Cougar NT gone, will look for new home

STARTING COUGAR NOSE TACKLE Anthony Laurenzi was dismissed from the team on Thursday afternoon following a short meeting between the senior d-lineman and head coach Mike Leach, a source close to Laurenzi tells Cougfan.com.

Anthony Laurenzi, the Cougars' most experienced d-lineman, was dismissed from the team by Mike Leach following a short meeting on Thursday afternoon.

Laurenzi, who wrote a weekly summer diary for Cougfan.com, on Sunday was arrested on suspicion of third-degree theft at an area Walmart according to the Pullman police log. He was not immediately available for comment.

In Leach's book, Swing Your Sword, he wrote there were three cardinal rules that if broken, result in a player's dismissal -- drugs, violence against women and stealing.

Leach has now dismissed three returning starters since arriving in Pullman, linebackers Sekope Kaufusi and C.J. Mizell were the other two.

At nose tackle, apart from Laurenzi, the pre-fall camp candidates to earn significant playing time include Kalafitoni Pole and Ioane Gauta, a junior college transfer.

Xavier Cooper is shown atop the right tackle spot on the post-spring depth chart, Pole is listed as the starting NT and Laurenzi was listed as the starting LT, as well as the No. 2 NT.

Others in the mix on the depth chart include Steven Hoffart and Lenard Williams. Robert Barber, who also arrived in June, is a raw but high potential nose tackle out of American Samoa.