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HCA: Wide receiver Easop Winston likely to take a redshirt year

After a strong spring, the junior college transfer had a quiet fall camp. Now we know why.

Montana State v Washington State Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images

The City College of San Francisco wide receiver transfer, Easop Winston, will more than likely take the year off to continue to develop into his game. Washington State head coach Mike Leach confirmed the possibility on Monday after flirting with the idea last week according to an article by Theo Lawson.

The 5-foot-11, 189-pound receiver has received high praise from both his quarterback and his head coach this year. Both Luke Falk and Leach have said that Winston may have the best hands on the team and Falk even went as far as to say he has the best hands he has ever seen.

As a freshman at CCSF, Winston hauled in 62 catches for 986 yards and caught 12 touchdowns. The following year he led the team with 71 receptions for 1,171 yards and caught another 12 touchdowns.

Winston transferred to Washington State in January and has been with the team since Spring camp. Even while impressing people, the coaching staff believes he needs to develop and catch up to the rest of his game. His speed, strength, and conditioning is a step behind his ability to catch the football.

The solution? Using a redshirt year. If this holds true, Winston will have had a year and a half of practice in Pullman before even stepping on the field in a Cougar uniform. This is not a guarantee however as Leach also said he will not question using Winston if needed.

You can watch the entire news conference here:

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Football:

Week 2 Power Rankings: Alabama, Ohio State lead Top 25 | SI.com
Mike Leach finally won a season opener at Washington State after losing his first five, and he got some revenge on a member of the Big Sky Conference

First look: Boise State at Washington State | The Spokesman-Review
What is it? Boise State (1-0) makes the return trip of a nonconference home-and-home series with Washington State (1-0). Where is it? Martin Stadium in Pullman.

Williams’ hurdle was a crowd favorite, but Washington State coaches condemn it | The Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN – Even if it makes for a nice addition to the highlight tape, hurdling can leave a player vulnerable in the air and Washington State coach Mike Leach would prefer his skill players find another way to win a one-on-one battle in the open field. The question posed to Leach during Monday’s press conference was of course in reference to the acrobatic move James Williams pulled off in Saturday’s game, leaping up and over multiple Montana State defenders to pick up a few more yards at the end of an 8-yard gain.

‘Shovel pass’ a useful tool in Mike Leach’s offense, as long as QB can perform it | The Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN – By now, there aren’t many pages of Washington State’s offensive playbook that senior quarterback Luke Falk hasn’t mastered. There’s few offenses he can’t read and few throws he can’t make. He certainly knows the shovel pass.

Washington State planning to use redshirt on inside receiver Easop Winston | The Spokesman-Review
Easop Winston may have the best hands on the team, but the inside receiver still needs to develop his speed, strength and stamina, so a redshirt season could make sense for the junior college transfer from California.

Soccer:

Soccer team sweeps Cougar Classic Tournament – The Daily Evergreen
WSU soccer (3-1-1) swept the weekend series, winning both games in the Cougar Classic Tournament. The Cougars handed No. 14 Nebraska (5-1-0) their first loss of the season before defeating Georgia Southern (2-3-1) with five goals on Sunday. The Cornhuskers entered Pullman undefeated, but left with their first loss. Coming into the match, Nebraska scored...