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Washington State announced Monday it has moved its baseball series against
Nevada from Pullman to Don Weir Field at Peccole Park in Reno, Nev. The
four-game series was scheduled to begin Thursday at Bailey-Brayton Field and
run through Sunday, but snow in the Pullman forecast forced the change in
venue. The teams are scheduled for three games in Reno, playing single games
Thursday, Friday and Saturday. First pitch for each game will be at 1 p.m.
Lewiston
Trib
………………
WSU in
Pullman cancels classes before 10 a.m. in response to icy conditions
UPDATED:
Tue., Feb. 26, 2019, 11:50 a.m.
From staff
reports S-R
Washington
State University’s Pullman campus as well as some local school districts
delayed the start of classes Tuesday as a result of icy conditions.
WSU
canceled all classes before 10 a.m. At about 11:15 a.m., Avista Utilities
reported widespread power outages in Pullman, with about 3,700 customers
affected, including WSU.
The
university alerted students that the campus was experiencing a near-campus
outage, however all dining centers were open and had power, as well as the
student union building and Chinook.
In Spokane
County, the Liberty and Reardan-Edwall school districts also delayed classes by
two hours.
Many other
districts to the south and east of Spokane, including Pullman and Rosalia,
delayed school. A full list is available here.
Snow fell
on many areas south of Spokane on Monday, said National Weather Service
Meteorologist Amanda Young. Lewiston received 4 inches. Spokane only received a
trace of snow. Northeast winds 20 to 30 mph caused drifting snow that covered
many roadways.
………
Washington
State Chief of Staff announces hire of linebackers coach Roc Bellantoni
UPDATED:
Tue., Feb. 26, 2019, 12:28 p.m. S-R
Spokesman-Review
By Theo
Lawson
After a
flock of his assistants left for other programs last year, Mike Leach hasn’t
spent nearly as much of the 2019 offseason restructuring his coaching staff at
Washington State.
Inside
linebackers coach Ken Wilson created the only vacancy, leaving for Oregon in
January, and the Cougars have apparently already filled the position, hiring
former University at Buffalo defensive ends coach Roc Bellantoni.
WSU hasn’t
formally announced Bellantoni’s addition, but Chief of Staff Dave Emerick
revealed the Cougars’ newest assistant Tuesday during the “Cougs in 60” radio
show with Derek Deis.
Bellantoni
spent two seasons at Buffalo in various roles, working in 2017 as the Director
of Player Personnel before being promoted to defensive ends coach last year.
With Bellantoni monitoring Buffalo’s defensive line, the Bulls bumped their
sacks total from 19 in 2017 to 35 in ’18.
While he
doesn’t have any obvious connections to Leach’s current coaching staff,
Bellantoni’s time at Florida Atlantic University – where he was a defensive
coordinator and linebackers coach from 2014-16 – overlapped with that of WSU
Athletic Director Pat Chun, who was in charge of FAU’s athletic department for
5 1/2 years before coming to Pullman in January of 2018.
During his
time with the Owls, Bellantoni oversaw the most productive career by a
defensive linemen in school history. FAU defensive end Trey Hendrickson, now
with the New Orleans Saints, left Boca Raton as the program’s career leader in
sacks, tackles-for-loss, quarterback hurries and forced fumbles.
Bellantoni
also coached the defensive line at Villanova from 2012-13 after spending the
bulk of his career at Eastern Illinois (2001-11), where he began as a defensive
line coach, defensive coordinator and eventually an associate head coach.
During Bellantoni’s stint at Eastern Illinois, the Panthers won five Ohio
Valley Conference championships (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009) and qualified
for the NCAA playoffs six times.
At WSU,
Bellantoni will be inheriting an inside linebackers group that loses a veteran
captain in sixth-year senior Peyton Pelluer, but one that also returns a trio
of experienced redshirt juniors, including All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention
selection Jahad Woods. Fellow fourth-year juniors Dillon Sherman and Justus
Rogers have played in a combined 51 games over the last two seasons while
redshirt sophomore Fa’vae Fa’vae made 10 cameos in 2018.
Barring
any additional departures, Bellantoni rounds out Leach’s 2019 assistant
coaching staff, though WSU still needs to fill the Director of Football
Operations position formerly held by Antonio Huffman, who accepted a Chief of
Staff position at Texas Tech a few days after the Alamo Bowl.
