Cougars Football | "We'll be improved"

Paul Wulff didn't take a lot of time to review his first season as Washington State football coach Monday in a wrap-up teleconference call.

Why bother? The Cougars finished 2-11 after a loss at Hawaii and allowed 570 points, more than any Football Bowl Championship team in history. Still, the horrors of the 2008 season serve to couch what lies ahead for WSU in the road back to respectability.

"We'll be a lot more competitive, we'll be a much improved football team next year," Wulff promised. "No doubt about it. One, we'll have a number of players back who will be bigger and stronger, and they're going to understand the system. And, I pray to God we don't have five quarterbacks taking snaps."

That's what befell WSU this year. It happened partly because of an offensive line that couldn't protect, and that was in some measure due to its lack of beef. Wulff made it clear he expects players to have a big offseason in the weight room, saying, "That's going to be a huge emphasis for us."

Highlights of Wulff's review:

Help from redshirts: Wulff referred to more than a dozen players who caught his eye this season, naming offense linemen Zack Williams and Tyson Pencer, running back James Montgomery, tight ends Skylar Stormo and Andrei Lintz and wideout Jeffrey Solomon. On defense, he cited linemen Bernard Wolfgramm, Jesse Feagin, Dan Spitz and Cory Mackay (who might play tight end), linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis and defensive backs Brandon Jones, Jay Matthews, LeAndre Daniels, Terrance Hayward and Daniel Simmons.

Montgomery and Jones (an ex-O'Dea standout) are California transfers. Wolfgramm — expected to be back in the spring after back surgery — and Williams are JC transfers who redshirted. Pencer is a freshman about to have a shoulder procedure. Solomon is a former Ingraham High and Eastern Washington player.

Recruiting particulars: WSU has nine known commitments for February signing and Wulff says that number might total only 17 or 18, with 5 to 7 others that could include players "grayshirting," a four-year transfer or two and possibly a couple of JC transfers.

Wulff had previously ticketed Southern California offensive lineman Tim Hodgdon as a grayshirt. A JC defensive lineman, Josh Luapo, signed in February, didn't qualify over the summer but is expected in in January.

Attrition: Wulff said he "doesn't expect much" but conceded there will be some players leaving. Asked about running back Chris Ivory, Wulff noted his persistent hamstring injury and some academic issues and said, "There's a lot of things we have to clean up with Chris." He said he figures his coaching staff will "absolutely" remain intact.

Quarterback: WSU will enter spring with returnees Kevin Lopina and J.T. Levenseller, plus Marshall Lobbestael rehabbing a knee injury. Wulff says he believes Lobbestael will be among several team leaders, along with center Kenny Alfred, who is due to have arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

Wavering commitments: Two Seattle-area recruits who committed earlier, Geoff Meinken (Lynnwood) and Gino Simone (Skyline) have softened somewhat. Wulff, prohibited by NCAA rule from naming prospects, said, "In this day and age, you sure hope those individuals are mature enough to honor their commitment. If we're committed to them, by golly, you hope the same is back. We'll continue to recruit them."

Youth predominating: Wulff cautioned that WSU will be relatively young. Alfred, for instance, projects as the only senior offensive lineman. Said Wulff, "We're asking too many 18- and 19-year-old kids to make plays and win games."

Stepping up: Wulff said the move from Eastern Washington to a higher level "was no different from what I'm used to doing. That's not an issue at all. The issue is understanding your personnel, and where we need to go from here — what are our strengths and what do we need to fix."

The schedule: WSU has nonleague games with Notre Dame in San Antonio and Hawaii in Pullman but is looking to fill a third one. It has a tentative opener at home against Stanford.

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com