Coug
football:
10 WSU
rookies who could make instant impact
By COUGFANCOM
6/29/2018
THE
DYNAMIC HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED this season for Cougar rookies who could make an
instant impact their first year at Washington State. Indeed, it’s difficult to
limit the following list to a robust 10 – that’s the impact of the new NCAA
rule allowing players to participate in up to four games without losing a
redshirt season.
GARDNER
MINSHEW
The 6-2,
215-pounder was offered by WSU in the first place because Mike Leach loved his
accuracy and decision making, the two things at the top of Leach’s list when it
comes to a QB. The senior transfer from
East Carolina is the only Cougar QB on the roster who has played in a college
game, and he showed “really good touch and anticipation – that’s probably his
biggest strength” at the recent Manning Passing Academy.
CAMMON
COOPER
The 6-4,
220-pounder improved in the second half of spring ball, particularly in his
progressions and there were throws Cooper made that no other QB made. Perhaps
nobody will benefit more from the new rule than Cooper – if WSU should struggle
behind center, it would follow Leach would give Cooper every chance to show
what he can do.
MAX BORGHI
He’s
elusive but still packs a punch and just when you think he’s down, he gains
more yards. His hands were better than advertised this spring in the receiving
game – and he even got some work flexed out in the slot. The 5-10, 190-pound
Borghi will need to stay away from absorbing too many hard hits and getting
dinged up, but he has the chance to be special coming out of the gate.
D’ANGELO
MCKENZIE
He’s not
the biggest safety at 5-11, 185 pounds but he packs a wallop. McKenzie might
shine brightest in run support early on but he’s athletic enough to drop back
and get the job done in coverage. With safety the biggest concern on defense
heading into fall ball, McKenzie and others will get every chance to early
playing time as WSU takes full advantage of the new rule.
TYRESE
ROSS
Jason
Gesser describes the 6-0, 180-pound safety this way: “Very physical, he’s quick
when he strikes. He’s like a coiled snake. When he hits someone, he expands. He
reminds me of Shalom Luani and Deone Bucannon ... He’s a natural player. Great
at taking angles, never gets out of position, how he uses his shoulders to keep
contain on the outside and get low on blocks.”
HALID
DJIBRIL
At 6-2,
185, Djibril could be ticketed for linebacker or nickel but with safety such a
concern, he may well get his first look in the defensive backfield. Djibril’s ability to come downhill and hit,
while also being able to play in zone coverage, makes him an ideal candidate
when considering the new rule.
RODRICK
FISHER
The
speedy, physical Spokane native has a leg up having enrolled early and gone
through spring ball, and he got progressively better over the course of the
spring in his route running. Wide receiver is fairly stacked, but the Cougs
rotate eight on game day and that means Fisher -- as well as fellow 2018 recruiting class
members Drue Jackson, Kassidy Woods and Brandon Gray – are all in the mix. The
new rule also adds grist to the idea of many more coming to the WR playing
party out on the Palouse in 2018.
R.J. STONE
At 6-4,
215 pounds, Stone is long and athletic -- plus he can play a number of
positions. Stone will come into fall camp with a well-earned reputation of
playing very physical and hard to handle coming off the edge. The big question is how fast he adapts to the
size and speed difference coming out of high school.
CADE
BERESFORD
A true
freshman potentially seeing playing time on the o-line? Yes, and for two
reasons. 1) Beresford has great hands,
really great feet, he's very athletic for his size and while he's going to fill
out, he's already 6-7, 270 pounds. In other words, there are reasons why USC
and Stanford both tried to pry him away from the Cougs. 2) If the new rule had
been in place last year, you likely would have seen Abraham Lucas get some
playing time as a true freshman as the o-line faltered. And WSU's offensive
line is coming off an uneven spring.
JONATHAN
LOLOHEA
There’s no
question Lolohea will play this season, but he’ll need to kick it into another
gear in fall camp if he wants to beat out surprising former walk on Taylor
Comfort at nose tackle. Lolohea now has a spring session under his belt and it
won’t be surprising in August if he starts filling gaps and shedding blockers
like he did in one of the more competitive JC leagues (MACJC) in the nation
last year.
…………………………….
Seen &
Heard on Planet Coug
By
COUGFANCOM
(Slightly
edited by News for CougGroup)
WASHINGTON
STATE is the most overachieving football team in the Pac-12 the last three
seasons. So says the WestCoastCFB account on Twitter, in comparing 247Sports
recruiting rankings vs. ESPN's FPI rankings at the end of the season.
The Cougs,
26-13 the past three years, finished 26 spots better than their talent over the
three-year stretch, per WestCoastCFB. Second in the Pac-12 was Utah at
plus-14.33, with UW (plus-12.4); Stanford (plus-3.67) and Colorado (plus-0.33)
rounding out the top five. The rest of the Pac-12 underachieved compared to
their talent: The rest of the Pac-12 underachieved compared to their talent:
Cal (minus-1.0); USC (minus-10.33); Arizona (minus-13) Oregon (minus-16); UCLA
(minus-23.67); ASU (minus-27 12) and Oregon State (minus-33.67).
