and Hillinski and the 2 JC transfers were the only mid-year transfers?

Saw the ad this morning. Feel free to apply! Seriously, is this a move to try to upgrade their academic chops or a publicity stunt? We all know the US News rankings. It uses a number of academic and non-academic factor in coming up with its ranking, including financial aid, with heavily skews against public universities, because our financial aid comes in the form of low tuition (relatively), verses "scholarships." It is focused on the student/parent side of looking at universities. On their scale Oregon does not fair too badly. But did you know that Oregon is the only Pac-12 school not rate in the Times top 400 world universities rankings, which focuses on academic reputation, awards, industry income, international outlook and teaching.

According to the Times, Cal Tech is #1, Stanford #4, Cal, #8 and UCLA #12, world wide. The non-US universities making the top 10 all hail from the UK, Oxford #3, Cambridge #6, Imperial College #9. For prospective, Montana, yes Montana, is rated in the top 350.

Before we start looking patting ourselves on the back, would you believe we are rated #11 among conference schools with OSU, ASU, Utah and Colorado all ahead of us? But at least we are ranked, unlike the likes of Alabama, Oregon, Florida State,Tennasee, LSU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State among many others.

Gardena (Calif.) Serra receiver Deontay Burnett, Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian linebacker Eddie Rudinski and Oceanside (Calif.) offensive lineman Cedric Bigge-Duren will be playing in the West Coast Bowl presented by B2G Sports tonight.

In addition to the three Washington State commits, a handful of targets will be playing in the game, including Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure receiver Lavan Alston, who is down to Washington State, California, Arizona State and Oregon State.

Rudinski and Alston will be playing for Team Impact, which will be coached by former NFL receiver Terrell Owens, and Burnett and Bigge-Duren will be playing for Team Speed.

The game, which features some of the top talent in the nation, will be aired on FoxSportsGo.com at 3 p.m. In order to watch the game, you'll have to login with your cable provider information. You can find more information, team rosters and more at the link below.

Link: http://www.b2gsports.com/events.php


This post was edited on 1/25 12:32 PM by Britton Ransford

Washington State chief of staff Dave Emerick was named Director of Football Operations of the Year by CBS Sports today.

Emerick, who has been praised for leading the Cougars' improved recruiting direction, was joined by DFO's from Iowa State, Minnesota, Mississippi State and Virginia. It's a pretty big honor for Emerick, and well-deserved, too.

Link: https://washingtonstate.rivals.com/wire.asp


(via @CoachKWils)

Why do we get these ticker updates on the board with recruits that have no interest in us? Is it because we offered them a scholarship at one point? Merritt, who's down to A&M, Alabama, Auburn and Oregon doesn't really have anything to do with WSU.

Washington State (9-9, 3-3 Pac-12) travels to Boulder, Colo., tonight to take on Colorado (9-9, 2-4) to wrap up their two game road trip. The game tips at 5 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks.

Following a loss to No. 12 Utah, the Cougars need a split on the road and it looks like they're going to get some help as Colorado forward Josh Scott and guard Xavier Johnson are both out for the Buffaloes, according to Jacob Thorpe of the Spokesman Review. Furthermore, Colorado's leading scorer, Askia Booker, will not start for undisclosed reasons.

It's the same starters for Washington State: Lacy, Iroegbu, Redding, Railey and Hawkinson.

Washington State commit Deontay Burnett stole the show on day one of the B2G West Coast Bowl along with future teammate Cedric Bigge-Duren. Adam Gorney and Blair Angulo have the breakdown after their solid performances.

Link: https://washingtonstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1728742

Washington State wide receiver Vince Mayle will don a Cougar helmet for the final time today at the Senior Bowl. The game will be televised at 1 p.m. on NFL Network if they ever stop talking about balls.

According to our Oregon State site, Washington State linebacker commit Logan Tago is officially visiting Oregon State this weekend. There shouldn't be anything to worry about here.

Link: http://sports.yahoo.com/washingtonstate/football/recruiting/player-Logan-Tago-169837

Back to the Superbowl. Never would have predicted this outcome.

