• WSU RECRUITSÂ’ BIOS
The “experts” hold widely differing opinions about Washington State’s football recruits, but coach Paul Wulff said he believes the class announced Wednesday rates among the best in school history.
“At least on paper,” he stressed. “They’ve got a lot to prove.”
The same can be said for Wulff, his coaching staff and the returning players. The Cougars are 3-22 in Wulff’s two years at the helm, and no one on WSU’s roster is a proven Pac-10 standout.
Scout.com definitely thinks help is on the way, rating WSU’s recruiting class 39th in the nation – albeit eighth in the Pac-10. Rivals.com did not have WSU’s list of 22 signees completely updated early Wednesday night, but the service ranked WSU’s class 89th in the nation and last in the Pac-10.
Such ratings often prove inaccurate three or four years down the road. Surprises, good and bad, are inevitable when predicting how teenagers will perform in the future.
WSU served up a few good and bad surprises Wednesday, the first day that high school players could sign national letters of intent.
The biggest surprise was the signing of linebacker C.J. Mizell from Tallahassee, Fla. Scout.com ranked Mizell fifth among high school strong-side linebackers in 2008, but Mizell lost his scholarship at Florida State when he failed to qualify academically.
The Cougars moved quickly and quietly on Mizell, bringing him to Pullman last weekend and conducting a background check on him. Mizell did not play his junior year in high school after engaging in a physical confrontation with a coach. Other reports linked Mizell with a marijuana possession charge.
WSU recruiting coordinator Rich Rasmussen said the Cougars “could not find a person who had a bad thing to say” about Mizell. Wulff said the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Mizell interacted well with people on campus last weekend, and WSU had little competition for his services because few people realized that he recently qualified academically.
As a senior at Leon High, Mizell compiled 113 tackles (87 solo), 121/2 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.
“He’s got a good football IQ … he’ll have an impact,” Wulff said.
Mizell is one of several players Wulff said might play as true freshmen. Another is running back Rickey Galvin, who ran for 2,264 yards and 24 touchdowns last season at Berkeley (Calif.) High.
The Cougars added another talented California running back at the last minute, though Wulff said he might not qualify academically until January. Devontae Butler of Sacramento’s Grant High ran for 2,884 yards and 45 touchdowns last season.
The Cougars lost another top California running back recently when Adonis Smith backed out of his verbal commitment to WSU to attend Northwestern.
Two other commits who dropped WSU late were Sacramento’s Asante Cleveland (the No. 15 tight end of Scout.com) and Woodinville two-way lineman Maxx Forde. Cleveland signed with Miami, Fla., and Forde – the son of ex-Cougars star Brian Forde – signed with Idaho.
The Cougars did land 6-6, 235-pound Aaron Dunn, Scout.com’s No. 9 tight end and the only Cougar recruit other than Mizell who earned four stars on a 1-5 scale. Scout.com ranks Dunn 200th overall among seniors, making the Mead (Spokane) star the only Cougars recruit to make the top 300 list.
The Cougars plan to redshirt 25th-ranked quarterback Connor Halliday. A lanky 6-5, 186-pounder, Halliday passed for 4,198 yards and 43 touchdowns last season for Ferris of Spokane.
Wulff said the Cougars added much-needed speed and skill at wide receiver and in the secondary, and the coach said he still expects to sign an “outstanding” junior college wide receiver. A JC defensive tackle also may be coming, Wulff said, and senior-to-be defensive end Casey Hamlett has been given a scholarship after transferring as a walk-on from Western Washington last year.
Three standout California JC linemen enrolled at Washington State in January as early signees, and Wulff is counting on all three to shore up the Cougars’ lackluster lines. Wade Jacobson and David Gonzales are offensive tackles, and defensive end Brandon Rankin (a 2009 recruit who did not qualify academically last fall) had 24 sacks as a sophomore and later turned down scholarship offers from Alabama and LSU.
“I’ll be honest – I think we’re very, very good recruiters,” Wulff said. “I think we put great effort into it.”
WASHINGTON State football SIGNEES
Blair Bomber, WR, 5-9, 170, Lynden/Lynden: One of the most versatile athletes to come out of a dominant Lions program in recent years, lettered four times each in football, basketball and track.
Deone Buccanon, S, 6-1, 180, Fairfield, Calif./Vanden: A two-time conference defensive player of the year in the Solano County Athletic Conference, he is hard-hitting, physical with size at a position of need.
Devontae Butler, RB, 5-11, 180, Sacramento/Grant: He rushed for 2,884 yards and 45 touchdowns his senior season, and that’s after sitting out second halves of five games. A physical runner with breakaway speed.
Tracy Clark, CB, 5-10, 175, Pittsburg, Calif./Pittsburg: A versatile player who spent time at four different positions in high school. He makes up for slight build with speed, quickness and on-field maturity.
Tyrone Duckett, S, 6-0, 205, Alameda, Calif./Encinal: A three-sport standout and a two-way player (QB/S) for Encinal, Duckett had 67 tackles, five sacks, two interceptions, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery his senior year.
