PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) - With star quarterback Luke Falk choosing to return for his senior season, Washington State went in search of wide receivers, a running back and offensive linemen Wednesday on national letter of intent day.
Of course, coach Mike Leach also signed a quarterback to run his Air Raid offense in the future, landing four-star Connor Neville from Wilsonville, Oregon. The Cougars signed five wide receivers, and a bevy of offensive linemen as they seek to qualify for a third consecutive bowl game next season.
Other things to know:
Top 25 Class: No
Best in class: Connor Neville, who is 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, threw for 2,756 yards with 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a senior and was the top-rated QB in Oregon.
Best of the rest: The Cougars signed four-star offensive lineman Robert Valencia, 6-foot-6, 295 pounds, from City College of San Francisco. Receivers Travell Harris, Davontavean Martin, Anthony White Jr. and Easop Winston will try to break into the Air Raid.
Late addition: WR Jamire Calvin, who had committed to Nebraska. The four-star recruit from Los Angeles had entertained numerous offers from major programs.
One that got away: The Cougars signed few players from Washington, indicating many top recruits from the state went elsewhere.
How they'll fit in: Washington State lost record-setting receivers Gabe Marks and River Cracraft to graduation, but still has plenty of talent in the returning receivers. However, Leach is not averse to throwing freshmen into the mix immediately. Small but speedy running back Caleb Perry, who is from Seattle, may have trouble getting snaps as the Cougars have three veteran running backs who split playing time. QB Neville will have to wait behind Falk and other quarterbacks on the roster.
BELOW ARE THE RECRUITS:
Jamire Calvin WR 5-10 160 FR Pasadena, Calif. (Cathedral HS)
Cole Dubots LB 6-1 185 FR Murrieta, Calif. (Vista Murrieta HS)
Fa’avae Fa’avae LB 6-1 210 FR Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei HS)
Sean Harper ^ DB 6-2 175 JR Hartwell, Ga. (Hart County HS/Holmes CC)
Travell Harris WR 5-9 180 FR Tampa, Fla. (Jesuit HS)
Preston Hendry DE 6-5 235 JR Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (Tesoro HS/Orange Coast Coll.)
George Hicks III CB 6-0 180 FR San Bernardino, Calif. (Cajon HS)
Dallas Hobbs DE 6-6 240 FR Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Washington HS/Deerfield Prep)
Alec Kuzmack OL 6-5 295 FR Eagle, Idaho (Eagle HS)
Damion Lee DB 6-1 180 FR Palm Springs, Calif. (Palm Springs HS)
Isaiah Love ^ CB 6-0 170 FR West Covina, Calif. (West Covina HS)
Abraham Lucas OL 6-7 260 FR Everett, Wash. (Archbishop Murphy HS)
Davontavean Martin WR 6-4 180 FR Houma, La. (Ellender Memorial HS)
Christian Mejia DE 6-4 220 FR Kailua, Hawaii (Kailua HS)
Jonathan Nathaniel OL 6-6 260 FR Chandler, Ariz. (Basha HS)
Connor Neville QB 6-2 185 FR Wilsonville, Ore. (Wilsonville HS)
Caleb Perry RB 5-9 180 FR Seattle, Wash. (King’s HS)
Willie Rodgers III DE 6-5 230 FR Saginaw, Mich. (Arthur Hill HS/Valor Christian HS (Colo.))
Dominick Silvels LB 6-3 210 FR San Diego, Calif. (Patrick Henry HS)
Josh Talbott DB 6-0 180 FR Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach Poly)
Willie Taylor LB 6-3 210 FR Cochran, Ga. (Bleckley County HS)
Robert Valencia ^ OL 6-6 295 JR* Daly City, Calif. (Riordan HS/San Francisco CC)
Zaire Webb ^ DB 5-10 165 FR Jacksonville, Fla. (Duncan U. Fletcher HS)
Anthony White Jr. ^ WR 6-1 165 FR Miami, Fla. (Miami Central HS)
Easop Winston ^ WR 5-11 170 JR San Francisco, Calif. (Serra HS/San Francisco CC)
^Signed FAA or NLI and enrolled at WSU in January, 2017
