Washington State’s RJ, BJ a boon to A.J.

When Ron Stone Jr. and Brennan Jackson leave Washington State after next season, coaching edge rushers at the Pullman school will have a different feel. A.J. Cooper tries to remember that.

“I have to pinch myself every day, to remind myself to enjoy those guys,” he said Thursday after the next-to-last practice of spring drills. “I can be pretty intense at times, but to have those types of guys that are good players, that are good leaders, that are good people — I mean, every time I see their parents, I give them a big hug and say thank you.”

The Cougars wrap up spring practices with the Crimson and Gray spring game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Gesa Field.

Stone and Jackson, super juniors known blithely on the team as RJ and BJ, energized an edge group that defined the Cougars’ defensive identity last year, and all the main players except departing transfer Willie Taylor III are back from that bunch. So the Cougs should be able to continue the four-edge look that created a ton of disruption last year on third down.

Hence a heady year for Cooper, who can pass on minor coaching duties to Stone and Jackson and get more accomplished.

“They’ve accepted it in their own ways,” he said, pointing out subtle differences in two Type A personalities.

“RJ is as outgoing as they come, and BJ is going to do things more behind the scenes with the guys. But they certainly need to be the two pillars from our defense next year from a leadership standpoint, and I’ve been really pleased. Man, it’s fun to work with those guys every day, not just as ballplayers but as people.”

The edges got big boosts last year from then-freshmen Andrew Edson (especially early in the season) and Quinn Roff (especially late). Now classmate Raam Stevenson is catching up with them, and not far back are two more edge rushers from that class, Gabriel Lopez and Lawrence Falatea.

“It starts with our strength staff,” Cooper said. “Raam came in at about 200 pounds and now he’s pushing 230 pounds. That’s in less than a calendar year. His physical development has led to his confidence — you see a much more confident player. Last fall he’s having to go against (offensive tackles) Abe (Lucas) and Liam (Ryan) as a 200-pounder, and that’s tough sledding for any young kid.

“He’s a lot stronger, he understands the defense a lot better, he’s playing a lot more free. I think you’re going to see that. You just see his natural ability, the reason why we recruited him as a ballplayer. It’s been fun to watch.”

For all that, Cooper said the fastest-improving edge since the end of the 2021 season has been Jackson, whose exploits were sometimes overshadowed by Stone last season. He’s now listed at 6-foot-4 and 261 pounds.

“His lower body is so much stronger” Cooper said. “He’s a completely different guy to me.”

Grummert may be contacted at daleg@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2290.