WSU’s preseason football camp is underway. What have we learned?

Not much! Yet!

Hello Coug fans, and welcome to football season. As of this writing, WSU has wrapped up four preseason football practices as we inch closer to the season opener on Aug. 31 against Portland State. While there’s not much to glean from four practices, the good news is there haven’t been any major incidents, so far as I know from reading practice reports.

If you’re still on summer mode like me, you’re likely following these practices casually. If you’re following them closely and already have your countdown clock hung up in the kitchen, bless your soul.

For those in the former category, Greg Woods of The Spokesman-Review has been reliable in educating us on what to expect this season. Woods previewed various position groups leading up to preseason practices and has been reporting on each practice. You should read them for yourself. If you’re lazy, shame on you, but here’s what I learned:

• John Mateer may be the better quarterback on paper, but there’s still a competition brewing.
• The leader in the running backs meeting room seems to be Dylan Paine at the moment, but don’t discount true freshman Wayshawn Parker, who participated in spring football.
• The offensive line wants to be meaner this season, and we better hope it is after what we saw last year. Oh, and Fa’alili Fa’amoe, absent all of spring with a knee injury, is still on the shelf.
• I’m probably burying this, but the defensive line is already a concern. Depth is an issue (especially the interior), experience is an issue and reports have Andrew Edson spending some time with the tackles in addition to his edge role. Also, when did Edson become a senior? Time flies.
• Color me intrigued by Auburn transfer Wesley Steiner at the linebacker position. That’s a group that has a lot of new faces via the transfer portal, including Keith Brown (Oregon) and Parker McKenna (Portland State).

There’s a long way to go until Aug. 31. I’m still in summer mode, but it won’t take much to get me in a college football fever. In fact, this hype video may have already fed me some fever symptoms:

Go Cougs.