Victor's time to shine

Sep. 7—If the Washington State football team had a summer session scheduled for 6 a.m., you could bet money senior wide receiver Lincoln Victor would already be there by 5 a.m. working out.

Sometimes, team leaders aren't the loudest members, the most flashy or even the most athletic. The best qualifications of being a good leader are earning the respect of your peers and being able to rally them through the good and the bad.

For WSU, Victor fits that bill, which is a big reason why he's a two-time team captain.

Now, he's also getting a chance to shine brighter on the field.

The patient and steady Maui, Hawaii, native burst out with a career performance in WSU's 50-24 season-opening win against Colorado State, hauling in 11 catches for 168 yards — tops in the Pac-12 for Week 1.

"I can't even tell you how proud I am of Lincoln," WSU coach Jake Dickert said. "Nobody works harder. ... To see him be that consistent and make that many plays when it hasn't always been easy, you just gotta shine lights on those stories."

Born in Hawaii, Victor graduated from Union High School in Vancouver, Wash., as a two-time region MVP before returning to the islands and joining the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football program in 2019.

The 5-foot-9, 177-pounder was used sparingly in two seasons with the Warriors and he chose to take a risk by following Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich and his coaching staff to Washington State in 2021 as a walk-on.

Victor would go on to appear in all 13 games in a variety of ways for the Cougars, finishing with eight special teams tackles and 22 catches for 295 yards and two touchdowns. That versatility earned him an All-Pac-12 honorable mention as an all-purpose player as a sophomore in 2021.

Rolovich was later fired and many of Victor's fellow wideouts chose to leave the team, but he chose to stick it out with the Cougs.

Victor was named a team captain for the first time for the 2022 season, but he struggled to have a bigger role in the offense. He tallied 26 receptions for 245 yards and no scores as seniors Robert Ferrel and Renard Bell enjoyed bigger statistical seasons at the slot position.

None of that bothered Victor.

He just kept on quietly working at his craft.

"I get to see when we would do 6 a.m. runs on Tuesdays and Fridays in the offseason, he would be on the jugs in there with (freshman) Cole Pruett at 5 a.m.," Dickert said after the CSU game. "No one else sees that. A guy that is working his craft in the dark wanting to get these types of results."

The love the Cougars have for Victor was evident when he got more votes to be a team captain than anyone else on the team.

And the love he has for his teammates is shown every time he's in front of a mic.

"There was a lot of preparation that went into this," Victor said after the win. "I'm just thankful to be able to share the field with all those guys, and it was such a special moment.

"So happy that we got the win and can't thank the other 10 men (enough) that were on the field with me."

Part of that mindset comes from Victor's strong family bond and rich Hawaiian heritage. Victor said he calls his parents after every practice — not just games, practices, too.

"I call my parents, let them know that I'm thankful for them because I wouldn't be here without them," Victor said during fall camp.

After the CSU game, Victor appeared at the postgame news conference wearing a traditional Hawaiian maile lei around his neck, brought to Colorado by his parents, along with another traditional necklace made by a brother.

It's been a tough offseason for Victor and his family amid raging wildfires that ravaged Maui. Victor's family is OK, but the wildfires have left 115 people dead and destroyed thousands of structures.

"Obviously, the island is in total shock," Victor said last week. "It's definitely a travesty. (They're) still trying to find people who are missing but I think all hands are on deck. A lot of people from other islands have flown in to help support and help the community back to where it needs to be, and just get people back on their feet."

Victor said he's playing for his home state every time he puts on a Cougar uniform.

"Every time I strap these pads up, I'm not playing for myself, I'm playing for the ones who came before me, for all my family members who don't have the opportunity to play anymore. ... My cousins, my family, my siblings — all those people have sacrificed great things for me to be where I am today.

"There's no greater honor than strapping up these pads and being able to play for them and play for my home state."

As for his teammates, Victor will be equally happy when they have the type of game he had Saturday.

Victor is a veteran in a wide receiver room full of newcomers and youngsters, but that doesn't mean the group isn't deep.

Names like DT Sheffield, Kyle Williams, Josh Kelly, Isaiah Hamilton, Carlos Hernandez, Tsion Nunnally and Leyton Smithson could all light up the stat book at some point this season.

"I think this year in the receiver room, there's a lot of guys who are ready and willing to contribute," Victor said. "It's not just the four starters, it's the two-deep, it's the three-deep, you see scout team giving the first defense a lot of work.

"I think it's a testament not only to (wideouts coach Nick) Edwards, but our mindset and our mentality every time we step on the field as receivers."

Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2277, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @StephanSports.