…………
Tuesday,
February 26, 2019
Evergreen
GPSA
passes transit fee increase after ASWSU
Higher
cost meant to encourage other modes of transportation
By CHERYL
AARNIO, Evergreen
February
26, 2019
GPSA
approved a 5 percent increase in student transit fees to promote alternative
transportation options for students. GIESORC also presented on promoting
inclusivity at WSU.
Transit
fee increase
Other than
walking and driving, the transit fee encourages students to use public
transportation. The transit fee helps to maintain the current level of service
and prevent service reductions, said Chris Boyan, associate director of
transportation services.
This is an
increase of $3.43 per year. It would raise the current transportation fee to
$72.17, he said.
ASWSU
approved the increase last week, Boyan said.
Two years
ago, students approved a yearly increase of up to 5 percent, he said. The
annual increase has to be approved by the Transit Advisory Group and both ASWSU
and GPSA.
Gender
inclusivity on campus
Since
August, building codes have required new or renovated buildings to include a
gender-inclusive bathroom, said Matthew Jeffries, director of the Gender
Identity/Expression and Sexual Orientation Resource Center (GIESORC).
He said
GIESORC will also determine how to convert multi-stall bathrooms into
gender-inclusive bathrooms. It is looking at how much that will cost.
There are
free menstrual products in some of the restrooms on campus, including in the
CUB, Chinook and UREC. The products are also in three of the men’s restrooms to
see if they are being used, Jeffries said.
GIESORC is
planning to expand the free menstrual products throughout campus, he said.
The lack
of lactation spaces is an issue, Jeffries said. However, there are two more
lactation spaces in development.
The two in
progress are going to be in Cougar Health Services and Cleveland Hall, he said.
Currently,
there is one in the Women’s Center in Wilson-Short Hall and another one in
Human Resource Services, located in the French Administration Building,
Jeffries said.
“Though,
if you work in Dana or Sloane, that’s like 800 years away,” he said.
Jeffries
said the Chinook also has a lactation space, but most graduate students do not
have memberships to the building.
Graduate
health insurance will now cover pre-exposure prophylaxis, a medication for
people who have a moderate to a high risk of contracting HIV, he said.
The
medication was not previously offered at Cougar Health Services, Jeffries said.
GIESORC
also has been working with Cougar Health Services to offer post-exposure
prophylaxis in the future, he said.
Jeffries
said, “There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening, and people are really
committed to making the changes.”
:::::::::::
Ryan Falk
gives ‘student-athlete’ new meaning
Junior
swimmer not only sets records for WSU in pool, but in academics too
By JOHN
SPELLMAN, Evergreen
February
26, 2019
In a time
when student-athletes are pushed to the limit in competition and in the
classroom, WSU junior swimmer Ryan Falk thrives in both as she excels in her
academics and in the pool.
As an
apparel merchandising and design major, Falk knows the importance of creating
something that looks good. However, as a leader on the swim team, she also
knows the value of guiding the WSU swimming program back to prominence.
Growing up
in Illinois before moving to Oregon, Falk had her eyes set on becoming a
collegiate swimmer in the Pacific Northwest before becoming a leader in the WSU
swim program.
“I came up
on a tour up here and absolutely fell in love with the campus, the coaches and
the team,” Falk said. “It was the best fit for me.”
Falk has
been determined to lead the Cougs through her first three seasons in Pullman.
She was
part of the 800-meter freestyle relay team that broke the school record at the
Pac-12 Championships in 2018 with a time of 7:12.87. She also swam a
career-best time at the Pac-12 Championships in the 500-meter freestyle by
swimming 4:50.99.
Although
seeing her name in the books is exciting, Falk said she stays humble as she
enjoys her time on the team and in the conference.
“It means
a lot to me. It’s really cool having my name on the record board over there and
doing something alongside my teammates,” Falk said. “Competing in the Pac-12
Conference is an amazing opportunity. There are so many Olympians in our
conference and it is so cool to be in a conference that is so competitive.”
Just as
Falk takes care of business in the pool, she does the same in the classroom. As
a sophomore last year, she was recognized for her scholastic efforts by earning
Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team honors with a 3.57 GPA.
Receiving
this award was important to Falk because she said she felt it assured she was
on the right track for her career as well as her success in the pool.
