Five to watch: Keep an eye on these Washington State football commits as NCAA’s early signing period approaches
Fri., Dec. 14, 2018, 5 a.m.
By Theo Lawson
S-R of Spokane
PULLMAN – This time last year, Washington State fans were anticipating the NCAA’s first early signing period, wondering how the Cougars would fill out their 2018 recruiting class and which prospects would get an jump on things by signing on Dec. 19 rather than Feb. 6.
Last year’s haul included one player who figured into the equation immediately for the Cougars – running back Max Borghi – and a few others who got four games of experience while taking advantage of the NCAA’s new redshirt rule.
WSU has 20 players orally committed, according 247Sports, and the Cougars are expected to sign another large batch in about a week’s time.
We take a look at five intriguing oral commits who are expected to ink letters of intent with the Cougars in the class of 2019.
1. Gunner Cruz, quarterback, Queen Creek, Arizona (Casteel High)
– From Gardner to Gunner? Based on Mike Leach’s track record, it would be out of the norm for the Washington State coach to trust a true freshman with the keys to his Air Raid offense. Luke Falk has been his youngest starter in Pullman and the ex-walk-on was already nine games through his redshirt freshman season when he replaced Connor Halliday – and mind you, that was only out of necessity. But Cruz, at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, might have the best qualities of any QB Leach has lured to the Palouse. After the most successful one-year rental in program history, the Cougars will have their work cut out for them trying to replace Gardner Minshew. Cruz has a big arm, quick feet and if he can demonstrate a decent understanding of Leach’s playbook early – granted, that’s a considerable “if” – he might put himself in the mix. Either way, the competition between Cruz and current freshman Cammon Cooper should be a fierce one a few years down the road.
2. Travion Brown, inside linebacker, Temecula, California (Linfield Christian)
– The composite rankings used by 247Sports tab the Linfield Christian linebacker as a four-star prospect, which would make him just the second four-star defensive prospect to sign with the Cougars under Leach. Once the Cougars get Brown on campus, the next step will be discovering how to use him. Earlier in the fall, the 6-3, 215-pound Brown told The Spokesman-Review that WSU coaches had floated the idea of using him as a “Rush” linebacker but could also pinch him inside as a traditional middle linebacker. The Cougars won’t have an immediate need at either spot, but considering the number of injuries they’ve suffered at both positions the last few years, there’s always the chance that a young linebacker will be pressed into action earlier than expected. At the bare minimum, Brown can use the NCAA’s redshirt rule to his advantage and get four games under his belt in 2019.
3. Jamir Thomas, running back, Massillon, Ohio (Washington High)
– Five schools from the Big Ten, two from the SEC, two from the Big 12 and one from the ACC had been pursuing the two-way player from the storied football program in Massillon. But Thomas, a 6-1, 215-pound running back/linebacker, is signing with WSU – the lone Pac-12 school to offer him and the only FBS school west of Minnesota – because the Cougars are giving him a chance to play offense. Thomas broached the 2,000-yard rushing mark for the Tigers as a senior and scored 24 times on the ground before sustaining an injury that forced him to miss the Ohio Division II state title game. The Cougars are unproven at running back behind James Williams and Borghi, so Thomas could take on a Keith Harrington-like role in 2019 – or use his redshirt and slide in next to Borghi as a secondary tailback in 2020.
4. Billy Pospisil, wide receiver, Arvada, Colorado (Pomona High)
– Speaking of Borghi, the next player on the list hails from the same Pomona High School as WSU’s standout RB. Pospisil figures to play in the slot when he gets to Pullman and it’ll be all too easy to make the comparisons to current and past Leach receivers with the same build. At 5-11, 190 pounds, Pospisil has qualities similar to Kyle Sweet and River Cracraft, and even a few of Leach’s inside receivers at Texas Tech, like Danny Amendola and Wes Welker. Pospisil became Pomona’s career leader in receiving yards and had 551 yards in seven games per MaxPreps.com, before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. While they three starting slot receivers returning, the Cougars don’t have the depth on the inside they do on the outside, so there may be a few catches to be had for Pospisil, with Sweet and Robert Lewis graduating.
