Marquess Wilson No Longer a WSU Cougar

After initial reports that Marquess Wilson, the star wide receiver for Mike Leach’s Washington State Cougars, had been suspended from the team for unspecified reasons, new sources within the team have claimed that Wilson has actually decided to leave the team, going so far as to clean out his locker. Mike Leach, in his first year as head coach of the Cougars, has complained at times about Wilson’s work ethic and attitude, but this still comes as a pretty decent surprise to me. Unless his attitude problems are very serious, I have to believe that Wilson will quickly be able to transfer to another school, though he will probably have to sit out a year to follow NCAA regulations regarding transfers.

October 27, 2012; Stanford, CA, USA; Washington State Cougars wide receiver Marquess Wilson (86) catches a pass during the fourth quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. The Cardinal defeated the Cougars 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

No matter the reasoning, this is a massive blow to an already struggling Washington State team, as Wilson was perhaps their most talented player on either offense or defense. After a stellar 2011 season in which he caught 82 balls for 1388 yards and 12 touchdowns, Wilson had already grabbed 52 catches for 813 yards and 5 scores this year. He was regarded as a very solid NFL prospect, likely to go in the first few rounds due to his production and solid 6’4″ 185 pound frame. Now, that future is obviously cast into a bit of doubt, and that goes for the WSU football program as well. Have to imagine that Air Raid offense will suffer without the best pass catcher on the roster.