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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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The day before the letters

COUGARS

FROM PULLMAN -- In another 24 hours or so, national letters of intent will begin to roll in around the country. By the end of tomorrow, Mike Leach's second recruiting class -- and the first that is truly his own -- is likely to be complete. Until then, the speculation continues. Read on for links.

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The big news on the recruiting front yesterday was the decommitment of safety Montrel Meander from WSU. Meander, a Texas native, received an offer from the University of Texas and told multiple outlets that he plans to sign with the Longhorns. We exchanged questions and answers with Scout.com recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman the other day, and he said the Texas factor was really the only wildcard when it comes to whether the Cougars will keep their entire class together -- if any of their Texas recruits receive last-minute offers from an in-state school, that could always change things. ... There was also positive recruiting news for WSU yesterday, as the Cougars received a commitment from Riley Sorenson, an offensive tackle from Santa Margarita (Calif.) High School. Scout.com rates Sorenson as a 3-star prospect. ... As part of our interview with Mike Leach yesterday to preview signing day, the WSU coach told us that receiver Drew Loftus is no longer with the team after violating policy. Here's a brief about that in today's newspaper. ... Here's a WSU notebook from Howie Stalwick in the Kitsap Sun. ... Bud Withers has this story previewing WSU's signing class. ... The last portion of Leach's lawsuit against Texas Tech was dismissed by a District Court Judge yesterday.

Around the Pac-12 ... Here's a notebook with an Arizona perspective. ... Arizona State's resurgence has the Sun Devils eyeing a tournament bid. ... Utah's lineup changes are working out in the Utes' favor. ... A football link: Jeff Tedford and Cal agreed on a contract buyout total, and it's not too shabby for Tedford. ... USC hopes to finish strong on its football recruiting class. ... Looking at an incoming quarterback for Oregon State.

That's it for now. We'll be back later from Ken Bone's weekly press conference.

Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple



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