WSU offensive linemen leaning on versatility as spring practices roll on
Apr. 14—PULLMAN — Stop by any of Washington State's spring practices lately, check out the Cougars' first-team offensive line unit and you might get confused. Some days it looks like it should, the way head coach Kirby Moore and coaches have aligned things: left tackle Ashton Tripp, left guard Jonny Lester, center Kyle Martin, right guard Noah Dunham, right tackle Maximus McRee.
But other days it looks like someone played Tetris with the Cougs' front five. In other practices, Lester has played right guard, Dunham at center. Still in others, you might see incoming redshirt sophomore Nick Bakken in the lineup, filling in at whatever position needed.
In Tuesday's practice, WSU's ninth of the slate, the team's top offensive line group looked like this: Tripp at left tackle, Martin at left guard, Dunham at center, Bakken at right guard and Lester at right tackle, where he played a handful of snaps last season due to injuries. That seemed to be the reason behind the absence of McRee, a transfer from Washington who has been filling in at right tackle for returner Jaylin Caldwell, himself rehabbing from an injury he suffered in the middle of last season. It's been a game of Mad-Libs for Moore and offensive line coach Jack Abercrombie, who at the very least are getting lots of looks at linemen at all kinds of positions.
The anchors much of the way have been Tripp and Lester, both of whom started all last season. Tripp played every snap at left tackle, and that job is his. Lester has played both guard positions and some at right tackle.
"I think Jonny's a student of the game," Moore said after Tuesday's practice at Rogers Field. "I think he really works at it. I think he's a steady Eddie from an emotional consistency standpoint, and just his knowledge and detail at the offensive line position shows up.