The term “off-season” does not existent in Head Coach Paul Wulff’s vocabulary as he and his staff have been hard at work to put the nightmares of a 1-11 season in the past.

One of the biggest issues that haunted the Cougars throughout their disastrous 2009 season was the protection of the quarterback, and it was announced in late December that offensive line coach Harold Etheridge would not return for the 2010 season.

Wulff quickly got to work and announced last Friday that 35-year coaching veteran Steve Morton was hired as the new offensive line coach.

“Steve brings a tremendous amount of experience and a proven track record as a collegiate coach,” Wulff said. “He is a great teacher, tactician and recruiter and will be a tremendous asset not only on the offensive line, but for our entire program.” Morton graduated from WSU in 1977. He played center and offensive guard for the Cougars.

Morton’s most recent position was the offensive line coach for Stanford during 2002-2004.

Morton is not the only addition to the Cougars’ roster as three highly-touted recruits have enrolled with the university and are already attending classes.

Junior college transfers include offensive linemen David Gonzales and Wade Jacobson as well as big defensive end Brandon Rankin.

Gonzales (6’6”, 275) chose the Cougars over highly respected schools such as Tennessee. Meanwhile, Jacobson (6’6”, 310) chose the crimson and gray over Arizona and North Carolina, among several other offers.

“Obviously, when you can have a mid-year player that’s a little bit older and has some experience, it can be a great benefit and we’re going to need those guys to step up for us,” Wulff said. “They got a lot of work in front of them, but they definitely are going to add some help to our football team.” Spring practices are scheduled to begin on March 25. Gonzales, Jacobson and Rankin are all cleared to participate in the spring session, and Wulff said he’s excited for the start of the 2010 campaign to get underway.

“We’re very excited for the next phase of training to develop ourselves and improve individually, which we have a lot of room for that and to see that first test,” Wulff said. “We’re anxious to get there and evaluate ourselves and take that next step of improvement as we head into August.” Rankin (6’4”, 270) was originally part of the 2009 recruiting class, but his enrollment was delayed.

While at Butte Junior College, Rankin recorded 24 sacks and 62 tackles on his way to easily being named a Junior College All-American for his 2008 season.

Before signing with WSU, Rankin also had offers from Lousiana State University and national champion, Alabama. However, even with offers from such big powerhouses, Rankin stuck with his original commitment and will line up for the Cougars in 2010.

“We knew when we recruited Brandon a year ago that he had more work to do and wouldn’t be here in the fall, so we anticipated that,” Wulff said. “We made sure we stayed in contact with him all the way through the process and that he got eligible, and I’m glad he did the work and got himself eligible.” As far as Alabama coming in and trying to take Rankin away from WSU, Wulff said it’s a part of the game, but it also shows the talent levels that he and his staff are bringing to Pullman.

“Unfortunately, sometimes people try to come in when they find out somebody got eligible, and they want to take some guys are committed,” Wulff said. “I just think what it does is show the caliber of athletes that we’re bringing into Pullman that hasn’t been done here in a long time or ever. We’re going to continue to work our tails off to bring in the talent that’s required to go to bowl games and compete to win a Pac-10 championship.” For the 2010 recruiting class, Wulff and his staff have been on the campaign working around the clock and have found a lot of success.

The Cougars have 22 known verbal commitments, which is good enough for the 35th-best recruiting class in the country, according to scout.com.

Although signing day is still two weeks away, and other than Gonzales and Jacobson, nothing is official. Wulff said that Cougar Nation has plenty to be excited about for the young talent that appears to be Pullman bound.

“I would find it hard pressed that there’s ever been a class on paper this good,” Wulff said. “This is the type of class that can bring Pac-10 championships to Pullman, Washington, and to Washington State University.”