COULD SOME TWIN MAGIC be in the cards for Washington State football? It could be, although Landon Roaten of the Cougars’ Roaten twins is likely closer to contributing along the offensive line after brother Luke dealt with injuries in the 2022 season. Neither played as a freshman but Landon, at 6-5, 300 pounds, might have more of an opportunity on the offensive line this season than Luke, who checks in at 270. But the question is, where does Landon line up?
Landon was originally projected as a tackle but seeing him slide into guard might be the ticket. The Tomball, Texas, native did not appear in a game in 2022 but was named the WSU Scout Team Player of the Week after the Cougars’ win over Idaho.
Regardless of where Roaten lines up, he will likely be battling for reps in spring ball. There are several veterans in front of him both at guard and tackle. But as seen this past season, injuries can force players into unexpected action. And WSU’s o-line needs significant improvement off of last year and it’s expecte outside of Konner Gomness at center, all spots are wide open.
If what Jake Dickert said last February has any bearing, we could see Roaten sooner rather than later.
“Then the two big guys up front that I think are more physically ready than the other ones are Landon Roaten and Kendall Williams,” Dickert said in February. “Those guys will be thrown into a little bit of fire — we’ll get them here in the summer, we’ll teach them the schemes, we’ll get them introduced to our strength and conditioning and nutrition and see who can kind of rise out of that group.”
Landon was originally a verbal pledge to Tulsa but then WSU upped its pursuit of him. Both twins signed with WSU in February 2022, with Landon picking the Cougars over offers from Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Tulane and others.
“They were always on the same team,” the Roaten’s mother Maggie told CF.C last February. “If you saw one, you saw the other. They’re very, very close. I’m not even sure they’ve ever even gotten in an argument. Their bond, there’s a closeness they have, it’s very special. And it’s not something you see every day. Every time I look for them on the field, they always migrate back to one another.”
Related: Mama Roaten’s feeding WSU’s twin towers no easy feat
Another year with Clay McGuire should only strengthen Landon’s development and WSU will eventually have to decide if Landon plays on the outside or inside. The fact that he is already 300 pounds gives WSU flexibility as he could conceivably fit in either at guard or tackle.
What it may truly come down to is where WSU sees a bigger need because everything points to him having the versatility to play both.
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