WSU offensive linemen leaning on versatility as spring practices roll on

Apr. 14—PULLMAN — Stop by any of Washington State's spring practices lately, check out the Cougars' first-team offensive line unit and you might get confused.

Some days it looks like it should, the way head coach Kirby Moore and coaches have aligned things: left tackle Ashton Tripp, left guard Jonny Lester, center Kyle Martin, right guard Noah Dunham, right tackle Maximus McRee.

But other days it looks like someone played Tetris with the Cougs' front five. In other practices, Lester has played right guard, Dunham at center. Still in others, you might see incoming redshirt sophomore Nick Bakken in the lineup, filling in at whatever position needed.

In Tuesday's practice, WSU's ninth of the slate, the team's top offensive line group looked like this: Tripp at left tackle, Martin at left guard, Dunham at center, Bakken at right guard and Lester at right tackle, where he played a handful of snaps last season due to injuries. That seemed to be the reason behind the absence of McRee, a transfer from Washington who has been filling in at right tackle for returner Jaylin Caldwell, himself rehabbing from an injury he suffered in the middle of last season.

It's been a game of Mad-Libs for Moore and offensive line coach Jack Abercrombie, who at the very least are getting lots of looks at linemen at all kinds of positions. The anchors much of the way have been Tripp and Lester, both of whom started all last season. Tripp played every snap at left tackle, and that job is his. Lester has played both guard positions and some at right tackle.

"I think Jonny's a student of the game," Moore said after Tuesday's practice at Rogers Field. "I think he really works at it. I think he's a steady Eddie from an emotional consistency standpoint, and just his knowledge and detail at the offensive line position shows up. Any time you know what the guy next to you is doing, I think that helps you play faster and can play a variety of spots.

"So you saw that last season. You see that now. Obviously we've had a few new guys in terms of offensive line getting reps in different spots, and just the dialogue. We've gotta have all five on the same page, and he really helps with that."

Headed into his fourth season at WSU — what figures to be his first year of full action — Martin has fashioned himself a center. He spent two years backing up starter Brock Dieu, who was long a bastion of health and consistency. But late last season, injuries came Dieu's way, prompting Martin to sub in for a total of 232 snaps in four games, including three in the regular season.

Assuming the Cougars are at full strength come September, Martin will likely find himself back at center, but that spot was occupied by Dunham on Tuesday. It's hardly his first time playing there, at least in practice settings. He's often played center this spring, a throwback to a couple years ago when he found a niche as a backup center early in his WSU career.

"It's really just making sure it can never hurt having to play center," Dunham said after an earlier practice. "Making sure I understand that I can get reps wherever. So I'm kind of pretty versatile when it comes to that."

Dunham appears to be in line for his first season with a starting job. Last fall, he tallied 209 snaps of offense in seven games, six in the regular season. He played the majority at left guard, the spot vacated by Lester, who often moved to right tackle when injuries befell that position group.

It was also the first missed practice of the spring for McRee, so it's possible coaches are taking it easy with him, trusting what they have in his experience: He started three games for UW last season, playing 242 snaps in seven total games. He came off the bench to play in games against FCS UC Davis and Ohio State, then started three straight games at left tackle, filling in for an injured starter against Maryland, Rutgers and Michigan, sustaining his own injury in the final contest.

At UW, McCree took over left tackle starting duties in the middle of the 2024 season, making four straight starts before a thumb injury sidelined him until the Huskies' bowl game.