5. Derrick Langford, cornerback (City College of San Francisco)
– Without Sean Harper Jr. on the field for the bulk of the season, the Cougars’ defensive backs often had trouble combating the opponent’s biggest wideouts. The Cougars walked out of Stanford Stadium with a three-point win in October, but WSU’s corners, namely 5-9 Marcus Strong and 5-10 Darrien Molton, were mismatched against Stanford’s gargantuan receivers and tight ends. The Cougars have a few cornerbacks in this class, but Langford, at 6-3, would give them some height and size – not to mention junior college experience – in the defensive secondary. WSU has seen JJ Arcega-Whiteside for the last time, but the Cougars should have their hands full against Stanford next year with 6-7 Colby Parkinson and 6
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Alamo Bowl Betting Preview: Iowa State Could Get Picked Apart by Washington State
With quarterback Gardner Minshew, the Washington State offense relies on precision passing. That could be trouble for a Cyclones D that allowed opposing QBs to complete 61.6% of their passes this season.
By SAM CHASE December 13, 2018 /Sports Illustrated dot com
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Washington State Cougars (-3.5)
Fri., December 28, 9:00 p.m. ET
Three things to know before betting on Iowa State-Washington State:
1. Washington State coach Mike Leach did a masterful job this season, leading Washington to a 10-2 record both straight up and against the spread. The Cougars' ATS mark was the best in college football. And Leach has Washington State well-positioned for another cover as a 3.5-point favorite over Iowa State in the Alamo Bowl. His Cougar teams are 33-14 against the spread after rushing for 125 yards or less in two consecutive games and 18-8 ATS after winning two of their last three. With the most important matchups in this game tilting toward Washington State, the Cougars are a good value at -3.5.
2. Washington State's Gardner Minshew has had as good of a year under Leach as any quarterback—which is saying something. After throwing for 373.1 yards per game (first in FBS) and 36 touchdowns (fifth), Minshew finished sixth in Heisman voting. He should have success against Iowa State as the Wazzu passing game relies on precision and getting the ball out quickly. Minshew was third in the country in completion percentage (70.6%) and the Cougars O-line led the country in rate of sacks allowed (1.7%). That style of play takes advantage of an Iowa State weakness (61.6 opposing completion percentage, 94st in FBS) and negates a big strength (7.9% sack rate, 31st). Plus, Iowa State has a rash of injuries in its defensive backfield that should allow the Cougars to move the ball effectively and find the end zone.
3. Washington State's defense matches up well against the Cyclones. Many may look at Wazzu's average rushing defense, which allowed 4.02 yards allowed per carry, 47th in FBS despite a schedule light on strong ground attacks, as a feast-in-waiting for Iowa State running back David Montgomery. Montgomery has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. But other numbers tell a different story. Playing largely against porous Big 12 defenses in 2018, Iowa State managed a minuscule 3.49 yards per carry, ranking 114th in the country in that category. WSU's defense has fared just fine against better running games this year.
Pick: Washington State -3.5
Confidence Level: High (on a scale of Low/Moderate/High/Very High/Extremely High)
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Minshew: Cougs done with their pouting
By DALE GRUMMERT of the Lewiston Trib Dec 14, 2018
PULLMAN — Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew believes the Cougars are now fully focused on beating Iowa State in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.
Last week, though, they might have been nursing their disappointment after failing to land a bid from a New Year’s Six bowl, he acknowledged.
The No. 12 Cougars staged their second bowl practice Thursday night at Martin Stadium, ending a 2½-week stretch devoted chiefly to recruiting. Thursday’s workout launched a series of seven practices in nine days
During the layoff, Minshew took a reading of Cougar attitudes, inside and outside the program, and figured a pep talk was in order. He told KIRO radio last week, “We’re gonna go play in the Alamo Bowl. We’re gonna be fired up about it and, if not, if we go down there sulking we’re gonna get the crap kicked out of us by Iowa State.”
