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What needs to happen over the next 14 days to set us up for 2010? This season was awful and there were many legitimate reasons for that. As I watched Apple Cup I saw a team playing damn hard and short the players needed to win. I saw a gameplan that was very good on both sides and very short on execution. We need to solve a lot of issues in 2010. Here are three things we can do in the next two weeks to make 2010 better:
1) Fire Harold Etheridge.
The offensive line has been an unmitigated disaster. It goes beyond injuries or inexperience. It's the reason we were playing our fifth string QB in the Apple Cup and the reason we were the worst rushing and passing team in the country. No protection and no running lanes. George Yarno inherited a similar situation when he came onboard and we struggled but we weren't a disaster. There are two other reasons that go beyond game performance for why Etheridge needs to go. 1) He seems to be awful or totally ineffective at recruiting. He doesn't seem to have a primary recruiting area and he doesn't even seem to be the primary recruiter on our key line recruits. In other words, we won't lose anyone if he leaves. 2) We have a better replacement available. Hire Keith Gilbertson. Do it tomorrow. He's got a recruiting network. He was an excellent position coach and offensive coordinator at UW. He would be a great fallback option to take over as offensive coordinator if we have to fire Sturday following next season.
I'm sure Harold Etheridge is a nice guy but the simple fact is that we've had the worst oline in the country for two years straight and this is with an honors candidate at center and guys with reasonable experience at the other spots. Fire Harold Etheridge tomorrow and you have a better chance of improving your line and recruiting next season.
2) Bring in at least 6 January enrollees to the team.
Sign-up 5 new guys to join or re-join the program in the Spring. I am counting Kevin Norrell and Toby Turpin as re-instatements. We need both badly. We don't have any redshirting receivers. It would be nice to not have to play true freshmen at this spot. As good as Gino Simone was as a freshmen he was a below average player at receiver this season and that's simply because he's a true freshmen. He will be outstanding when he's older but I don't want to see a replay of this next season. Same goes for Turpin. We need 7-8 dtackles to start the season. Because of injury and marginal talent as a whole. Turpin won't be great next year but if we can assure a regular rotation we'll see more production out of this spot. Again, true freshmen at 285+ to play dtackle immediately just don't show up to WSU often.
We need four new guys to join the mix and this needs to be a combo of grayshirts and JC early enrollees. Brandon Rankin will be critical. If he qualifies and joins in January you're talking about a legitimate Pac10 dend rotation with Travis Long, Kevin Kooyman, Brandon Rankin and maybe Sekope Kaufusi. Move Casey Hamlett to become a special teams terror which is where he belongs. Bring in Quayshawn Buckley. He's got the size to play dtackle immediately and giving him a Spring ball will help greatly but more importantly the time in the weight room will give him the opportunity to gain muscle or shed fat. If Hosea or Mastin join I would call that a bonus. It doesn't seem like either is going to make it.
Finally, we need two JC's to help immediately. There is a reason why we are recruiting so many safeties. We will still have depth issues at free safety after this season. The biggest hopes are Jamal Atofau and Casey Locker. Both will be redshirt freshmen. You would prefer not to rely on just two of those guys with so little experience. Bring in a fast free safety from the JC's to play for two years while you mix in the young guys. Xavier Hicks was criminally slow out there. We can't have that in 2010. A speed upgrade must happen in this class. We should bring in at least on JC olineman. I would even suggest two. If one thing was clear this season it's that our scheme dictates tackle isolation on nearly every passing play. It's also clear that our current tackles are incapable of playing in isolation for an entire game. If we don't solve this issue Jeff Tuel will not finish 2010. An infusion of a JC player to play tackle is an absolute must. If not, we will be relying on Tyson Pencer and Reitnour at left tackle alone. I'm not comfortable enough to commit to those guys without bringing at least one more player into the mix.
3) Always be closing.
First, lock down our current commits. Winning against ASU with Deone Bucannon was absolutely huge. He's a possible true freshmen safety that could play immediately if he had too. ASU and Oregon were looking to get him on to campus. We will hear similar stories in the next few weeks with some of our key recruits. Marquess Wilson with UCLA. Aaron Dunn and Connor Halliday with Cal. Hold our class together. This is a key reason as to why I would be very surprised if Todd Sturdy was fired. He has been key to some of these offensive skill recruits. We are close to finishing this class but we must hold onto the guys that we've got the last two months of recruiting season.
Second, nail one more marquee recruit in the class. I don't care if it's a JC or someone we haven't heard about. One more guy to excite the base and that you can trumpet as having beaten the big boys to secure will be important to keep recruiting class and team morale high. Erick Dargan would be ideal. If you can land him you eliminate the need for a JC free safety and you have a four star guy in a key recruiting area. There are likely only about 5 spots left to fill in this class. Close out the class in the next few weeks so you can focus on a few guys you're holding spots for and the current commits to assure they don't waver.
If we can do these things quickly we stand a much better chance of improving next season. It's going to be the offseason that will determine whether or not Wulff and staff get fired after 2011. I'm sure they are quite aware of the urgency. I can't wait to see what they pull off.
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