PULLMAN — Halfway through spring practice, Washington State is already better off at nickelback than it was two weeks ago, when defensive coordinator Alex Grinch started out spring by cautioning that the Cougars might have a revolving door of players at that position until they found the right man for the job.
Junior Hunter Dale spent the first two years of his career at WSU playing mostly on special teams. But he moved from free safety to nickelback this spring, and has impressed the defensive coaches with his progress and has held down a spot with the first team so far.