“It meant
a lot to me, it just helped reinforced that everything is working and I am
still on top of my swimming and I am going on a good path for my career,” Falk
said. “A lot of my stuff is outside of class, so I have to stay on top of it by
doing study hours, I volunteer to do extra study hours because I know I need to
hold myself more accountable.”
All of the
work she does in and out of the pool does not go unnoticed. One person who sees
her on a daily basis is WSU Head Swim Coach Matt Leach.
“Obviously
when we came in leadership isn’t something that should be given or a title from
a head coach or teammates,” Leach said. “It is something you do or don’t do on
a daily basis, in the pool or out of the pool, inside the classroom or the
weight room. With [Falk] it is nice because we have been able to have someone
get the pulse of the program from where we are at.”
Even
though the regular season is winding down, Falk still has some big goals for
the remainder of the season and next year.
“I
definitely want to get some wins at our final dual-meet,” Falk said. “Going
into Pac-12s, I hope to make finals and score some more points for the team …
and hopefully swim along with our four other teammates that have already made
it.”
Falk has
already made a giant impact in her time in Pullman so far and she shows no
signs of slowing down anytime soon.
………..
Cougar
swim team hits road for Pac-12 Championships
WSU will
compete in four-day tournament in hopes to win conference
By SIGMUND
SEROKA, Evergreen
February
26, 2019
This
Wednesday marks the first day of the Pac-12 Championship tournament the WSU
swim team has been looking forward to all season.
This meet
is a big deal for Head Coach Matt Leach. For him and many of his players this
will be their first time competing in the Pac-12’s. With the new territory and
still discovering his young team, there are a few things Leach will look for
this weekend.
“We’re
looking for energy,” Leach said. “We’re putting all of our eggs in one basket …
we’re going out and not worrying about anything else but what we can control.
Positive attitude and strong effort and we’ll be fine.”
Last year,
the championship went to the Stanford Cardinal for the second year in a row
while WSU managed to place eighth, just one spot above last place Oregon State.
Since the
first championship back in 1987, Stanford won 21 times, including a 13-year
stretch of back-to-back championships in the very beginning. The only other schools
to win the championship include Arizona with four titles, California with four
titles, UCLA with two titles and USC with one title.
WSU will
look to bring home their first Pac-12 championship this weekend at the
Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.
While the
whole team will be competing at the Pac-12’s, some swimmers are striving to
continue their dominant season at the championships. Freshman Keiana Fountaine,
sophomores Mackenzie Duarte and Taylor McCoy, junior Ryan Falk and senior
Linnea Lindberg are all swimmers included in this list.
Leading up
to Pac-12 Championships, Leach has noticed a lot of the younger swimmers have
made the most out of their final moments of learning before the tournament.
“Even when
you look at winter training and the Arizona and Arizona State meets, some very
strong swimming,” Leach said. “Mackenzie [Duarte] coming in and winning 200
breastrokes and you look at Taylor McCoy winning Pac-12 swimmer of the week,
first one in a very, very long time.”
All season
long, it has been a point of emphasis on the Cougars’ swimming team to maintain
a strong team culture while also having fun and competing within their control.
Leach is
not looking for one athlete specifically to shine in Pac-12’s, but rather the
entire team to perform with the greatest amount of positive energy and effort
they have given this season.
“As long
as you’re sending off good energy, no matter how you swim,” Leach said.
“Because when we have success, I want everyone to feed off that success.”
WSU will
dive into the Pac-12 Championships beginning on Wednesday and will last until
Saturday. The last two days of the championship will be broadcast on the Pac-12
Network.
llllllllllllllllllll
San Jose Mercury
News
Former Big
12 president proposes strategic alliance with the Pac-12: The conferences
should embrace the future together
Proposal
calls for all non-conference games to be played against the other league
By Jon
Wilner
PUBLISHED:
February 26, 2019 at 6:59 am | UPDATED: February 26, 2019 at 9:10 am
Imagine a
world in which Oklahoma’s non-conference lineup consists of Arizona, USC and
Utah — yes, all in the same season — while Washington’s three out-of-league
opponents that year are Oklahoma State, TCU and Iowa State.
Meanwhile,
Texas plays Oregon, UCLA and Colorado.
The Ducks?
They get Texas, Kansas State and Texas Tech.
In this
world, the Big 12 and the Pac-12 are bound together by a strategic alliance in
which all available non-conference dates are filled by teams from the other
league.
No more
FCS cupcakes.
No more
Group of Five opponents.
