Coaches love the mantra "next man up," but for the Cougs in 2017, which backups will be the most integral to team success? Thursday, Chantel Jennings, of the ESPN Pac-12 blog, deemed Gabe Marks WSU's "most indispensable" player (non-QB). But how about players who aren't currently projected to start, who among that group would leave the biggest hole if they went down with an injury?
For this exercise I'll be using Stefanie Loh's post-spring depth chart to determine who is a "starter." At first glance, a couple of names jump off the page. Offensively, all four running backs listed are expected to make contributions this season, which may make it hard for one in particular to stand out.