Last night I took a look at how Washington State recruiting classes have stacked up through the years in the Rivals.com rankings, but tonight I wanted to take a look at the Power Five offers in each class.

(It's quite a bit of information to sort through, so I only have data dating back to the 2008 class tonight, but I'll be sure to post the 2002-07 Power Five offers at some point tomorrow.)

Before reading on, this isn't going to turn into a Mike Leach vs. Paul Wulff thread, I just want to pass along the data. It's a pretty big difference, however, but it should be noted that Leach has a lot more to recruit to Washington State with right now in terms of recruiting monies, facilities, etc., so we're just looking at numbers.

Obviously, the 2008-11 classes featured the smallest number of Power Five offers during this particular span. Unofficially, I found that the 2008-11 classes had a combined total of 39 Power Five offers, not including Washington State offers.

For comparison, the Cougars' 2015 class, with 25 verbal commits not counting Kyrin Priester and Deion Singleton, has a total of 69 Power Five offers. From 2012-15, assuming the Cougars' class doesn't change over the next two weeks (it likely will), Washington State has a combine 180 Power Five offers over those four classes.

In fact, the 2012 (41) and 2014 (39) classes each had as many or more Power Five offers than the the 2008-11 classes combined. The 2013 class, with 23 commits, had 31 total Power Five offers, the smallest number over the last four classes.

It's also important to note that not all of the classes are the same size, so offers will undoubtedly vary depending on size. The 2008-11 classes recruiting and/or signed 97 prospects, which doesn't take into account who qualified or not, but that's a different story and doesn't really impact what we're looking at here. With the 2015 class sitting the way it is right now, the 2012-15 classes will be sitting around 93 recruiting and/or signed prospects.

Looking at Power Five offers in Washington State classes

2008 - 27 commits | Class rank: 87 | ASPR rank: 86 (2.15)

Class (offers) - Beck (0), Bland (0), Coerper (0), Daniels (0), Frank (2), Hayward (0), Hodgdon (0), Hoffman-Ellis (0), Karstetter (0), Laurenzi (0), Ledgerwood (0), Lintz (0), Luapo (0), Mackay (2), Matthews (0), Norrell (0), Pencer (0), Reitnouer (0), Sanchez (0), Simmons (0), Spitz (0), Staden (0), Stormo (0), Toomer (0), Vandenkolk (0), Williams (0), Wolfgramm (2)

Power Five offers: 6

2009 - 22 commits | Class rank: 93 | ASPR rank: 61 (2.55)

Class (offers) - Atofau (3), Barrington(0), Buckley (0), Burns (0), Carpenter (2), Clayton (0), Forzani (2), Hosea (4), Kaufusi (0), Locker (1), Long (1), Markle (0), Mastin (0), Prescott (0), Pu'u-Robinson (0), Rankin (2), Simone (2), Thompson (0), Tuel (0), Valenzuela (0), Washington (3), Winston (1)

Power Five offers: 19

2010 - 23 commits | Class rank: 91 | ASPR rank: 81 (2.46)

Class (offers) - Barton (0), Bomber (0), Bucannon (0), Butler (0), Clark (0), Duckkett (0), Dunn (1), Fullington (0), Golden (0), Gonzales (0), Halliday (0), Horton (2), Jacobson (2), Jiles (1), Mizell (0), Oertel (0), Pole (1), Ratliff (0), Rodgers (0), Simmons (0), K. Williams (0), Wilson (1)

Doesn't include verbal commits Buckley, Hoffart, Lapuapo, L. Sealby and J. Sealby, who were not included on Rivals.com final recruiting list for the 2010 class. None of them had Power Five offers, according to their Rivals.com profiles.