It’s one
Power Five against another: 30 head-to-head matchups, season after season.
The plan
is radical enough that it would be easy to dismiss categorically, save for the
identity of the author (a former Big 12 president) and his inspiration (a
current Big 12 president).
Jon
Wefald, who ran Kansas State for 23 years — he hired Bill Snyder — said he
devised the strategic alliance after being asked by current West Virginia
president Gordon Gee, in the fall of 2017, to consider ways to “strengthen” the
Big 12.
“My first
idea was to figure out a strategy to convince Arizona and Arizona State to
become the 11th and 12th members of the Big 12,” Wefald told the Hotline via
email. “I rather quickly dismissed that idea.”
Wefald,
who was not working for the Big 12 in an official capacity, concluded his pet
project months later with an 11-page document titled, “A Proposal to Create A
Strategic Alliance Between The Big 12 And The Pac-12.”
In it, he
writes:
“This
alliance of 22 universities from the Great Plains to the West Coast would
provide the vital content of big-time football games that dovetail nicely with
the new developing platforms of information.”
Wefald’s
proposal calls for all 30 of the Big 12’s non-conference games and for 30 of
the Pac-12’s 36 out-of-league games to be played against each other.
The
matchups would be spread evenly across the season (10 per month) with the
winners of each conference meeting at the end of the regular season for a
championship game, which would rotate between the Rose Bowl and AT&T
Stadium.
Gee called
the proposal “brilliant,’’ according to Wefald, but declined to comment.
“Dr. Gee
is not prepared to discuss President Wefald’s proposal,’’ a university
spokesperson said in response to an interview request.
Before
anyone sounds the super-conference alert, let’s be clear: Both a trove of
emails between Gee and Wefald shared with the Hotline and a lengthy interview
with Wefald make it clear his project did not stem from concern that either
conference is on the verge of getting poached or embarking on an acquisition
spree.
(There is
no indication a realignment wave is forming across major college football.)
Instead,
the motivation appears to be straightforward.
After so
much tumult, the Big 12 is stable and prosperous. Gee was simply seeking ways
to secure that existence into the next decade and beyond when he asked Wefald
“to think of ways to further strengthen the Big 12,” according to an account of
their exchange.
Rather
than fending off dissolution or expansion, the alliance is designed to appeal
to media partners of the future and deepen fan engagement by creating a barrage
of quality matchups. (Wefald devised the alliance with the help of Dick
Robertson, the former president of Warner Bros. Television Distribution.)
But before
digging deeper into the matter, context is required on several fronts.
Wefald “is
not an emissary of the Big 12,” commissioner Bob Bowlsby told the Hotline. “He
is a former president with an interest in our conference, but he hasn’t been
authorized to serve in any outreach role whatsoever.”
Other Big
12 presidents are aware of the plan, according to Wefald.
“President
Gee did talk to all of the other 9 Big 12 Presidents (on) the merits of our
Strategic Proposal,” he explained via email.
“He also
talked to Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. Of course, the Commissioner has to listen
to all 10 of the Big 12 Presidents. How many of the other 9 CEOs liked it, I do
not know.”
While
creative and bold, Wefald’s strategic alliance is considered impractical by the
schools on multiple levels:
*** For
competitive reasons, the head coaches wouldn’t agree to play every
non-conference game against Power Five opponents.
Nor would
the Big 12 athletic directors agree to commit every non-conference opening to
teams from the Pac-12, and vice versa.
Why would
Texas, for instance, remove from its schedule potential dates with the likes of
Alabama, Notre Dame or Texas A&M?
*** Many
teams have scheduled home-and-home series against other Power Five opponents
through the 2020s, with contracts that carry hefty buyouts.
Oregon,
for example, has dates with Michigan State in ’29 and ’30.
***
Financially, the alliance simply won’t work.
Most
athletic departments need seven home football games per year to generate the
revenue (through ticket sales and gate receipts) to meet budget requirements.
In an
inter-conference alliance, the seven-home-games math doesn’t work.
“We can’t
possibly play all our non-conference games against the Pac-12,” Bowlsby said,
“and they can’t do it against us.”
On a
broader level, however, a limited partnership between the conferences has merit
at the turnstiles and in the homes.
Selling
tickets to watch second-rate opponents is increasingly difficult, even for the
powerhouses in the football-crazed SEC.
