Age and experience still count for something in the eyes of Mike Leach.

In the wake of graduate transfer Gage Gubrud’s injury, Washington State’s 2019 roster tells us five quarterbacks are ready to compete for the right to succeed Gardner Minshew.

Two, though, stand above the rest with spring practice ready to get underway Thursday at 2:45 p.m. PT.

Redshirt seniors Trey Tinsley and Anthony Gordon, both going into their fourth years with the Cougars program, are the frontrunners for the starting job with redshirt freshman Cammon Cooper, true freshman Gunner Cruz and walk-on John Bledsoe behind them on the depth chart.

“We have three guys with some experience that have been around,” Leach said Wednesday during a conference call with reporters previewing spring practice. “They’ll fight it out. We’ll also spread the reps out and take a peek where the young guys are.

“The thing is, we have to find a starter. So, we’ll invest most of the reps into the older guys unless one of the younger guys is able to pick things up and show something quickly. Tinsley and Gordon were beaten out by Gardner by an eyelash last camp. We could have won with either one of them. So, there’s an emphasis on getting those guys as many reps as we can.”

Gubrud will join the battle when he recovers from his foot injury suffered during Midnight Maneuvers.

Running back Max Borghi, who posted 705 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns in his freshman campaign, will lead a running back unit that saw James Williams leave early for the NFL Draft. Former linebacker Cole Dubots has shifted to running back, a position he played in high school, ahead of the arrival of a pair of 2019 signees.

“We’re definitely going to give Max a lot of carries,” Leach said. “But we also have to develop some of the young guys. Cole runs well and he played the position in high school. He wasn’t on the field much on defense. We’re just trying to find a way to get him on the field. He’s a talented guy. He runs very fast.”

Besides finding a starting quarterback, left tackle is another high priority in spring practice with Andre Dillard five weeks away from becoming a first-round pick in the NFL Draft.

Leach hinted Liam Ryan could stay at left guard, leaving left tackle to a horde of hopefuls, including Jarrett Kingston, Cade Beresford, Noah Osur-Myers, Christian Haangana and Robert Valencia.

“Between those guys and others, we have to carve out at least one offensive lineman and I believe we’ll be able to do that and have some depth behind them,” Leach said. “

NOTES:

1. This spring marks the eighth under Leach as the Cougars return 46 lettermen from last season's Alamo Bowl-winning team, 21 on offense, 22 on the defense and three on special teams. Leach’s goal for the spring: “We want to refine the plays we have, we want to elevate the play of all our players, we want to experiment with a few new things but not very much, we want to give the guys who didn’t start last year but have a chance to start this year as many reps as possible to refine their skills so they’ll put their best foot forward competing for the job in the fall.”

2. Offensively, the Cougars return seven starters from 2018, including four on the offensive line. For the sixth time in seven years under Leach, the Cougars led the Pac-12 in passing offense at 380.0 ypg in 2017, which also led the nation. WSU also led the nation in receptions with 478.

3. The strength of the WSU offense will be the returning depth at wide receiver, where nine of the 13 receivers who caught a pass last year return. That group combined for 323 receptions, 3,590 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2018. “We have quite a few guys,” Leach said. “We’ll have two pass skels every day. So, if somebody isn’t getting it done with the first group, we’ll move him down to the second pass skel and move another guy up who is doing a good job. We want to keep it very competitive.”

4. Defensively, the Cougars look to replace five starters from last year's squad, including linebacker and defensive leader Peyton Pelluer, who led the team in tackles with 87. Last season under first-year defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, the Cougars held opponents to 23.1 ppg, fourth in the Pac-12 and 39th nationally. The WSU defense also ranked in the top 50 nationally and top 5 in the Pac-12 in rushing, passing and total defense, and tied for the Pac-12 lead in sacks with 35.

5. Perhaps the most intriguing newcomer on defense is West Virginia transfer Lamonte McDougle, who is expected to anchor the middle of the WSU defensive line. “He played very well last year in practice,” Leach said. “I think he’ll continue that. He’s going to have a great career here. I expect him to have a very good spring. He’s had a great off-season. He’s a very enthusiastic guy. He’s a fun guy to be around and he elevates the unit.”

6. Senior safety Jalen Thompson, a two-time All-Pac-12 honoree, and redshirt junior linebacker Jahad Woods return to lead the Cougar defense. Woods finished second on the team in tackles last season with 73 while Thompson added 62 tackles and seven pass breakups. Cornerback will be a big focus of the spring with starters having graduated. “We’ll play a bunch of bodies, no question,” Leach said. “We’ll see where the dust settles there. We’ll try to coach them to compete at the highest level they can. We’ll have more bodies and more height than we’ve had before. By the end of the spring, the hope is we have developed more depth than before in the secondary.”

7. The special teams units have all three kickers return with redshirt junior punter Oscar Dragucevich III, who led the Pac-12 in punting average last season, joining redshirt junior kickoff specialist Jack Crane and redshirt sophomore kicker Blake Mazza. Crane accounted for 37 touchbacks on kickoffs last season while Mazza connected on 10 field goals.

8. Beginning Thursday, the Cougars will practice Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at Martin Stadium and Rogers Field with the Crimson and Gray Game set for Saturday, April 20 at Martin Stadium.

2019 Washington State Football Spring Practice Schedule:

Day Date Time

Thursday March 21 2:45 p.m.

Saturday March 23 11 a.m.

Tuesday March 26 2:45 p.m.

Thursday March 28 2:45 p.m.

Saturday March 30 11 a.m.

Tuesday April 2 2:45 p.m.

Thursday April 4 2:45 p.m.

Saturday April 6 11 a.m.

Tuesday April 9 2:45 p.m.

Thursday April 11 2:45 p.m.

Saturday April 13 11 a.m.

Tuesday April 16 2:45 p.m.

Thursday April 18 2:45 p.m.

Saturday April 20 1 p.m.*

Tuesday April 23 2:45 p.m.

*Crimson & Gray Game (Martin Stadium)