Mar. 1—PULLMAN — A gentle breeze sifted through Zevi Eckhaus’ hair and the morning sun shone on his face, where the Washington State quarterback wore a wide smile.
The Cougars had just wrapped up their first day of spring practices late Saturday morning, kicking off the 15-practice slate earlier than this program has in some time, and their likely QB1 was happy to talk about it. Eventually, the conversation with media shifted to differences in practices under current coach Jimmy Rogers and predecessor Jake Dickert.
“Something that really stuck out today is you’re flying around at all times. There really are no breaks, which is good,” Eckhaus said. “Obviously you’ll get a second to have some water. But we’re moving fast-paced. We’re trying to utilize every single minute that we have to practice.
“I’m sure it’s gonna be even more up-tempo Tuesday and Thursday,because we have school. But yeah, it was fun flying around. He made a point — we’ve gotta be more conditioned, and we’re gonna work on those things. No waste of time, no waste of minutes. Definitely utilizing every single time we’ve got out here.”
With that approach, Rogers seemed to set the tone of what this new era of Washington State football will look like. Already a no-nonsense coach, Rogers ran a tight ship at the Cougars’ first spring practice at Rogers Field, where a handful of returners and a boatload of South Dakota State transfers meshed for the first time on the field.
Wearing only helmets and no pads, as dictated by NCAA rules, the Cougars got chances to evaluate the trends that may make or break their first season under Rogers this fall. For WSU, some were more positive than others.
Transfer running back Angel Johnson, considered one of the bigger-name transfers from SDSU, will miss the entire spring slate with an injury, Rogers said. Johnson, who totaled 91 carries for 646 yards and three touchdowns last season in a secondary role, wheeled himself around on a scooter during Saturday’s practice, signaling some kind of ankle/foot injury.
It’s a bit of a blow for the WSU running back room, which is already brimming with candidates for the starting job. The others include returners Leo Pulalasi and Djouvensky Schlenbaker, plus SDSU transfers Kirby Vorhees and Maxwell Woods, plus perhaps even redshirt freshman returner Josh Joyner. Pulalasi and Schlenbaker split carries with the first-team unit in Saturday’s practice.
The outlook is a bit better for linebacker Keith Brown, who also missed practice with his own injury. Brown will be able to return to action after spring break, Rogers said, which puts him on track to only miss the first three practices of spring. Brown, who came on strong toward the end of last season, is expected to vie for a starting role in his second season on the Palouse.
“Just holding him out,” Rogers said. “He’s an older player that’s kinda been through this. Knows the system. He’s done a really good job as far as leading. I think he would have stood out from a leadership standpoint. He’s had great energy along the way.”
During practice, which revolved around more individual skill work than 11-on-11 sessions, Eckhaus showed a penchant for a couple new favorite targets. The first is junior Devin Ellison, a junior college transfer, who hauled in several tough catches from Eckhaus. Six-foot-two and 192 pounds, Ellison has the tools to make him an easy starting candidate, and he’s showing it in spades already.
Ellison, a standout at Monterey Peninsula College (California), chose WSU over finalists Boise State and UCF. His acquisition is an enormous one for WSU, which is turning over a lot at the receiver position, losing key cogs Kyle Williams, Kris Hutson and Carlos Hernandez, the latter of whom transferred while Williams spent Saturday running a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.
If the Cougs’ offense thrives this fall, in will be thanks in part to Ellison, whose chemistry with Eckhaus will loom large over that unit’s success or failure. After Saturday’s practice, Ellison’s name came up with Rogers, who said Ellison stood out with his play.
“He looked great out there. I mean, all the receivers did,” Eckhaus said. “Obviously, it’s a new offense for everybody, whether you were here last year or you weren’t. Everybody’s trying to earn and adapt, which is great. Obviously he’s new here. A lot of other guys are new. A lot of guys have been here. Just trying to have everybody fit into the offense as best as they possibly can.”
As far as the early start to spring ball goes, Rogers had an explanation. It’s about the transfer portal, he said, which opens on April 16 — four days after the Cougs’ spring game on April 12. Rogers and WSU coaches seemed to have calculated that by finishing spring practices before the portal opens, they can give players ready to leave a chance to do so, which in turn gives themselves a chance to find their replacements over the summer.
“There’s tough conversations that are gonna have to be had,” Rogers said, “and these guys gotta compete in the spring right now. It also allows us to get our feet underneath us before we go out and go spring recruiting, which is pretty huge.”
