There has been a lot of issues and rumors surrounding what is going on with the Washington State junior receiver, Gabe Marks. The Cougars leading receiver had surgery in the offseason but it has since been the basis of the questions.
As we all know, Mike Leach and Washington State don’t release anything regarding injuries so we are all out of luck when it comes to finding out what Marks’ surgery was on and if it is still bothering him. Marks has not been the same since the end of last season and many are wondering if we will even see Marks on the field this season for the Cougars.
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If Marks’ injury really is something bigger than expected there is a chance we could see him take a redshirt year to help heal himself and not waste the season trying to play through the injury.
Marks led the team last year in receptions (74), yards (807), and was tied for the most touchdowns (7). Losing Marks for the season would be a big blow for the Cougars but being that this might have been known for a while the team has allowed their backups to get plenty of reps with first team.
In an interview with Cougfan.com’s Christopher Shaw, outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons said of Marks “Obviously we’ve wanted him to get back to 100 percent healthy, and that’s what we’re working toward now. The kid is obviously an incredible talent and he’ll factor in when that time comes.”
Simmons comments could be leading towards the assumption that Marks is not yet completely healed and that he still has a little bit to go before he is completely healthy. Nobody wants to watch a player go out and compete when they are not completely healthy and risk injuring themselves again or even more. The chance of Marks taking the year off and not risking anything anymore is a possibility.
If we do see Marks sit out for some of the year or all of the year and take a redshirt year we will more than likely see Kristoff Williams or Isiah Myers at the Z position. Both Williams and Myers are listed ahead of Marks on the fall camp depth chart.