ball out on time and make quick decisions.”

Four players to miss entire spring ball with injuries

Four Cougars are not expected to be available for spring practices with injuries, Moore said: Offensive linemen Jaylin Caldwell (knee) and Kalolo Ta’aga (foot), tight end Trey Leckner (foot) and safety Kyle Peterson (shoulder).

A few other players are expected to miss the first handful of practices before working their way back into action, Moore said, but he didn’t specify which those would be.

Caldwell’s injury stems from a play last season at Virginia, when Caldwell was playing in place of the injured Christian Hilborn, who has since exhausted his eligibility. Early into his stint in that game, he went down with a knee injury, which prompted him to miss the rest of the season. He was seen on crutches in the games that followed, and the injury has followed him into the spring.

With Caldwell out of action, Washington transfer Maximus McCree will get his shot at earning a spot in the rotation. He’ll be playing right tackle, Moore said, which represents a change for McCree. At the college level, at Washington and Maryland, he’s only ever played left tackle. Maybe that doesn’t seem like such a big change, but tackles at all levels of football have indicated there are meaningful differences between the positions.

In Leckner’s absence, coaches will get a closer look at UCLA tight end transfer Jack Pedersen, returner Hudson Cedarland and Beau Baker, the latter of whom Moore said is “a guy who’s really attacked the strength and conditioning program, and he’s done a very, very good job.” Another tight end to watch: Nathaniel Salmon, whose journey from professional basketball player to college tight end has already turned into a fascinating tale.

New special teamers to take over

This spring, coaches will also get a chance to evaluate what they have on their special teams unit.

It seems likely that WSU’s placekicking duties will go to returner Jack Stevens, who connected on 16 of 19 field goals last fall, including a perfect 33-for-33 mark on extra points. An incoming redshirt sophomore, Stevens was one of the first players to re-sign with the program during the winter, indicating coaches’ confidence in him.

WSU will also enjoy the return of veteran wide receiver/punt returner Tony Freeman, who also projects to hold down the Cougars’ punt returning job in the fall. But who will man the other special teams spots? There are more question marks at positions like kick returner and long snapper, where coaches brought in junior college transfer snapper Jeremy Sousa over the offseason.

At the kick returner position, potential candidates include Missouri transfer receiver Daniel Blood, Florida transfer wideout Tank Hawkins and Central Washington transfer running back Beau Phillips.