Fans and players were dismayed after the Cougars (10-2) drew a No. 13 spot in the final College Football Playoff rankings, just outside the cutoff for eligibility for a New Year’s Six bowl and behind three teams with three losses. So they’re playing in San Antonio, Texas, four days before the grand theater of bowl games on the first day of 2019.
Minshew has been reminding those players and fans that Wazzu had relinquished control of the situation by losing to Washington in the Apple Cup on Nov. 23, handing the Pac-12 North title to the Huskies.
“If we win the Pac-12, we go to the Rose Bowl,” the quarterback said after Thursday night’s practice in blustery 35-degree weather. “If not, we let other people choose. So at the end of the day, we forfeited control of our own destiny. So we are where we are. We’re going to great bowl game against a really good team, so we’ve got to focus on that, quit pouting and just get back to work.”
They’ve done that, he said, beginning with a relatively brief practice Sunday. This latest session was also condensed for veterans, before scout-teamers and reserves staged a mini-scrimmage.
“We’ve been bouncing around in practice,” Minshew said. “A lot of energy out there, so I think we’re all in, ready go go.”
The Cougars are making their fourth straight bowl appearance, but it’s the first for Minshew, a graduate transfer from a struggling East Carolina program.
“It’s my first-ever bowl game — I’m just looking forward to taking it all in,” he said. “It’s the first game we’ve had that I could have people back home (in Mississippi) can drive to. So I’ve got a bunch of people coming down. I’m just looking forward to the game. Iowa State, they present a lot of challenges. Very good, especially on defense. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The reason for the Cougars’ long hiatus — just one practice in 19 days — was the need for coaches to remain on the road preparing for the signing period that begins Wednesday, coach Mike Leach said. This is the second year the NCAA has allowed an early signing period, prior to the traditional one beginning in early February, and the Cougars are still tinkering with their approach to it.
“We’ll have quite a few sign on Wednesday,” Leach said.
Much of the layoff was a whirlwind for Minshew, who was a finalist for a number of national awards and last Friday in Baltimore was presented the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
“It was a huge honor,” he said. “The first time I remember hearing about Johnny Unitas was when Drew Brees broke his record for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass. He’s kind of like the hero to all my heroes, and he was the quarterback that everybody was compared to. Coming up, that was always the measuring stick, whether you stacked up with Johnny Unitas. To win that award and meet his family was an incredible experience.”
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Athletics
Commentary: Elevating WSU from great teams to great programs
By GLENN OSTERHOUT
Dec 12, 2018
Cougfan.com
AS COUGAR FANS, we can all point with pride to our favorite moments cheering on the Cougs over the years. The outstanding teams burn brightest in our memories and this year’s Cougar football squad certainly will never be forgotten.
The next step for WSU athletics is making the transformation from great teams to great programs. Schools with great teams have roller coaster success while schools with great programs may have periodic dips but those dips are infrequent and not particularly deep.
So what defines great athletic programs?
This simplest answer is this: world-class athletic programs have all the tools in place to compete on a consistent basis each year. More specifically, that means significant financial support, in the form of annual donations, that allow the athletics department to ...
--hire and retain top head- and assistant coaches
--build and maintain world-class facilities
--provide exceptional academic support
--provide personalized nutrition and weight training programs
--offer access to professional counseling
--support travel budgets that maximize recruiting
There's one more critical piece of sustained success: a fan base that supports its teams both during the regular season and in post-season play.
The list may seem long, but the good news is that some of this is already in place with WSU football: The Cougar Football Complex and premium seating in Martin Stadium are some of the best in the country; the nutrition and weight training programs are excellent (perhaps a reason injuries are down?); academic support is outstanding; and access to professional mental health counseling has been expanded.
