Season previews, a departure and more

Last week, Athlon Sports ranked WSU at No. 56 in their season preview and 42 percent of you said it was too low. If you thought No. 56 was too low, you're really going to think the Orlando Sentinel is down on the Cougars as they slotted WSU in at No. 81.

Defensive issues and question marks were cited as one of the areas of weakness, as was a lack of a rushing attack. The author used total rushing yards per game as a reason WSU was bad at running the football, which is a bit curious. Sure, WSU didn't run for many yards per game, but that's largely because it get most of its yards through the air and sacks deduct from rushing totals. Marcus Mason and Teondray Caldwell combined to average 5.1 yards per carry last season. The Cougars' ground attack was hardly inept.

While WSU's 6-7 season and trip to a bowl came caused it to rise in some rankings, the Cougars actually dropped a spot in the Orlando Sentinel rankings. They were No. 80 last year after being No. 84 in 2012.

Football recruiting:

The big news on Wednesday was the announcement Jalen Canty is no longer coming to WSU as part of the 2014 recruiting class. Jeff covered the news last night with more reaction below.

Jalen Canty will not enroll at WSU - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - June 4, 2014
Jalen Canty was one of the more intriguing players in Washington State's 2014 football class, but the 6-foot-8 defensive end announced on Twitter late Wednesday evening that he will not enroll at WSU. He apparently then told Britton Ransford of WazzuWatch.com that he intends to head to Casper College in Wyoming to play basketball, and is giving up football entirely.

Football:

Jo Koy and Mike Leach (Leach's appearance starts at 30:15
Coach Mike Leach is on the line next, and Adam talks with him not only about coaching football, but also about the life and times of Geronimo.

Mike Leach Talks Football Operations Building and Geronimo - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Mike Leach discusses his book, Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior, and the Football Operations Building during a WSUCougars.com podcast that took place Tuesday afternoon.

Washington State ranked No. 81, Leach leads Cougars' revival - Orlando Sentinel
Few programs can consider six wins a rousing success, but when you've failed to record a winning season since 2003, you'll take what you can get.

PHOTOS: WSU unveils new Cougar Football Complex - Seattle PI Sports Blog
When Washington State University presented its new 75,000-square-foot football operations building to the media Tuesday, the biggest emphasis was on one thing: progress.

Baseball:

Ian Hamilton Named Freshman All-American - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State University’s Ian Hamilton was named a 2014 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball, Wednesday.

Collin Slaybaugh Named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State senior Collin Slaybaugh was named the Pac-12 Conference Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Wednesday.

Men's Basketball:

Strength Coach Scott Thom Joins Basketball Program - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Scott Thom has been named Washington State University men’s basketball strength and conditioning coach, head basketball coach Ernie Kent announced Wednesday.