Power Five offers: 9

2011 - 25 commits | Class rank: 73 | ASPR rank: 77 (2.52)

Class (offers) - Aumua (0), Cherry (0), Clements (0), Davis (0), Eaddy (1), Edwards (0), Forbes (0), Gama (0), Hersey (0), Knight (0), Lutes (0), Mason (0), Mayes (1), Meighan (0), Monroe (0), Myers (0), Paulo (1), Polai (0), Pritchard (0), Simmons (0), Su'a (0), Taiese (0), Waseem (0), D. Williams (1), L. Williams (1)

Power Five offers: 5

2012 — 26 commits | Class rank: 56 | ASPR rank: 67 (2.70)

Class (offers) - Allison (3), Apodaca (0), Barber (0), Bartolone (0), Bowlin (0), Bucannon (0), Caldwell (0), Davey (1), Dotson (1), Ewing (2), Flor (0), Guata (2), Jackson (7), Lewis (3), Marks (7), Middleton (2), Mitchell (1), Palacio (2), Pettway (3), Sale (5), Salmonson (0), Taliulu (0), Tuivaiave (0), Vaeao (1), Villarubia (0), West (1)

Power Five offers: 41

2013 - 23 commits | Class rank: 53 | ASPR rank: 52 (2.82)

Class (offers) - Brown (4), Bruggman (10), Cracraft (0), Dotson (0), Ekuale (3), Faolui (2), Freeman (0), Lemora (0), Lepua (2), Madison (0), McLennan (3), Meyer (0), Morrow (1), O'Connell (0), Pelluer (2), Seydel (1), Sorenson (4), Sterling (0), Su'a-Kalio (1), White (0), Wicks (0)

Doesn't include verbal commits/midyear signees Begg, McClain or Taylor, who were not included on the final Rivals.com recruiting class list. None of them had Power Five offers, according to their Rivals.com profiles.

Power Five offers: 31

2014 - 19 commits | Class rank: 70 | ASPR rank: 55 (2.74)

Class (offers) - Andre (1), Bender (2), Canada (2), Canty (2), Dillard (0), Evers (0), Fernandez (1), Green (2), Griffin (0), Hameed (1), Harrington (4), Hoyd (3), Krepsz (0), Luvu (0), Mata'afa (1), Porter (6), Singleton (11), Tapa (1), Ware (2)

Power Five offers: 39

2015 - 25 commits | Class rank: 28 | ASPR rank: 45 (2.88)

Class (offers) - Luani (3), Mitchell (5), Abramo (0), Bigge-Duren (0), Broughton (4), Burnett (2), Faamatau (3), Green (7), Price (1), Sakaria (0), Sykes (5), Tezino (10), Hilinski (1), Mattox (1), Moi (5), Molton (4), Myers (0), Perrott (1), Porter (0), Powell (5), Rudinski (2), Sweet (0), Tago (3), Toki (6), Williams (3)

Power Five offers: 69


This post was edited on 1/24 3:11 PM by Britton Ransford

I'm hearing Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian linebacker Eddie Rudinski could be visiting Utah State this weekend. He's scheduled to play in the West Coast Bowl on Sunday, so I'll work on getting ahold of him tomorrow.

He changed numbers, so we'll see if I have any luck. Regardless, I wouldn't be too worried about a Utah State trip, although out of all of his offers, it's an interesting trip to take.


This post was edited on 1/23 2:31 AM by Britton Ransford

Washington State linebacker commit Aaron Porter, coming off a huge year at Cerritos (Calif.) C.C., was expected to sign with the Cougars as a mid-year enrollee, however there's still another class he needs to take in order to receive his AA degree, a source with knowledge of the situation tells WazzuWatch.com.

Porter, a three-star inside linebacker who spent two seasons at UCLA, playing one, before transferring to Cerritos, will now sign with Washington State on signing day and arrive on campus with the rest of the 2015 class in June. Since his commitment, several schools have expressed interest in Porter, most recently Nebraska, who is trying to get him to visit.

I'm told, however, that Porter has no interest in talking to other programs and is locked in with Washington State, which is obviously welcoming news for this class, especially with Riverside (Calif.) C.C. linebacker Jonah Moi being pursued by TCU and Oregon.

Really exciting news here. Former Washington State preferred walk-on kicker Jon Wielbacher has transferred to San Diego State as a walk-on. In other kicker news, check out Washington State kicker commit Matthew Abramo's shirt.




