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On eve of early signing period, Washington State receives commitment from ex-Baylor pledge Sam Carrell

Martin Stadium is seen on the Washington State University campus before an NCAA college football game between Washington State and Oregon in Pullman, Wash., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020.  (Associated Press)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

It often goes one of two ways for college football programs the day before the early signing period.

For Washington State, so far so good.

On Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours before high school and junior college players are permitted to sign financial aid agreements, the Cougars received their 18th commitment in the class of 2021.

Three-star defensive end Sam Carrell, who last week decommitted from Baylor, announced he’d be playing for WSU next season.

“Appreciate all the teams recruiting me in the process…beyond blessed! Go Cougs,” Carrell wrote in a tweet announcing his commitment.

While fans have been dismayed by the four recruits who have decommitted from WSU in the past two months, the opposite has also happened for the Cougars, who have flipped three high school players who were previously committed elsewhere.

In addition to Carrell, who’d been committed to Baylor for approximately nine months before reopening his recruitment last week, the Cougars will be signing two former Fresno State pledges in defensive tackle David Gusta and wide receiver Joshua Meredith, who committed to WSU last week.

Carrell, a 6-foot-4, 254-pound prospect who plays at Sandia High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and will likely play edge in Pullman, committed to WSU on the spot after receiving his offer from the Cougars on Tuesday. Along with Baylor, New Mexico and Northern Colorado also offered Carrell, who’s considered the No. 2 overall recruit in the state of New Mexico.

High school football in New Mexico was postponed this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but as a junior, Carrell registered 51 tackles with 16 tackles for loss and six sacks, and was named first-team all-district. A 3.2 GPA student, Carrell also played tight end for Sandia and was a two-sport athlete, pitching for the school’s baseball team.

Carrell becomes the fifth edge commit in the class of 2021, joining Washington’s Andrew Edson, Florida’s Xavier Young, Texas’ Raam Stevenson Jr. and Utah’s Lawrence Falatea.