The sun shone brightly down on the Martin Stadium turf as the WSU football team kicked off its third week of spring practice, flashing in tandem with bursts of potential that Head Coach Mike Leach said younger players showed.

WSU began Tuesday’s practice with its classic “bull in the ring” drill, in which one player attempts to tackle another who is holding a football, while the rest of the team forms a circle around the two. As WSU continues to elevate into full contact leading up to the annual Crimson and Gray spring game on April 22, players were enthusiastic throughout the practice.

The Cougars’ theme for the spring is “focus on the process,” a slogan displayed on a sign inside the locker room. Redshirt senior quarterback Luke Falk said the team needs to reflect this theme each practice.

“I think we need to come out here and do our job,” Falk said. “No matter the outcome, we just got to keep getting better each day.”

One of the main questions Leach and first-year inside receivers coach Derek Sage are trying to answer this spring is which wide receivers will fill the voids left by graduating seniors Gabe Marks and River Cracraft, who combined for 142 receptions this past season.

“I think there is an eagerness to get out there and get reps,” Leach said of the receiving corps. “It will be a dogfight to find a guy.”

Having now participated in five spring football seasons, redshirt senior wide receiver Robert Lewis has tried to take on more leadership this spring, sharing wisdom with younger players.

“It’s much easier, I know what I’ve got to do now,” Lewis said. “It’s just another spring in my book, we’ve just got to keep the energy up.”

Leach said each wide receiver has shown the potential to become one of the team’s go-to targets come September.

“No one in particular has really stuck out to me,” Leach said. “I would just say in general, the young guys have done well. They are farther along than we expected.”

After moving from the practice fields and into Martin Stadium about an hour into practice, the team transitioned into its series of seven-on-seven drills. Falk and redshirt sophomore quarterback Tyler Hilinski took turns leading the offense.

A particular point of emphasis during Tuesday’s practice was special teams, an area the Cougars have struggled in over the past decade. Special Teams Coach Eric Mele harped on his punt coverage unit the entire practice, at one point sprinting down the field alongside players in attempt to get them to move faster.

As encouraging as the players and coaches have been toward one another seven practices into the spring, Leach was again critical of the degree of seriousness with which some players are taking spring ball.

“We are trying to equip them with as many tools possible to continue to improve over this summer,” Leach said.

WSU continues spring practice today at 2:30 p.m. in Martin Stadium and will also practice at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.