Washington State Cougars Football: Will Gabe Marks Be the Pac12’s “It” Receiver in 2013?

If I told you Gabe Marks will be the #1 Receiver in the Pac-12 conference in 2013, would you believe me?  Well then, read on!

High hopes and excitement filled the air last spring as new Washington State head coach, Mike Leach, held his first practice.  There were a lot of feelings focused towards the offense and the receiving group and rightfully so.  The story that never quite took off that I was excited to see develop, was the Gabe Marks story.

We heard a lot about the true freshman as he cut through our defense in scrimmages and drills, but no one really knew the type of impact he would have on the team, as star wideout Marquess Wilson held most of the spotlight and everyone else was sort of a compliment to him.  Once the season started we saw Gabe Marks show up here and there but with all of the issues surrounding our team, he seemed to go “quietly into the night” as some might say.  He would occasionally break out and have some impressive plays but he was a little inconsistent and the offense struggled to put together the new system.  He silently finished the season as the #3 receiver on the team.

Some have lost interest in the young wide out but not me.  Do I believe that Gabe Marks will be the #1 Receiver in the Pac-12 next year?  No, however I do believe he will be one of the most, if not the most popular receiver in the conference and here’s why.

Although last year we had some catastrophic struggles, we also showed glimpses of being a decent team.  Washington State ended up 9th in the country in passing yards and second in the conference behind Oregon State only because they had an extra game.  Wazzu led the Pac-12 in passing yards per game.  Our leading receiver was Marquess Wilson and he ended his season early.  This to me SCREAMS opportunity for young Gabe Marks.

Gabe has been spending his off season working out, getting stronger, faster and learning the in’s and outs of Mike Leaches system.  He will be utilized more often in this system this year not to mention he’s having a great spring.  He just needs to translate this to the fall when we take on other teams and he will have a break out year.  He’s already ridiculously talented, I just feel like he needs to add an unmatched work ethic to really put himself over the top.  He had a great preseason last year and had a decent year.

Gabe Marks is going to be the number 1 receiver on the team, I am convinced of that.  Now I think he will be one of the most popular in the league because he’s entertaining to watch, he has a “star” presence about him and he’s on a team where if they do well this year (as I believe they will) everyone will take an interest in them.  Who doesn’t love a “started from the bottom” type story?  All the components are there, now the sophomore just needs to put it together on the field come August 31st when the Cougs take on Auburn.  Good luck to the young man and GO COUGS!