This post was edited on 1/23 1:22 PM by Britton Ransford

Washington State's 2015 recruiting class, which ranks No. 28 in the country as of today, is shaping up to be one of the best in program history, but where does it stack up when compared to other classes throughout the years?

With two weeks left until signing, the Rivals.com recruiting rankings will surely change drastically, but as it stands today, the Cougars' 2015 class would be the best class in Rivals.com history, which dates back to 2002.

Their No. 28 ranking would be tied with the 2002 class, which featured five-star running back Jermaine Green, four-star receiver Sammie Moore, four-star running back Jonathan Smith and four-star tight end Jesse Taylor. However, the Cougars' 2.88 average stars per recruit (ASPR) ranking would trump to 2002 class, which averaged 2.66 stars per recruit, though the 2002 class had 29 commits compared to the current class' 25 commits.

It's likely this Washington State recruiting class will slide back a few slots, which, in terms of class ranking, would put drop them to No. 2 or 3 in program history depending on where exactly they land, according to Rivals.com. The 2004 class, which featured four-star receiver Michael Bumpus, four-star defensive back Randy Estes, four-star running back Jerome Harrison and four-star offensive lineman Andrew Roof, ranked No. 35 in the country and No. 31 in terms of ASPR at 2.63.

As mentioned above, Washington State's ASPR ranking in the current class sits at 2.88, which would end up being the highest since Rivals.com began tracking recruiting classes in 2002, and narrowly beating out Mike Leach's 2013 recruiting class, which had a 2.82 ASPR average. In fact, Leach's first four classes will each have an ASPR ranking higher than 2.70, which are the Cougars' four highest totals dating back to 2002, according to Rivals.com.

The Cougars could lose some recruits, but they could also add some highly rated prospects such as Marcus Lewis, Taeon Mason, Darrin Paulo and others, that could improve their ranking over the next couple weeks. Additionally, those additions could push some prospects out, so evaluating the 2015 class is far from over.

This information is part of a bigger signing day (or around there) piece that I'm working on, but I wanted to share some of the data with you right now so you can get a peek at how well this staff is recruiting historically.

Washington State's Rivals.com rankings since 2002

2015 (25 commits) - Class ranking: 28; ASPR rank: 45 (2.88) *
2014 (19 commits) - Class ranking: 70; ASPR rank: 55 (2.74) **
2013 (22 commits) - Class ranking: 53; ASPR rank: 52 (2.82)
2012 (27 commits) - Class ranking: 56, ASPR rank: 67 (2.70)

* - There are 39 schools ahead of the Cougars in ASPR ranking with fewer commits, so this number is hardly accurate.

** - Because Rivals.com takes only the top 20 recruits in class rankings, WSU's ranking dropped because they had less than 20 commits (19). If the Cougars added one more 5.5 three-star commit, the average recruit rank, their class ranking would have jumped to No. 61.

2011 (27 commits) - Class ranking: 73; ASPR rank: 77 (2.52)
2010 (26 commits) - Class ranking: 91; ASPR rank: 81 (2.46)
2009 (22 commits) - Class ranking: 93; ASPR rank: 61 (2.55)
2008 (27 commits) - Class ranking: 87; ASPR rank: 86 (2.15)

2007 (27 commits) - Class ranking: 62; ASPR rank: 61 (2.44)
2006 (24 commits) - Class ranking: 45; ASPR rank: 44 (2.58)
2005 (20 commits) - Class ranking: 52; ASPR rank: 53 (2.50)
2004 (27 commits) - Class ranking: 35; ASPR rank: 31 (2.63)
2003 (16 commits) - Class ranking: 96; ASPR rank: 54 (2.56) *
2002 (29 commits) - Class ranking: 28; ASPR rank: 44 (2.66)

* - Because Rivals.com take only the top 20 recruits in class rankings, WSU's ranking dropped because they had less than 20 commits (16). If the Cougars added four more 5.5 three-star commits, the average recruit rank, their class ranking would have jumped to No. 63.