“I’ve
always been an advocate of playing all Power 5 schools,” Alabama coach Nick
Saban said in 2018.
“I think
we need to have more really, really good games on TV for the players. We can’t
have fans who pay a lot of money for tickets and boxes and loges who support
our programs to pay for games that no one is interested in watching.”
With so
many options for content delivery and consumption, quality is king. The
Pac-12’s current Tier 1 media rights contracts with ESPN and Fox expire in
2024; the Big 12’s deals are up the following year.
Bowlsby is
one step ahead, having discussed consortiums with Pac-12 commissioner Larry
Scott and officials from other Power Fives.
“(Scott)
and I talk frequently about ways we can collaborate on different things,”
Bowlsby said, adding that a scheduling partnership in a greatly reduced form
(compared to Wefald’s version) “is not far-fetched” for the Big 12.
Nor is it
for the Pac-12.
In the
late 2000s, the conference played the Big 12 in the Hardwood Series, with games
in late November and early December.
And in the
early 2010s, the Pac-12 discussed a partnership with the Big Ten by which each
team from one conference would play a team from the other. (The plan ultimately
fell apart.)
“In
collaboration with our members,” Scott told the Hotline, “we regularly discuss
scheduling opportunities with other conferences where we can help our programs
and our fans.”
A football
scheduling partnership between the Big 12 and Pac-12 would do more than provide
quality content for future network partners. It would do so across the canvass
of broadcast windows, potentially increasing the value of the package.
Because of
campus geography, a partnership would cover all four times zones with desirable
kickoff options: Games could start as early as 12 p.m. Eastern on Big 12
campuses and as late as 10:30 p.m. Eastern on Pac-12 campuses. In other words:
a quadruple-header.
Perception
of the Pac-12 Networks is bad; reality is worse
Pac-12
talent pool shrinking faster than other Power Fives’
Instead of
filling every non-conference date with an opponent from the other league, as
Wefald proposed, what if just one spot was filled each year.
Instead of
all 22 schools participating each season, what if six from each conference were
involved on a rotating basis?
Maybe a
dynamic scheduling component could be included within the broader alliance,
with teams told in advance to block off certain Saturdays in a given year.
Each
spring, after rosters were set and expectations established, the conferences
would announce the matchups.
It could
be like the World Cup draw, without the Group of Death.
However
unrealistic the specifics of Wefald’s plan, the Big 12 and Pac-12 might be
stronger venturing into the future side by side.
Pac-12
basketball officiating: Independent review needed
February
26, 2019, 12:32 pm San Jose Merc News
As the
Hotline reported Friday afternoon, the Pac-12 is hiring an outside agency to
conduct an independent review of its football officiating....
“This is
something the ADs want done,’’ Anderson told the Hotline on Friday.
“I applaud
(commissioner Larry Scott) and the conference office for accepting, ‘You guys
are right. We’ve got to do it. Now, let’s go.’’’
Anderson
is the right athletic director to run point on the process. He oversaw NFL
officiating during eight years as the league’s executive vice president for
football operations.
In fact,
Anderson hired Sibson to review the NFL’s officiating program during his first
year on the job.
Anderson
said the Pac-12 athletic directors unanimously supported using an independent
agency to conduct the review and indicated the same process could occur across
all sports, including men’s basketball.
“If you
bring in objective eyes to look at the situation,’’ he said, “you get the
opportunity to better yourselves, study other methods, best practices, and
everyone understands, ‘You’re being held accountable.’
“We need
to communicate to our fans and followers that we’re trying to be the best we
can be.”
The
football coaches, who will participate in Sibson’s review, were informed of the
project today.
Washington
State’s Mike Leach, whose team was involved in two of the most controversial plays
of the season, declined to comment on the independent review and cited
conference policy that prohibits coaches from publicly discussing officiating
matters.
This isn’t
the first time the Pac-12 has used an outside entity to review football
officiating procedures. It did the same in 2011, with former NFL official Mike
Pereira leading the process.
However,
the Sibson review comes at a critical time. The conference suffered a
devastating blow when a Yahoo report in early October revealed that general counsel
Woodie Dixon had influenced the replay-review process during the USC-Washington
State game.
The crisis
was arguably the worst of Scott’s tenure given that he signed off on the
process that allowed an untrained official to participate in replay reviews.
The news
undercut the credibility of the conference’s officiating and, as a result, the
integrity of Pac-12 football at large.