Aaron Dunn, TE, 6-6, 235, Spokane/Mead: Most likely he’ll redshirt to develop the requisite strength to play in the Pac-10, but his frame and footwork from years of basketball give him a solid base.
John Fullington, OL, 6-6, 270, Belfair/North Mason: He played tight end for the first three years at North Mason, but moved to offensive line his senior season to prepare for his role at WSU. While his blocking skills are raw, his potential has WSU coaches drooling.
Andrew Furney, K/P, 5-11, 210, Burlington/Burlington-Edison: Tied the state record for field goals with 14, including eight of more than 40 yards and a long of 47. He was also a perfect 44-of-44 on point-after attempts.
Rickey Galvin, RB, 5-8, 172, Berkeley, Calif./Berkeley: Rushed for 2,264 yards and 24 TDs while earning league MVP player honors. Not physically imposing, Galvin is explosive out of the backfield and has good hands.
Brandon Golden, CB, 6-0, 190, Covina, Calif./Charter Oak: Brings some speed to a team in desperate need of it. Golden had six interceptions and 10 pass breakups his senior season and was a first-team All-CIF defensive back.
Connor Halliday, 6-5, 186, Spokane/Ferris: Led Saxons to the 4A state title game this past season. As a senior, he completed 310-of-477 passes for 4,198 yards and 43 TDs, earning GSL offensive most valuable player honors. WSU coaches love his accuracy and competitive demeanor.
Damante Horton, CB, 5-10, 175, Oakland/Oakland: Despite his listed size, Horton plays a physical brand of coverage and had more than 100 tackles in his senior year. Of the corners signed, he may be the quickest.
Robert Jiles, WR, 6-0, 185, Pittsburg, Calif./Pittsburg: He caught 54 passes for 846 yards and 14 touchdowns his senior season. WSU coaches envision him as a slot receiver making catches in traffic over the middle.
Zach Johnson, LB, 6-4, 230, Stanwood/Stanwood: WSU coaches like his frame and expect greyshirt and redshirt years will allow him to add necessary strength that could allow him to convert to a defensive end.
Jacob Miller, K/P, 6-5, 205, Greenacres/Central Valley: Earned first-team 4A all-state honors. He was 7-of-9 on field goal attempts with a long of 50. He also averaged 41.3 yards per punt and made 25-of-27 PATs.
C.J. Mizell, LB, 6-3, 210, Tallahassee, Fla./Leon: A possible huge steal as a late find, he had 131 tackles, including 87 solo, 26 for loss and 12.5 sacks as a senior. He forced 14 fumbles. He was first-team All-State 4A.
Eric Oertel, RB, 6-1, 185, Racine, Wis./Lutheran: A year in the weight room will make this hard runner more difficult to tackle. As Wisconsin’s Gatorade player of the year as a senior, he rushed for a state-leading 2,731 yards and 33 touchdowns. Could also move to linebacker, where he had 120 tackles (seven for loss) and three interceptions as a senior.
Kalafitoni Pole, DT, 6-2, 275, Union City, Calif./James Logan: Most people call him “Toni.” Even at his 275 pounds, he still was athletic enough to play tight end in high school, catching 18 passes for 529 yards and six TDs. He was named his conference defensive player of the year.
Bobby Ratliff, WR, 6-1, 180, Etiwanda, Calif./Etiwanda: He caught 61 passes for 909 yards and five TDs as a senior. WSU coaches call his game “polished” and expect him to compete for immediate playing time.
Jake Rodgers, TE, 6-7, 245, Spokane/Shadle Park: He has the size and frame, and just needs to add strength. He missed much of his senior season with an injury, but WSU coaches like his length and versatility.
Matthew Simmons, CB, 6-0, 180, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Bishop Montgomery: Versatile enough to play corner or safety, Simmons’ father, Randal, played for the Cougars. The younger Simmons is a physical player who can tackle.
Kristoff Williams, WR, 6-2, 205, Antioch, Calif./Deer Valley: Another late find for WSU, Williams did a little bit of everything as a senior, amassing more than 2,000 all-purpose yards. He played mostly QB, but WSU coaches envision him as a big target at receiver.
Marquess Wilson, WR, 6-3, 170, Tulare, Calif./Tulare Union: He caught 50 catches for 1,083 yards and 22 touchdowns. At just 170 pounds, he needs to add some bulk, but WSU coaches think he could be a game changer on the outside.
Transfers
David Gonzales, OL, 6-6, 270, Fresno, Calif./Fresno City College/Central West: He was a late bloomer in football, not playing until his junior year in high school. But the combination of size and strength give him plenty of potential as a tackle in the Pac-10.
Wade Jacobson, OL, 6-6, 310, Hollister, Calif./San Benito: He dominated in his sophomore season at San Benito JC, earning all-league, all-region and all-state accolades as well as third-team All-American honors. Registered 75 pancake blocks in 2009.
