This guy is our Chris Cooley; a player who’s skill sets do not limit him to a single position. This guy is a coach’s dream and to me, a throwback guy that everyone can root for… even those who aren’t necessarily Coug fans.

“I’m a football player,” the 6-foot-2, 251-pounder said. “I don’t have great physical attributes. I’m a little short, a little chubby, a little slow, but I can play football. I can play the game. I know how to do that.”

And Jed Collins does do just that: play the game. Jed - theoretically the number one tight end for this year’s football team, after playing both fullback and linebacker his freshman year and being named WSU’s Special Teams Iron Man in his sophomore year - seems like a guy who doesn’t care where you put him: he just wants to play football.

In the world of Pac-10 sports, rarely do you get a guy like this who seems as ordinary as you and me and has the selfless nature to put the team first… although according to him, it’s not team first; it’s school first.

“I love the team and my teammates, but it’s more of an experience to get out and do other things and enjoy every aspect of it,” he said.

“I’m definitely a student first and an athlete second.”

So when the debate for whether or not college football players should get paid, or a new scandal involving academic fraud and football pops up, remember that in some parts of the county, football is still played the way it should be by people that deserve to play and deserve our applause. Maybe I’m going a little overboard, but with Pacman in the news everyday it was just nice for once to read about someone who deserved our attention maybe a little more.

• This Cougar always ready for anything (Seattle Times)