WSU DT Paul Hutson says he's the 'best playmaker in college football.' Can the Cougars make it count?

Whether that makes him college football's best playmaker can be debated. What can't is this: Hutson has played his fair share of college football. All told, he's recorded 1,422 snaps of defense in 38 games, making him by far the Cougars' most experienced defensive lineman.

"I feel like it's my speed, my effort, my motor, and like I said, my playmaking ability," Hutson said. "I find my way to the ball somehow every play. I feel like that's what I bring to the table, you know? Just a playmaker and a guy you can count on every play."

"Number one, he's a very good football player," WSU defensive tackles coach Eti Ena added. "He's very instinctual. With him, it's just kinda honing in his techniques, which he's very quick, he's very twitchy, and I wanna keep that about him. But at the same time (it's important) for him to understand exactly where his fit is and what his role is, because a lot of times at the D-tackle position, you'll make a play. You might not make the tackle, but you make everything happen around you, and so us understanding how we can make that work. And he's one of those guys that can definitely be a problem out there."

If the Cougars produce up front in similar fashion this fall, coaches will be proud of the work they did out of the transfer portal in the winter. They were faced with losing several key players, including starters Max Baloun, Bobby Terrell, Bryson Lamb and Malaki Ta'ase, all of whom followed former coach Jimmy Rogers to Iowa State, as did key reserve Jack Janikowski. Two more key pieces, Mike Sandjo and Soni Finau, ran out of eligibility.

So WSU head coach Kirby Moore, defensive coordinator Trent Bray, Ena and others did well to restock the cupboards. They landed McLain and Zunk, both of whom project to start this fall, plus Power 4 transfers Ike Okafor (Cal), Eduwa Okundaye (Arizona), Damarjhe Lewis (Purdue), along with Leaupepetele, Akio Martinson (JUCO) and Balaam Miller (FCS Saint Francis), all of whom profile as rotation players this upcoming season.

Perhaps this is the best way to capture how well that group has played: They've given what figured to be the spring slate's top storyline, the Cougars' QB battle, a run for its money. All signs point toward them delivering the same treatment to Pac-12 opponents in the fall.

"If I could always have a dream job, it would have been this one," said Ena, who was last the DTs coach at New Mexico State, which followed stints at Hawaii, Eastern Washington, Idaho and others. "I always wanted to come back up to the area. So when this opportunity came about, just putting myself in the right position, I guess. I'm very fortunate and very grateful to be here right now."