Offensive tackle Eric Wilder becomes third Washington State commit in two days

A recent recruiting surge for Washington State’s football program continued Tuesday night when Eric Wilder, a three-star offensive lineman from Utah, announced his commitment to the Cougars.

The Syracuse High School standout becomes WSU’s third commitment in less than 48 hours, joining running back Djouvensky Schlenbaker (Bellingham) and offensive lineman Jakobus Seth (Arlington, Wash.).

Wilder’s commitment brings WSU’s recruiting class to seven total commitments. Of those seven, four have come since June 21.

Prior to visiting the Pullman campus last weekend, Wilder had narrowed down his list of schools to four: WSU, California, UCLA and Boise State. The offensive lineman also held offers from Air Force, Army, Colorado State, Fresno State, Navy, New Mexico, UNLV and Utah State.

In late May, after Wilder had scheduled his official visit to WSU, he told The Spokesman-Review he liked the idea of playing in a true college town and was anticipating his trip to the Palouse.

“I think it’s great, I love they’re a little college town,” Wilder said. “I can’t wait to get up there and just experience it all.”

Wilder’s favorite part of the recruiting process has been “meeting new coaches and seeing how their schools differ from each other, whether it’s facilities or coaching staff or coaching styles.”

And his least favorite part?

“I’ve got to be honest, my least favorite part is having to text back tons of coaches,” Wilder laughed. “Before I let some of the coaches know I wasn’t going to go to their schools, I was getting 200 texts a day.”

According to 247Sports.com’s composite scale, the 6-foot-5, 280-pound Wilder is considered the No. 15 overall recruit in the state of Utah.

Wilder’s started at left tackle each of the last two years for Syracuse, which went 3-7 during the 2020 campaign. In his first year starting on Titans’ offensive line, Wilder helped lead Syracuse to a 9-3 record and the 6A Region 1 championship. He was a First Team All-Region 1 selection as a junior and is expected to anchor the left side of Syracuse’s offensive line for the third consecutive year.

The Cougars have made the offensive line a strong emphasis in their 2022 recruiting class, picking up commitments from Wilder, Seth and Texas’ Jihad Lateef.