This post was edited on 1/21 11:11 PM by Britton Ransford

and not on the pay board? Its sure seems like fans in general love recruiting news, but my guess it time, effort, and money to provide content. It sure seems like were are biting the hand that feeds us.

Washington State linebacker commit Jonah Moi will have an in-home visit with Oregon tomorrow prior to visiting TCU.

Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei 2016 athlete Curtis Robinson picked up an offer from Washington State today, according to Rivals analyst Adam Gorney. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound two-way prospect is rated three-stars by Rivals and the No. 31 prospect in the 2016 recruiting class.

In addition to Washington State, Robinson has picked up offers from Boise State, Boston College, California, Duke, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Washington in the last couple weeks.

Highlights: Rivals Spotlight: Curtis Robinson

5 high school offensive linemen committed to WSU. Yeah buddy!

Once all these kids start growing up in the program and the competition starts to push the bar higher and higher I think you'll see more running plays, better yards rushing and these QB's and WR's will run wild once the protection is better.

This is the beginning of the most successful run in WSU history!!!

team are "encouraged" to leave to early....such as Xavier Cooper? Sure, if I were an opponent perhaps....I'd encourage..maybe tout their "NFL ability" while recognizing the fact they may be on the fringe of 6-7 round status. Deception can be a little tricky at times.

Washington State commit Deontay Burnett has been in contact with the new Michigan staff, who is trying to convince the three-star receiver to take a visit out to Ann Arbor, Mich., next weekend, according to Rivals.com analyst Blair Angulo.

Burnett, who spoke with Angulo at the B2G West Coast Bowl registration, says he's considering a visit to Michigan, however "he just had an excellent in-home visit with Wazzu coach Mike Leach and some assistants, so he's not set on anything yet."

Surely Burnett's indecision regarding serious interest from Michigan and new coach Jim Harbaugh is good news for Washington State. I think it's a little too late for Burnett to flip his commitment, regardless of the enormity of a potential Michigan offer.

I shared a few messages this morning with Sihiem King shortly before he left for his Washington State visit this weekend and the Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County running back, who is being recruited by the Cougars as an inside receiver, says the Cougars, West Virginia and Wake Forest are "all tied probably" heading into this weekend's visit.

King officially visited Wake Forest last weekend and took a mid-week visit to Middle Tennessee State this week. He'll wrap up his official visit schedule with a trip to West Virginia next weekend and he says a decision will come after that trip. I'm told that the Cougars, led by primary recruiter Jim Mastro, have made up considerable ground in recent weeks, but distance is still a factor.

We'll have more from King following his official visit this weekend. He joins Kyle Sweet as the only known official visitors this weekend.

Washington State linebacker commit Aaron Porter, coming off a huge year at Cerritos (Calif.) C.C., was expected to sign with the Cougars as a mid-year enrollee, however there's still another class he needs to take in order to receive his AA degree, a source with knowledge of the situation tells WazzuWatch.com.

Porter, a three-star inside linebacker who spent two seasons at UCLA, playing one, before transferring to Cerritos, will now sign with Washington State on signing day and arrive on campus with the rest of the 2015 class in June. Since his commitment, several schools have expressed interest in Porter, most recently Nebraska, who is trying to get him to visit.

I'm told, however, that Porter has no interest in talking to other programs and is locked in with Washington State, which is obviously welcoming news for this class, especially with Riverside (Calif.) C.C. linebacker Jonah Moi being pursued by TCU and Oregon.

As we continue to get ready for the launch of some exciting new features to the website, WazzuWatch.com will be down from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. tonight, so go party or something. Thanks for your cooperation even though you have no choice but to cooperate.

I just spoke with a source who says Cerritos (Calif.) C.C. linebacker Aaron Porter will now sign on Feb. 4 and arrive at Washington State in June. The three-star linebacker was previously expected to arrive in January, though it sounds like he still has some classwork to finish up, but he's in no risk of not qualifying, per a source.

Since committing to Washington State, Porter has seen a number of schools express interest with Nebraska trying to get him to visit most recently, but I'm told Porter has no interest and is all set for Washington State.