We have also made significant improvements in facilities for women’s soccer and construction of the privately funded $10 million baseball clubhouse will start in the summer of 2019. Clearly, WSU athletics is moving up in the Pac-12 Conference. But more work remains. There are three critical pieces of the puzzle:
1. ANNUAL GIVING TO THE CAF
Great programs have a deep and widespread annual financial support and a passionate fan base. Last fiscal year donations to the CAF reached $7.7 million -- lowest in the Pac-12 (see WSU versus Oregon State for sobering perspective). But here's the silver lining: based on research relative to the size and wealth of the WSU alumni base, we should be at $15 million on an annual basis. When we reach $15 million in donations to the CAF we cover the cost of scholarships which allows the athletic department to use operating funds in other areas including retention of top-notch coaches and funding other necessary priorities. We must get to $15 million in annual donations as soon as possible. If you are a current member of the CAF you can increase your donation here. If not a member, you can join the CAF here.
2. FACILITIES
All great programs have great facilities. The next project we must privately fund is the Indoor Practice Facility (IPF). The IPF will be utilized by all 16 sports and will be a significant recruiting tool for WSU. The IPF is critical for WSU student-athletes to train on a year-round basis in a temperature-controlled environment and it is the top priority for Mike Leach. It is important to note that every Power 5 university in the Northern U.S. has a a state-of-the-art indoor practice facility as do non-Power 5 universities such as Boise State and Utah State.
The cost for the IPF is $25 million and gifts can be pledged over a number of years. For example, a major gift of $100,000 or more can be pledged over five years, and you can make your donations with appreciated assets such as stocks and real estate. I ask that you consider a major gift to WSU athletics and please contact one of the development officers in WSU Athletics.
3. BUYING TICKETS
Great programs have a passionate fan base that support their team with sold-out home games during the season and massive support in post season play. We currently have a team that stands at 10-2, is ranked No. 13 in the country, features the No. 5 Heisman Trophy vote getter, and brought ESPN’s College GameDay to WSU for the first time ever!
The WSU ticket allotment for the Alamo Bowl is 6,000 tickets and as of yesterday we Cougar fans have filled 4,700 of those seats. Great programs have passionate fan bases that travel well and purchases tickets. Please keep in mind that invitations to future bowl games will in large part be dependent on our attendance and number of tickets sold for the Alamo Bowl. We must step up!
If you're thinking about going to the Alamo Bowl, get off the fence now and place your order for tickets by clicking here.
If you cannot attend the Alamo Bowl, please consider purchasing tickets and donating them. Donated tickets will go to military members and their families and/or to WSU students. You can purchase them up to Dec. 27. To donate tickets please click this link and enter promo code DONATE.
MY CHALLENGE TO YOU, MY FELLO ALUMNI AND FRIENDS? Here it is: If you are going to the Alamo Bowl and have bought your tickets from WSU a heartfelt thank you, if you are still planning on going then order your tickets from WSU now, if you cannot make the Bowl game I ask you to purchase and donate tickets now. If none of these options work for you then please increase your donation to the CAF here. And to join the CAF click here.
We have a rightful place at the top of the Pac-12, but we as alums and fans must earn it. Our financial support for athletics is improving each day, but we are not yet at the level of a great program. When we reach $15 million in annual support to the CAF and complete the Indoor Practice Facility we will have the majority of the tools in place for a great program. Let’s keep climbing!
Happy Holidays to all and Go Cougs!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Glenn Osterhout is a wealth manager in Bellevue who graduated from WSU in 1982. He is chairman of CougsFirst!, and has donated large sums to WSU athletics to, among other things, name the recruiting suite in the Cougar Football Complex after Steve Gleason and the Gray W Lounge in the Complex after Jack Thompson. He is a periodic columnist for Cougfan.com.
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Draft expert Rob Rang breaks down WSU seniors' prospects
Numbers sometimes lie: Cougs better than recruiting rankings
ByJORDAN FOX Cougfan.com 12/13/2018
WASHINGTON STATE IS NOT supposed to be better at football than UCLA or USC. The Bruins and Trojans are Pac-12 brand names with campuses located in the city that serves as the hub of American celebrity, entertainment and nightlife — that also doubles as one of the biggest recruiting hotbeds in the country — and they have the history, sideline celebrities, iconic stadiums and trophies to match. WSU is one of the Power 5’s farthest-flung outposts, sitting a nearly five-hour drive from any major metropolis, without a natural recruiting base and with just 14 bowl game appearances in its 124-year history.
