As the Cougars plummeted to unthinkable lows during the Paul Wulff era, their lack of size and talent on the offensive line were the most glaring of several shortcomings. Over the course of several seasons leading into Mike Leach’s tenure, there simply weren’t Pac-12-caliber offensive linemen on the roster to allow the Cougars to compete seriously in the conference. From 2006 to 2015, Zach Williams (2011, sixth round) was the only program’s only offensive lineman to be drafted -- and he arrived in Pullman as a junior-college transfer.
There were gradual signs of improvement after Leach arrived, but last year the Cougars’ finally had a reliable starting group, plus some decent depth to help withstand injury.