Two weeks
later, the Pac-12 announced it would implement a clearly-defined protocol for
the replay-review process and develop a comprehensive manual for all aspect of
instant-replay officiating.
The
athletic directors issued a joint statement endorsing the steps, but there was
no mention of an independent review of the entire process.
“(The
Pac-12) has to be hyper-aggressive and hyper-vigilant,” strategic
communications expert Glenn Bunting told the Hotline in November. “What are
they doing to ensure this doesn’t happen again? … You want to hear a chorus of
independent voices say, ‘They have enacted reforms that give us confidence this
won’t happen again.’’’
According
to Anderson, athletic directors and conference officials had previously
discussed an outside review of officiating. But the October scandal was “a
stern reminder that we could wait no longer for our own good and our own
credibility,” he said.
In
addition to Anderson, the group of athletic directors focused on officiating
features Oregon’s Rob Mullens, Oregon State’s Scott Barnes and Colorado’s Rick
George.
The Sibson
review will focus on every aspect of officiating, from recruitment and training
to evaluating, grading and incentivizing.
The replay
process will also be examined fully.
Current
Pac-12 officials and supervisors will be interviewed, along with head coaches
and athletic directors.
Everything
will be compared to processes in other conferences.
“It will
be an exhaustive analysis,’’ Anderson said.
Get Pac-12
Conference news in your inbox with the Pac-12 Hotline newsletter
Hotline
newsletter: An independent review of Pac-12 basketball officiating should be
next on the to-do list
The ADs
pushed for a consultant to assess football officiating. Is hoops next?
By JON
WILNER San Jose Merc News
PUBLISHED:
February 25, 2019 at 4:17 pm | UPDATED: February 26, 2019 at 4:32 am
Officiating
review: Hoops should be next
As the
Hotline reported Friday afternoon, the Pac-12 is hiring an outside agency to
conduct an independent review of its football officiating. Without question,
it’s the best move the conference has made in the past 18 months — since the
downward spiral on and off the field began.
(If you’re
looking for a starting point, consider late September ’17, with the news that
USC and Arizona were implicated in the basketball corruption case).
A thorough
examination of the football officiating process by an independent entity,
Sibson Consulting, is the essential first step toward restoring credibility to
a system that suffered a devastating blow last fall with the replay-review
scandal.
Arizona
State athletic director Ray Anderson ran point on the committee of athletic
directors that pushed for the outside review. During a conversation Friday
afternoon, Anderson explained that the process might not be contained to
football.
The
conference is considering Sibson — or a similar entity — for a deep dive into
men’s basketball officiating, and potentially other sports, as well. (Sibson
has worked with the NBA and NFL.)
“We’re
always thinking about how we can get better,” he said. “How we can upgrade the
overall officiating in the conference in football, in basketball, across all
sports.”
A review
of men’s basketball cannot come soon enough. Frankly, it should start as soon
as the football review is completed this summer.
(Commissioner
Larry Scott likes to deliver news during his opening remarks at Pac-12 football
media day in late July. An announcement that Sibson is taking a deep dive into
basketball officiating would be well-received.)
While
watching the current season unfold … witnessing the debacle that was Arizona
State-Utah … seeing UCLA shoot 28 free throws to Oregon State’s three … and
there are plenty of other examples … two things come to mind:
1.
Officiating is very, very difficult.
2. The
Pac-12 can do better, much better — in both major sports — and it must take
whatever steps are necessary to get better.
Clearly,
the athletic directors agree.
That’s an
encouraging start. — Jon Wilner
::::::::::::::
Daniel
Jeremiah: Coug QB Minshew a "poor man's Baker Mayfield"
By Braden
Johnson Feb 25, 2:45 PM Cougfan.com
NFL
NETWORK DRAFT ANALYST Daniel Jeremiah has no doubt in his mind that Gardner
Minshew will hear his name called in the NFL draft come April. Jeremiah told
CF.C during a conference call on Monday he has Minshew pegged as a later-round
draft pick -- provided the former Washington State quarterback has a strong
showing at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine.
Jeremiah
projects Minshew to be drafted in the fifth round ahead of the combine that
begins Tuesday, (on-field workouts televised Friday-Sunday on the NFL
Network).
“I have a
draftable grade on him,” Jeremiah said. “Man, he's fun to watch. He’s a little
bit of a poor man’s Baker Mayfield. He’s energetic, he’s bouncing around.”