But on the field over the past four seasons, Washington State has been just that: better. The Cougs have 36 total wins since 2015, two more than USC’s 34 and many more than UCLA’s 21. WSU has averaged more wins per season — 9.0 compared to 8.5 and 5.25 — and has more Pac-12 wins — 26 to 25 and 14 — than both of the L.A. schools. It’s an achievement that becomes even more impressive considering the disparity in the schools’ recruiting rankings since 2014, the five classes that produced the players for this recent WSU run.
ONE OF THE most-successful four-year stretches in the history of Cougar football was built on the 53rd-, 42nd-, 56th-, 44th- and 45th-rated classes in the 247Sports national recruiting rankings. It’s an average of 48th, and the Cougs have never had higher than the eighth-best class in the Pac-12 in that time frame. That’s a stark contrast to USC, which has never finished outside of the top 10 nationally (an average of sixth) in those five years and had the Pac-12’s highest-rated recruiting class each year since 2014. UCLA isn’t far behind their cross-town rivals, averaging 16th nationally and third in the Pac-12 in that span.
And it isn’t a question of the size of the classes, either. The average 247 Composite rating for the Cougs’ individual recruits since 2014 is 0.8355. USC and UCLA are bringing in a higher caliber of player rating at 0.9129 and 0.8890, respectively. Those impressive numbers have gotten the L.A. schools worse results than Washington State has found in Pullman.
WSU MAY HAVE the L.A. schools beat, but it hasn’t been the king of the Pac-12, or even its own division, in that span. Stanford and Washington have slightly higher overall win percentages at 74.1 percent and 73.6 percent than Washington State’s 70.6 percent. They also have Pac-12 titles. But the Cardinal and Huskies were working with much higher-rated talent. In the 2014-2018 recruiting classes, Stanford averaged the 21st-rated class in the country, with their recruits averaging a 0.8886 247 Composite score. Washington averaged 26th and 0.8724. UW’s includes the 38th-ranked 2014 class that Chris Petersen put together on short time after taking the Washington job in December; the classes he fully recruited as head coach from 2015-2018 average out to 23rd and 0.8796.
The Cougs have been close to contemporaries in record against both Stanford and Washington the last four years — and on the field against the Cardinal, where they’re 3-1 — but the consequences of this smaller talent gap have still been significant. UW and Stanford have won three of the last four Pac-12 titles, and Wazzu hasn’t made the conference title game. How could things have turned out if the ratings gap between WSU and those two programs was even slightly smaller?
THE COUGS' 2019 CLASS is up over its five-year averages with a week to go before the early signing period, rating at 47th nationally and with an average recruit rating at 0.8444. While they’ll likely never compete with the big shots in Hollywood, if the Cougs can keep up whatever combination of talent development, scheme and luck have fueled the last four years, they’ll continue punching above their weight. And if they can narrow the smaller gap between Washington and Stanford, who knows?
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Forward Arinze Chidom transfers from Washington State men’s basketball program
Thu., Dec. 13, 2018
By Theo Lawson of Spokesman-Review/Spokane
PULLMAN – Redshirt sophomore forward Arinze Chidom won’t complete the rest of the 2018-19 season with the Washington State basketball team.
Chidom announced late Thursday night in a Twitter post he intends to transfer from WSU, citing his desire to “find a new home to compete at and complete my education.”
Chidom’s announcement came just after 11 p.m. and four days after WSU’s 95-90 loss to Montana State at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, which dropped the Cougars to 5-3 on the season. WSU’s semester ends Friday, so the timing of Chidom’s decision allows him to spend the next few weeks exploring other schools before the start of a new semester.
