Few surprises on WSU’s first depth chart of season as season-opener nears

By Greg Woods
gregw@spokesman.com
PULLMAN – Washington State’s first depth chart is out.
The usual suspects lined the list: Cameron Ward will start at quarterback, Nakia Watson at running back, Brennan Jackson and Ron Stone Jr. on the edges. Chau Smith-Wade and Cam Lampkin will start at cornerbacks, and Jaden Hicks will start at strong safety.
Cooper Mathers won the starting tight end job over Billy Riviere III, who earned the gig last season, and each of the Cougars’ big three receiver transfers will start: Kyle Williams, Josh Kelly and DT Sheffield, the last of whom may share the position with senior captain Lincoln Victor.
Also notable is the return of offensive lineman Fa’alili Fa’amoe, who had been out since Aug. 7’s practice with a knee injury. He’s set to return to practice on Tuesday, WSU head coach Jake Dickert said, and either Brock Dieu or Christian Hilborn will start at right guard .
On defense, linebacker Ahmad McCullough profiled as a starter, and he earned No. 1 reps in practice – but an injury sidelined him for the final week-plus of fall camp, so he’s sharing the position with backup WIL linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah. The starter at that spot is Kyle Thornton.