Apr. 16—PULLMAN — When he talks, at least in front of a collection of cameras, Paul Hutson III likes to keep his eyes down. At that angle, his dreadlocks hang in front of his face, partially obscuring his face. He talks a bit quietly.
It doesn't mask the words he's using.
"I believe I'm the best playmaker in college football," Hutson said.
That was on Thursday morning, after Washington State wrapped up practice No. 9 of the spring slate, and Hutson has figured prominently into the picture. In his fifth season of college football, Hutson has made a habit of wreaking havoc from the defensive line, where he's leveraged his 6-foot-1, 275-pound size in ways few at his position can.
In fact, if one position group has made its presence felt the most throughout these spring practices, it's the Cougars ' defensive linemen and edges. The names — Idaho transfer Matyus McLain, Vanderbilt transfer Linus Zunk, Eastern Washington transfer Jirah Leaupepetele , returners Malijah Tucker and Kaden Beatty — are one thing. Their production is another.
WSU's defensive front made things look easy on Saturday, when the team hosted its first of three spring scrimmages. The Cougars have done it time and again even in the two practices since, using all kinds of spin moves and bull rushes to get to the three quarterbacks battling for the starting job, Caden Pinnick, Owen Eshelman and Julian Dugger.
Still, Hutson's assertion might raise some eyebrows. Does he have the resume to talk like that? Judge for yourself. He started his career in 2022 at FCS Campbell, where he appeared in all 11 games, registering 23 tackles (one for loss), two blocked kicks, and a forced fumble. The next season, he transferred to Austin Peay, where he played in only three games, making four tackles. He redshirted.
Then in 2024, Hutson returned to Campell, playing in all 12 games, piling up 50 tackles (31/2 for loss) and 11/2 sacks in his second tour of duty with the Fighting Camels . Finally, he spent last fall at Marshall, where he played in all 12 games, making 40 tackles (6 1/2 for loss) with 31/2 sacks. He also picked off two passes, returning those for a total of 49 yards.
Plus, after an earlier spring practice in Spokane, WSU offensive lineman Jonny Lester was asked which defenders have given him the most trouble up front. He gave a succinct answer: "P3," a nod to Hutson's nickname.
Whether that makes him college football's best playmaker can be debated. What can't is this: Hutson has played his fair share of college football. All told, he's recorded 1,422 snaps of defense in 38 games, making him by far the Cougars' most experienced defensive lineman.
"I feel like it's my speed, my effort, my motor, and like I said, my playmaking ability," Hutson said. "I find my way to the ball somehow every play. I feel like that's what I bring to the table, you know? Just a playmaker and a guy you can count on every play."
"Number one, he's a very good football player," WSU defensive tackles coach Eti Ena added. "He's very instinctual. With him, it's just kinda honing in his techniques, which he's very quick, he's very twitchy, and I wanna keep that about him. But at the same time (it's important) for him to understand exactly where his fit is and what his role is, because a lot of times at the D-tackle position, you'll make a play. You might not make the tackle, but you make everything happen around you, and so us understanding how we can make that work. And he's one of those guys that can definitely be a problem out there."
If the Cougars produce up front in similar fashion this fall, coaches will be proud of the work they did out of the transfer portal in the winter. They were faced with losing several key players, including starters Max Baloun, Bobby Terrell, Bryson Lamb and Malaki Ta'ase, all of whom followed former coach Jimmy Rogers to Iowa State, as did key reserve Jack Janikowski. Two more key pieces, Mike Sandjo and Soni Finau, ran out of eligibility.
So WSU head coach Kirby Moore, defensive coordinator Trent Bray, Ena and others did well to restock the cupboards. They landed McLain and Zunk, both of whom project to start this fall, plus Power 4 transfers Ike Okafor (Cal), Eduwa Okundaye (Arizona), Damarjhe Lewis ( Purdue ), along with Leaupepetele, Akio Martinson (JUCO) and Balaam Miller (FCS Saint Francis), all of whom profile as rotation players this upcoming season.
Perhaps this is the best way to capture how well that group has played: They've given what figured to be the spring slate's top storyline, the Cougars' QB battle, a run for its money. All signs point toward them delivering the same treatment to Pac-12 opponents in the fall.
"If I could always have a dream job, it would have been this one," said Ena, who was last the DTs coach at New Mexico State, which followed stints at Hawaii , Eastern Washington, Idaho and others. "I always wanted to come back up to the area. So when this opportunity came about, just putting myself in the right position, I guess. I'm very fortunate and very grateful to be here right now."
