Cougars Notebook: Top receiver Gibson mulls jump to NFL; Tardy cleared

PULLMAN -- Paul Wulff won't make his coaching debut at Washington State for eight months, but his hopes for success next fall may be largely determined in the next 24 hours.

On the same night that Wulff announced that leading rusher Dwight Tardy has been cleared to remain academically eligible, Wulff said Sunday that leading receiver Brandon Gibson told him he will decide Monday or Tuesday whether to turn pro or return for his senior year.

Wulff said he's "50-50" on his confidence in Gibson's return. Gibson, who led the Pac-10 with a school-record 1,180 receiving yards this season, said Sunday he's "not sure" what he'll decide.

Tardy, who missed the end of the 2007 season with a knee injury that required major surgery, was one of several Cougars who filed appeals to remain eligible.

STAFF ALMOST SET: Wulff said he plans to announce specific duties of his coaches after hiring an offensive line coach Monday or Tuesday.

The NCAA's holiday ban on recruiting (other than one weekly phone call to a player) ends this weekend, when Wulff expects "anywhere from eight to 12" recruits to visit WSU.

Wulff said the Cougars have only five verbal commitments, two of which came before his hiring. High school players can sign letters of intent Feb. 6. Wulff said urgent needs for defensive linemen and defensive backs will force him to recruit more junior college players than he likes, but said no scholarships are available to bring in JC transfers this semester.

EXTRA POINTS: Wulff said he expects to decide this week whether to retain junior punter Darryl Blunt, who was suspended from the team at midseason for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. ... Wulff said he's uncertain about the plans of Timm Rosenbach, his close friend and former WSU teammate. Rosenbach, Wulff's offensive coordinator at Eastern Washington before serving as WSU's quarterbacks coach the past five years, lost out to Beau Baldwin for the head coaching job at Eastern Washington.