An Oakland, California, native who played at Bishop O’Dowd High before going to Sunrise Christian Academy Prep in Kansas and then Oakland’s Merritt College, Chidom had played in all eight games this season and was regularly one of the first players off the bench for WSU.
The 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward was averaging 3.3 points per game and 3.4 rebounds per game. Chidom shot 33 percent from the field this season playing 13.6 minutes per game. As a redshirt freshman, he played in 28 of 31 games for the Cougars, averaging 3.3 ppg and 2.8 rpg.
Chidom becomes the 14th player recruited by Kent to transfer from WSU. Two others, Royce Woolridge and James Hunter, were recruited by ex-Cougars coach Ken Bone and transferred shortly after Kent was hired in 2014.
The full list of players to leave the program is as follows: G Ny Redding (Wyoming); C Valentine Izundu (San Diego State); G Que Johnson (Western Kentucky); G Derrien King (Angelo State); G Renard Suggs (Nebraska-Omaha); F Aaron Cheatum (Cal State San Bernardino); G Jackie Davis (Odessa College); G Trevor Dunbar (City College of San Francisco); G Milan Acquaah (Cal State Baptist); G Malachi Flynn (San Diego State); G Jamar Ergas (South Plains Junior College); G TJ Mickelson (Lake Region State College) and guard Kwinton Hinson (Life University).
Kent is holding his weekly press conference Friday at 12:30 p.m. After an eight-day break, the Cougars resume action on Monday at home against Rider (7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
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Story below quotes WSU grad and former Cougar football player Jeremy Thielbahr, head football coach at Eastside Catholic High School in Bellevue:
All of a sudden, Washington state is a hotbed for high-school football talent. Here’s why.
Originally published December 14, 2018 at 6:00 am Updated December 14, 2018 at 10:49 am
By Scott Hanson
Seattle Times staff reporter
For years, the state of Washington has been known to produce great basketball talent.
But football?
Not so much — until recently.
With five of the nation’s top 50 players in 247sports’ top prospects for the 2021 recruiting class from Washington, including the nation’s No. 1 prospect in Eastside Catholic defensive tackle J.T. Tuimoloau, expect plenty of big-time coaches and recruiters headed to our state the next couple of falls.
While 2021 could become a legendary class for this state, the shift toward more big-name prospects from the state has been going on for years.
There likely isn’t one reason, but it seems the success of the Seahawks and Huskies has had a trickle-down effect, and coaches and players from the state are more in tune in how to get attention from college coaches and national recruiting services. The growing population is also a factor.
From 2010-15, the state had just one player in 247sports’ top 50 recruits — quarterback Max Browne from Skyline at No. 30 in 2014 — and just 14 in the top 247 recruits (an average of 2.3 a year).
From 2016-21, there have been four in the top 10 — Tuimoloau, quarterback Jacob Eason from Lake Stevens in 2016, offensive lineman Foster Sarrell from Graham-Kapowsin in 2017 and Garfield linebacker Sav’ell Smalls, currently No. 3 for 2020 — and 25 in the top 247 (an average of 4.2).
This ascension comes as no surprise to Brandon Huffman, national recruiting editor for 247sports.
“I don’t think it’s fluky,” he said. “I think you’re seeing of a lot of kids playing youth football coinciding with the success of the Seahawks because it has encouraged parents to let their kids play football at a younger age. So youth football has gotten bigger and it’s improved. Because more kids are playing at a young age before high school, they are becoming more household names earlier in high school, and that is part of the reason you are not only seeing the higher-end guys, but you are also seeing these higher-end guys getting offered and recruited much earlier in the process.”
According to some local youth football officials, the numbers did spike when the Seahawks went to consecutive Super Bowls in 2013-14 (although numbers are down lately, according to the same officials).
“I’ve noticed there is a higher level of youth football than when I first got here,” said Jeremy Thielbahr, coach of state Class 3A state champion Eastside Catholic. “We have an amazing youth program at Eastside Catholic. Kids are getting exposed to (football), and the Seahawks are a big deal. And I think the University of Washington being an awesome program, and I think Washington State being solid in football is a big deal and kids are starting to migrate that way.”
