The most important questions facing WSU football as spring practice begins

Mar. 25—PULLMAN — Four months after a wonky season, a promising start followed by a forgettable finish, Washington State football is ready to return.

Sort of. The Cougars start spring practice on Tuesday, a 15-practice slate featuring three scrimmages, concluding with the spring game on April 27.

As WSU enters a new era, joining the Mountain West next season as part of a temporary scheduling agreement, here are a few questions the Cougs need to try to answer this spring — at least as much as spring ball allows.

Who separates themselves at quarterback?

For the first time in three years, WSU will enter a new season with a quarterback battle. Former QB Cam Ward is off to Miami, opening the door for incumbent backup John Mateer to take the reins, but coach Jake Dickert isn't ready to hand him the job just yet. He wants competition.

That's where quarterbacks like Evans Chuba (true freshman), Zevi Eckhaus (transfer) and Jaxon Potter (redshirt freshman) enter the fray. Mateer has the most experience of all, playing last season as a backup/speed option quarterback

"We have someone in house that we feel very strongly about," Dickert said, "that has the intangible ability to go out there and execute our offense, maybe to a higher degree than even we've been the last couple of years."

But Dickert also likes his other three options. Chuba, a Canada native who enrolled early, will compete for playing time, as will Eckhaus, a transfer from Bryant.

"Even talking to Coach (Ben) Arbuckle, it's a different room," Dickert said. "Zevi is a professional in everything he does. I mean, he is quick, he's sharp, he's articulate, he understands protections. And Evans Chuba, coming in as a mid-year enrollee, you see him run around in some of the lines and you think he's a defensive end with how athletic he is. Yet he can really sling the football — Jaxon Potter and that whole group."

What does WSU have outside of injured players at their positions?

The Cougs will be without several players: Edge rusher Lawrence Falatea, who tore his ACL during fall camp last year; edge Rashad Mackenzie, who is out with a knee injury he suffered last season; defensive back Kapena Gushiken will miss part of spring practice recovering from hernia surgery; and offensive lineman Fa'alili Fa'amoe will be out until the summer as he recovers from a knee injury he played through last season.

All four of those guys have experience, and they project to feature prominently at their positions. What does it mean for those with whom they'll be competing?

At the edge spot, it's a chance for guys like transfer Syrus Webster to step up and show what he's capable of. A transfer from Utah Tech, Webster has already received glowing reviews. WSU's edge room also includes Nusi Malani, who moved from interior lineman last season.

"Syrus Webster has blown all of us away as far as what he can do at one of those edge positions," Dickert said. "Moving Nusi out there really creates a little bit of a logjam of who's gonna rise out of that edge competition, and we're excited about that."

At the defensive back position, it's also an opportunity for WSU to test its depth. Safety Jackson Lataimua had hernia surgery in early January, Dickert said, so he'll be limited for parts of spring camp. That opens the door for redshirt freshman Warren Smith, redshirt sophomore Reece Sylvester, redshirt junior Jamorri Colson and others.

WSU also wants to see more out of Ashton Tripp, a redshirt freshman from Kennewick. He's behind incumbent Esa Pole at the left tackle spot, but with Fa'amoe out, Tripp might get more reps this spring.

"I'm excited to see Ashton Tripp as a young guy," Dickert said. "We firmly placed him behind Esa. He's going to be a heck of a challenge, those guys battling things out and creating some more depth in our offensive line."

Who steps up at the inside receiver positions?

The Cougs have two established receivers in rising senior Kyle Willliams and rising sophomore Carlos Hernandez. All their other receivers, well, aren't as experienced.

So what does WSU have at that position? Candidates include Kris Hutson, a transfer from Oregon; Kyle Maxwell, a transfer from Louisiana Tech (who has a groin injury, so he might not be at full strength) and Josh Meredith, a rising redshirt junior who blossomed as a special teams player/blocking wide receiver last season.

"There's some guys that have experience — but how do they fit into what we're doing?" Dickert said "I think that's going to be the competitive nature of everyone at all those positions. So it's gonna be one of those sort-out processes that, day to day, we'll see who's kinda rising to the crop but more importantly, who can be consistent?"