COUGAR
KICKING GREAT Jason Hanson became the first Washington State student-athlete to
be inducted into college football’s academic Hall of Fame (CoSIDA) on
Wednesday. Hanson, a pre-med major out of Spokane, was a three-time Academic
All-American during his WSU career (1988-91). Hanson, who is also on the 2019
ballot for the College Hall of Fame, became Washington State's first unanimous
All-American as a sophomore in 1989. He
finished his WSU career with 19 field goals of 50-plus yards including a
62-yarder (still the Pac-12 record). A second-round draft pick of Detroit in
1992, he played 21 seasons with the Lions and held the NFL record for career
50-yard kicks (52). He was inducted into
the WSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.
ON
SATURDAY IN VANCOUVER Hilinski's Hope and Taps Growler House will hold an event
in honor of Tyler Hilinski to promote awareness and education of
student-athletes' mental health and wellness. Saturday's Taps Community
Brewfest event runs from 11 a.m. to closing.
Taps Growler House is located at 1900 NE 162nd Ave., Suite D112, in
Vancouver.
ALSO Timm
Rosenbach is back as Montana's offensive coordinator, the same position he held
at the school in 2012. Rosenbach served
as the quarterbacks coach at Washington State under Bill Doba from
2003-2007. During his playing days for
the Cougs, Rosenbach set single-season program records for total offense
(3,422), passing yards (3,097), and touchdown passes (24) as a junior before
leaving early for the NFL. Before returning to Montana, Rosenbach served as the
head coach at Adams State in Colorado from 2015-2017 where he compiled a 9-20
record.
FORMER
COUGAR point guard Milan Acquaah has a new home at California Baptist. " I appreciate everyone who supported me
in this process and thanks to the programs who recruited me it’s been a very
humbling experience and I’m thankful for all of it!" Acquaah tweeted. Acquaah left the WSU program this offseason
after averaging 4.9 points, 1.9 assists and 17.5 minutes per game his
second-year freshman season. He shot
38.8 percent from the field, 26.3 percent from 3-point range. California
Baptist has developed a strong D-II reputation in basketball and is transitioning to D-I this season,
where it will officially join the Western Athletic Conference on July 1. As
part of its transition, California Baptist not be eligible to compete in the
postseason including the conference tournament until the 2022-23 athletic
season.
WSU RANKS
53rd in revenue in the FBS and last in the Pac-12, according to USA Today's
study of NCAA Division I public schools for the 2017 fiscal year. WSU's revenue of $64 million was more than
doubled by Oregon's $145 million, the top-ranked school in the Pac-12 and No.
12 nationally. The No. 11 school in the Pac-12, Oregon State, brought in nearly
$79 million in revenue. Texas and Texas A&M were tops on the list, with
both exceeding $210 million in total operating revenue for the year. You can
find the full story here.
THE PAC-12
THIS WEEK is promoting its Tom Hansen Conference Medal winners. As previously
noted in this story from early May, Luke Falk and Alissa Brooks-Johnson were
the WSU recipients of the award, awarded annually to each Pac-12 school's
outstanding senior male and female student-athlete for performance and
achievement in scholarship, athletics and leadership.
MARK
RYPIEN is among the favorites who will tee off at the star-studded Lake Tahoe
American Century Championships. Harrah's and Harvey’s Race and Sports Book has
installed Rypien in the top 8, at 12/1 odds to win the tourney. Former MLB
pitcher Mark Mulder is the favorite at 5/2.
Rypien is a two-time champion at the annual celebrity golf tournament
which will take place on July 13-15. Other sports stars who will compete
include Steph Curry, Aaron Rodgers, Larry Fitzgerald, Jared Goff and Charles
Barkley among others.
WSU
BASEBALL: Ten incoming freshman in the Cougs' class recently were recent named
to USA Today's All-USA state teams, highlighted by pitcher Kyler Bush's
selection to the All-USA second team. P/OF Tyson Guerrero was named to the
All-USA Washington first team, while OF/P Koby Blunt and pitchers Sam
Lauderdale and Brandon White were named to the All-USA Washington second team. Infielder Abel Carter (Nevada); P Trevor
Ichimura (Hawaii); infielders Kodie Kolden and Kyle Manzardo (Utah) and pitcher
Zane Mills (Oregon) were also USA Today team selections.
………..
WSU
President says institution ranks 52nd among nation’s top research universities
as his “Drive to 25” campaign continues
June 29,
2018 Pullman Radio
Washington
State University ranks 52nd among top American research universities as
President Kirk Schulz continues his “Drive to 25.” Schulz updated the campus community about the
campaign in a post on his webpage Friday.
The president is using 11 metrics to determine where WSU ranks among the
nation’s top research universities.