Randy Taylor, the director of California Scouting for National Preps and the former recruiting coordinator at UCLA, said the growing population in Washington is a big reason behind the latest increase in prospects.
“I’ve always been a believer of the players from Washington,” Taylor said. “This year, (the class of) 2019, there has been about 100 offers (of scholarships to football players from Washington). Last year, there was only about 50 to 55. Right now, in the 2020 class, there are already 21 offers out for Washington kids.
Quantity and quality
The number of high school football players from Washington in 247sports.com’s top 247 recruits since 2010. For 2021, 247 has only done a top 110. The list of 247 will come out in the spring.
“One of the things I 100 percent believe in is the population. Washington is one of those states that is growing. … It all has to do with population in my mind.”
Washington certainly wasn’t considered the place to go for top football talent before 2013.
That year, Athlon Sports analyzed which states had the best high-school football players from 2008-12, and Washington ranked No. 21 (one spot ahead of Oregon). Washington had 10 players in Athlon’s top 200 during that time (it was just a top 100 in 2008). Florida led with 153, followed by Texas with 122 and California with 104.
California has long been the go-to state on the West Coast for recruiters, but that doesn’t appear to be the case for the 2021 class. In addition to Tuimoloau at No. 1, Washington has Kennedy Catholic quarterback Sam Huard (already committed to UW) at No. 13, athlete Emeka Egbuka from Steilacoom at No. 38, athlete Julien Simon from Lincoln of Tacoma at No. 45 and safety Will Latu from Bethel High in Spanaway at No. 46.
California, meanwhile, has just two players in the top 50 among the 2021 recruits, with Troy Franklin from Menlo-Atherton High School leading the way at No. 20.
“When people think of (football prospects on) the West Coast, the first thing that comes to mind is California for obvious reasons,” Huffman said. “Usually if you get a kid from Oregon or Washington, it’s an outlier. That is just very rare for this state. It’s talent that will have some of the top coaches and recruiters making their way to the state the next couple of years.”
Part of the change might be that evaluators are just paying closer attention to players from Washington, which might mean the talent has always been here, but outsiders weren’t noticing.
“I think there is a lot more exposure and information on kids right now,” Thielbahr said. “The state of Washington has been kind of overlooked for talent, and that is not happening anymore. You see a lot more information on kids, a lot more kids with profiles. And I think you are seeing more of a concerted effort of the high-school coaches to push their kids and to get their kids exposure.”
It that’s the case, it definitely seems to be working, In addition to Tuimoloau leading the 2021 class, Thielbahr is coaching three players in 247sports’ top 247 for 2020 (receiver Gee Scott Jr. at No. 58, cornerback Ayden Hector at No. 216 and running back Sam Adams II at No. 246).
“I try to avoid watching any kind of junior football and youth football as much as I can because I don’t think it give you a real good gauge of high-school football,” Huffman said. “That said, I was hearing about the majority of those kids (in the 2021 class) when they were in the eighth grade and even younger than that.
“It used to be even if you were a really special player, you wouldn’t play varsity until you were a sophomore. You had to be kind of a freak of nature to play varsity as a freshman. Now it’s becoming much more common to see freshmen playing varsity and not only did those guys play varsity as freshman, they were immediate impact players and college coaches notice that.”
Thielbahr said players and parents are much more aware of the recruiting rankings, and they are taking part in Football University and USA Football camps that allow them to get more recognition.
“Our kids really know how to get ranked,” Thielbahr said.
And the basketball prospects are still here. But some of them, like Tuimoloau, are now playing both sports.
“The Seattle area used to be a hot, hot bed for basketball, and it still is, but we’re getting more basketball kids out for football and you see just the pure athlete coming (out for football),” Thiebahr said. “Our kid J.T. is an unbelievable basketball player. And he still is a two-sports athlete.”
And No. 1 when it comes to football.
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