Minshew
didn't show the arm strength media analysts wanted in the Senior Bowl and
struggled with accuracy – he completed 1-of-8 passes for 4 yards – and Jeremiah
said he’ll need to throw well during quarterback drills at the Combine. But
Jeremiah gave Minshew a solid review of his overall Senior Bowl, saying every
NFL scout he talked to said they loved being around Minshew at practices.
Jeremiah
even went as far to say Minshew is the QB version of former NBA guard Scott
Skiles.
“He’s a
point guard,” Jeremiah said. “He’s accurate, especially underneath and
intermediate, he’s got a quick mind.”
WSU’S
OFFENSIVE LINE, and former Coug left tackle Andre Dillard in particular,
received high praise from Jeremiah. Jeremiah has Dillard as the top offensive
tackle in the 2019 draft class, and said Dillard’s rise up draft boards
reflects a changing perception of linemen coming from Air Raid offenses.
“Who knew
Washington State would have the top tackle in the draft?” Jeremiah said.
“Usually, we tried to avoid offensive lineman coming from the Air Raid, but
they’ve done a nice job developing guys up there.”
Jeremiah
thinks Cleveland need to pounce if Dillard is still on the board when the
Browns pick. The Browns have the No. 17 overall pick and are in search of a
replacement for longtime left tackle Joe Thomas who retired in 2017, and
Jeremiah said Dillard is an ideal fit.
“If
Dillard’s there, who I think is the premier pass-protecting left tackle, that
would be pretty hard to pass up,” Jeremiah said.
Jeremiah
updated his mock draft on Monday and has Dillard going to Cleveland. However,
Jeremiah has Dillard ranked even higher than his projected top-50 prospects in
the NFL Draft. Dillard is now No. 10 on Jeremiah’s list of the best draft
prospects, moving up two spots.
Jeremiah
also has Dillard (6-5, 305) as his highest-graded offensive lineman in the
draft class and said Dillard’s pass-protecting skills trump his inexperience
playing as a run-blocker.
“In pass
protection, he explodes out of his stance and plays with tremendous knee bend,
patience and balance,” Jeremiah said. “He shoots his hands in tight and can
redirect with very little effort. When opponents get into his chest, he is
quick to re-work his hands and regain leverage.”
Summarizing
the OL draft class, Jeremiah does not expect any offensive lineman to come off
the board in the top-five of April’s draft but said Dillard is a part of a deep
and talented pool of players.
JEREMIAH
ALSO OFFERED high praise for Cougar running back James Williams.
“The kid
from Washington State, James Williams, had a ton of production,” Jeremiah said.
“He had 83 catches. But he’s a little bit later for me.”
Jeremiah
expects Williams to hear his name called on the third day of the draft and
projected the Chicago Bears as a team who may potentially be in the market for
a mid-to-late-round running back.
Williams
set the Pac-12's single-season receptions record (83) for a running back in
2018 and amassed 3,090 all-purpose yards for his Cougar career before opting
early for the NFL Draft as a junior.
ESPN draft
analyst Matt Brown also likes Williams’ draft prospects and sees him carving
out a niche as a situational back. Brown ranked Williams as the No. 10 running
back prospect in the 2019 draft class.
“Williams'
receiving production stands out on film, but he also can hold his own in pass
protection,” Brown said. “I project the Washington State product finding an
immediate NFL role as a third-down back. That's why we have to see if he gets
the opportunity with a team to carry the rock on early downs and showcase the
power to run with volume inside the tackles.”
:::::::::::::::::::
THANK
WENDELL HERRETT FOR COUGAR GOLD CHEESE ‘END CUTS’
When you
read the obituary for Wendell Herrett (Aug. 19, 1930-Dec. 3, 2018) ...
... you
will learn he graduated from the University of Idaho in Dairy Science and was a
U.S. Air Force pilot. He "worked mainly in the Dairy Industry" before
retiring from WSU in 1994.
Here's the
rest of the story thanks what Dan Coonrad, Washington State University Retriees
Assn. president, wrote in the association Winter 2018-2019 newsletter:
"He
... worked for a number of years on Dairies before coming to WSU. He went to
work for the WSU Creamery and worked in the cheese making process. If you are
like us and enjoy 'end cuts' of Cougar Gold Cheese, Wendell was the man behind
that idea."
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