Those data points include research spending, annual giving and the
number of national academy members. The
ranking will be used as a baseline for Schulz as he moves ahead with his
campaign to make WSU one of the country’s top 25 research universities.
……………….
Note: To
see the graphs mentioned in WSU President Kirk Schulz column below , go to the
URL below…
News and
Notes:
From the
desk of Kirk Schulz
June 2018
Dear
Faculty and Staff:
Happy
summer to all of you across our beautiful state! This is the third summer Noel
and I have lived in the Palouse, and we continue to enjoy the season’s long days
and cool nights—ideal weather for our favorite outdoor activities. I also enjoy
the more relaxed pace in Pullman during the summer months and appreciate the
opportunities to explore the local area a bit more on the weekends.
Our Board
of Regents meets 5 times a year to conduct University business. These meetings
typically take place over a 2‑day period. An afternoon is allotted for committee meetings,
which are followed the next morning with a session during which votes are held
on previously discussed agenda items.
While we
have some time for robust discussion at these business meetings, there are
always significant issues in higher education of importance to WSU which are
not addressed due to time constraints. In order to allow more in‑depth conversations
about some of these important topics, twice a year our Regents and senior
leadership team participate in day‑and‑a‑half long retreats.
At our
retreat held earlier this month, we discussed a wide range of issues, including
progress on both the WSU 2014–19 strategic plan and our Drive to 25 benchmarks,
upcoming challenges in student health and safety, the continuing need to update
our IT infrastructure, current University marketing initiatives, and the
finances of the athletic department.
I want to
share summaries of the discussion about 2 of these topics with you. This month,
I am highlighting some of the data related to our Drive to 25 benchmarks. Next
month, I’ll highlight the discussion surrounding the athletic department
budget.
The Drive
to 25 serves as the roadmap for WSU’s future direction.
The Drive
to 25 website includes descriptions of our overall goal, the key metrics used
to measure progress, and draft action plans for each of the 11 metrics by which
we will measure our progress. Much of the information below will also be posted
to this website by the end of the summer for your reference.
First,
let’s consider some significant questions.
Why is the
Drive to 25 important for WSU?
There are
several key reasons. First, we will elevate the stature of the University
regionally and nationally. Second, we will add marketplace value to our
undergraduate and graduate degrees. Third, we will attract interest from
additional prospective students. Fourth, we will create new opportunities for
external research funding, including enhanced public and private partnerships.
Fifth—and most important—we will create richer educational experiences for our
current and future students.
Where are
we today in terms of our key metrics?
Of the 11
metrics we are using to gauge progress, 6 reflect measures used by the Center
for Measuring University Performance (CMUP) at Arizona State University and the
University of Massachusetts Amherst to identify the top American research
universities:
Total
research expenditures
Federal
research expenditures
Annual
giving
Number of
National Academy members
Faculty
awards
Doctorates
granted
The graphs
below show our national rank in these categories as compared to our peer public
research universities as identified in WSU’s strategic plan. Additionally, the
yellow-colored bar identifies the institution currently ranked 25th in each
category—providing a sense of what would be required of us today to rank at
this level.
Total
research expenditures
WSU’s
current rank: 49
Graph
description
(Click
graph to enlarge)
Federal
research expenditures
WSU’s
current rank: 60
Graph
description
(Click
graph to enlarge)
Annual
giving
WSU’s
current rank: 47
Graph
description
(Click
graph to enlarge)
Number of
National Academy members
WSU’s
current rank: 41
Graph
description
(Click
graph to enlarge)
Faculty
awards
WSU’s
current rank: 60
Graph
description
(Click
graph to enlarge)
Doctorates
granted
WSU’s
current rank: 54
Graph
description
(Click
graph to enlarge)
What is
our current overall ranking using these metrics?
Our
current composite rank (taking the average of our ranking in each of the 6 CMUP
measures) is 52. This will serve as our baseline to measure progress as we
carry out each of the Drive to 25 action plans posted on our website.
Each of
the CMUP‑based metrics is largely
focused on aspects of the research enterprise. It is important to note that the
Drive to 25 also directs significant efforts toward improving the student
experience to advance metrics such as the 6‑year graduation rate, the number of undergraduate
students involved in research and scholarship activities, and the job placement
rate of undergraduates after graduation.
There is
much to be proud of when we examine our CMUP rankings compared to our peer
institutions. In many cases, we enroll significantly fewer students and employ
fewer faculty compared to our peers—which shows that WSU faculty and staff
continue to outperform their peers. This point also reinforces the need and
priority we have attached to increasing our number of research-active faculty.
As I
mentioned, the Regents reviewed this data earlier this month. The rest of the
WSU community will have ample opportunity to discuss all of our Drive to 25
metrics—and our key action steps to advance year one goals—in some detail
during the fall 2018 town hall meetings when Provost Bernardo and I visit with
each campus, college, and major unit across the state.
As always,
if you have any questions, please feel free to email me. Enjoy the gorgeous
summer days wherever you live and work.
Go Cougs!
Kirk
#
