A promising, 4-0 start that saw Washington State notch two wins of ranked opponents and itself zoom into the national rankings has given way to a five-game losing streak.
Jake Dickert’s Cougars managed a mere touchdown in an 10-7, home loss Saturday against Stanford. They must win two of their three remaining games – at Cal, home against Deion Sanders and Colorado, at Washington in the Apple Cup – to again qualify for a bowl berth.
In stunning transparency Dickert outlined why he is much more concerned about the long-term health and stability of the Washington State program.
“I think in today’s world you can longer say passion and spirit is going to get you by anymore,” Dickert said. “It’s completely real that the NIL matters and the facts are, Washington State, we’re way behind; not even competitive in some aspects of the NIL. Recruiting, these kids tell you what they’re getting.
“Oregon State probably has us by 10X (times), Arizona has us by 20X. USC, Washington, Oregon … who even knows? It’s a whole other planet. That’s part of what we need and it’s very, very important.”
What Dickert labeled as “open-target season” unfolds after Football Bowls Subdivision’s various conference championship games take place throughout the first weekend of December: college football’s de facto free agency period, when the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Last month, an NCAA rules committee adopted changes that shortened the upcoming first Portal window from 45 down to 30 days.
“In three weeks, it’s going to be open-target season on our players,” Dickert said. “That’s what it’s going to be. It’s already started. So, know that’s what’s coming. We need to provide them with as much resources as we possibly have here to keep this team together, to keep recruiting, to keep going. It’s the future of college football.
“To ignore it or ever think that it’s going to go away, that’s a long time in the horizon. I think it’s only going to grow in some capacity, and I’m very supportive of the players getting a piece of the puzzle and profiting off their name, image and likeness. I’ve said that many times up here. But to think as a university and a program, to be where we want to be and should be, it’s going to be a huge part of it. It has to be – especially at the forefront of the football program.”
Dickert emphasized his candor was not an attempt to ratchet up intensity on his administration or others connected to the Cougars’ program but simply that he felt compelled to be frank in what he anticipated could happen to the Washington State roster.
“We gotta carry the flag for the university going through to whatever phase we’re doing, and I think everyone around here knows that,” he said. “And that’s not a pressure, that’s just an understanding of we’re prideful in this. We ’re prideful of what we want to do on that football field.
“So, I think it’s got to be a vital part because that meeting in three weeks, I can’t even imagine what guys are getting and we’re open to those conversations and understanding that. We need to keep this team together and keep building for the future. That’s what this thing will always be about.”
Wazzu coach Jake Dickert: "The facts are Washington State, we're way behind. Not even competitive in some aspects of the NIL." pic.twitter.com/qi7I0LDxwF
— Greg Woods (@GregWWoods) November 6, 2023
Dickert has almost completed the second full season of his five-year deal at the helm. He took over the Washington State program almost exactly two years ago, after Cougars athletics director Pat Chun and university officials made the controversial decision to fire then-head coach Nick Rolovich and several assistant coaches after Rolovich and members of his staff refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine due to personal and religious beliefs.
Rolovich later sued Washington State.