A new recruit and a look at secondary violations

If you missed it last night, Ernie Kent and WSU picked up the first verbal commitment of the 2015 class with power forward Jeff Pollard verbally committing. Pollard is the first member of what figures to be a four-member recruiting class.

That means WSU has plenty of recruiting left to do. During that process the Washington State will attempt to avoid any recruiting violations, but no matter how hard they try, secondary violations are part of the process. Jacob Thorpe of the Spokesman Review wrote a very good article on secondary violations on Wednesday. The article also included an interesting note about WSU's pursuit of Miguel Machado last recruiting cycle:

But when Machado missed his flight, Volero says he meant to send a text message to director of football operations David Emerick hoping to get another ticket lined up. But Volero claims he messed up, sending the text to Machado himself, violating a rule regarding recruiting "dead periods" when coaches can spend a weekend with a recruit but cannot send him a text.

As a result the Cougars were forbidden from corresponding with Machado for two weeks. While they did eventually receive an oral commitment from Machado, he ultimately signed with Michigan State.

If you're wondering, the violation likely had very little to do with the Cougars missing on Machado. He visited Pullman on November 22 and verbally committed on December 12. It wasn't until more than a month later -- well beyond the two week penalty -- that interest in Machado picked up and he started taking visits before decommitting on January 30.

Still, secondary violations are a big part of recruiting. Managing them and self reporting is key for a program to stay out of trouble. Thorpe's look at some of WSU's recent secondary violations and the process as a whole is worth a read.

Recruiting:

‘Secondary’ violations cast large shadow within NCAA - Spokesman.com - June 25, 2014
Washington State was quick to point out the mitigating circumstances in its report to the NCAA: Parrish had purchased the rights to the Summer Series in 2011 but did not begin working for WSU as an hourly employee until 2013, he did not coach for WSU and spent much of his time conducting the tournament at sites away from campus.

Football:

Numbers to know: Focus on completion percentage not the only key for Auburn's Nick Marshall | AL.com
A team can throw for a lot of yards without being able to test defenses deep; in 2013, Washington State completed 62.2 percent of its passes and finished fourth in the country in passing yards, but the Cougars were a paltry 102nd in yards per attempt. What that means is defenses could keep passes in front of them, limit explosive plays and string out drives, forcing punts. When a team is completing passes down the field, then an offense is truly dangerous.

Pac-12 preseason position reviews: Quarterback - ESPN
Washington State: Connor Halliday threw for a bunch of yards (4,597) and TDs (34) last season, but he also tossed way too many interceptions (22). Part of that was an inconsistent O-line and a neglected running game. The good news is he's in his third year under Mike Leach and has a strong crew of returning receivers. Of all the Pac-12 QBs, he might make the biggest climb this season.

Yeah sure, whatever you say News-Gazette:

These coaches are feeling the heat | News-Gazette.com

His may get warmer ... Mike Leach. Washington State coach has riled up opposing coaches with his pass-happy offense, but they don’t exactly fear the Cougars, who are 9-16 under Leach’s direction.

Baseball:

Cougar Baseball Welcomes Joe Ross - Washington State University Official Athletic Site

Joe Ross has been named assistant baseball coach at Washington State University, Cougar Head Coach Donnie Marbut announced, Wednesday.