Eastern Washington football nets 19 recruits, including four quarterbacks

Less than a month after Eastern Washington wrapped up its first losing football season in 16 years, Eagles coaches announced their next class of recruits on Wednesday at Northern Quest Resort & Casino.

They did so with an eye not on the distant future, but on the immediate.

“How can we make 2023 as best as can be?” Eagles coach Aaron Best said of the team’s recruiting approach. “We need to get better. We will get better. These 19 guys will make us better.”

Among those 19 are five transfers – all on the offensive side of the ball – including fifth-year tight end JP Murphy, who spent the past four seasons at San Diego State, two offensive linemen and two quarterbacks.

The class includes four quarterbacks : junior college transfers Jared Taylor and Michael Wortham, and high school seniors Nate Bell and Aidan Carter. The only two quarterbacks on Eastern’s roster were sophomore-to-be Kekoa Visperas – who started the team’s season finale – and junior Trey Turner.

“We needed to add the run-game element. The quarterback needs to be a plus-one running,” Best said. “You ask any defensive coach, the hardest thing to defend is not four-wide, it’s a run game with a quarterback being part of it. … We’ve got to get back into that niche and have more quarterbacks be able to do that.”

The class includes three defensive linemen, including Okanogan, Washington, senior Jaden Radke, and a pair of high school linebackers from California in Samarai Anderson and Vincent Macaluso.

The Eagles also signed a pair of 6-foot safeties in Jaylon Jenkins – who, along with defensive end recruit Tylin Jackson, is from Federal Way (Washington) High School – and Derek Ganter Jr. (Arcadia High in California).

One of the highest-profile class members is three-star cornerback Jonathan Landry from Vancouver, Washington, who also had offers from seven FBS programs. Zion Jones of Spanaway Lake, Washington, another three-star recruit, according to 247sports.com, also signed with the Eagles.

In all, seven members of the class are from Washington and eight are from California.

The Eagles could add more players between now and national signing day on Feb. 1.

EWU Class of 2023

Samarai Anderson

Position: Linebacker

High school (city): Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

Height/weight: 6-1/215

DC Jeff Copp on Anderson and his high school’s highly decorated program: “For me, if you look different at Centennial High School, you’re a pretty good football player.”

Nate Bell

Position: Quarterback

High school (city): Liberty (Brentwood, Calif.)

Height/weight: 5-10/185

Head coach Aaron Best: “Nate has everything you look for in a quarterback: He is a winner, leader and a competitor. Extending plays is something Nate excels at, and he does it in a variety of ways.”

Mason Buttel-Strong

Position: Offensive line

High school (city): Green Valley HS (Henderson, Nevada); Butte College (Oroville, Calif.)

Height/weight: 6-4/290

Best: “What makes Mason valuable is that he can play four spots in the front. He is a fast learner, and we expect him to compete for playing time from the start.”

William Buzzard

Position: Offensive line

High school (city): W.F. West (Chehalis, Wash.)

Height/weight: 6-3/255

OL coach Jase Butorac, on Eastern’s first commit of the class, whose father Jim played defensive line at Eastern: “He’s very passionate about Eastern football.”

Aidan Carter

Position: Quarterback

High school (city): Weber (Pleasant View, Utah)

Height/weight: 6-4/225

OC Jim Chapin: “We think the ceiling’s extremely high for Aidan.”

Derek Ganter Jr.

Position: Safety

High school (city): Arcadia (Arcadia, Calif.)

Height/weight: 6-0/190

Safeties coach Zach Bruce: “This kid is going to bring a physical attitude to the room for sure.”

Marcellus Honeycutt Jr.

Position: Wide receiver

High school (city): George Washington (Denver)

Height/weight: 6-1/170

Chapin on Honeycutt, who also competes in track and basketball: “He can absolutely fly. He flies.”

Tylin Jackson

Position: Defensive end

High school (city): Federal Way (Wash.)

Height/weight: 6-5/220

DL coach Matt Ulrich: “He’s going to be a pretty electric pass rusher for us.”

Jaylon Jenkins

Position: Safety

High school (city): Federal Way (Wash.)

Height/weight: 6-1/175

Bruce: “He is a really, really impressive athlete. His upside is unbelievable.”

Zion Jones

Position: Cornerback

High school (city): Spanaway Lake (Wash.)

Height/weight: 6-2/170

CB coach Wes Nurse: “You don’t find guys who are 6-1 plus like him. He does a lot of special things, and he is physical.”

Jonathan Landry

Position: Cornerback

High school (city): Evergreen (Vancouver, Washington)

Height/weight: 5-11/170

Nurse: “He’s a special dude. When you turn on the tapes, he pops.”

Jirah Leaupepetele

Position: Defensive tackle

High school (city): Apple Valley Christian (Calif.)

Height/weight: 6-2/300

Ulrich, on his versatility as a tight end, defensive lineman and ball carrier in high school: “For a 300-pound kid, he just does a lot.”

Vincent Macaluso

Position: Linebacker

High school (city): Upland (Calif.)

Height/weight: 6-2/215

Best: “Vincent is a late-bloomer in football. His first love was baseball, which then morphed into the game of football. His athleticism and length will allow him to make plays that will separate himself on the field.”

JP Murphy

Position: Tight end

High school (city): San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.); San Diego State

Height/weight: 6-4/245

TE coach Marc Anderson: “As soon as his name popped up (in the transfer portal), we knew he was a guy we needed to go get.”

Jaden Radke

Position: Defensive end

High school (city): Okanogan (Washington)

Height/weight: 6-3/230

Ulrich on Radke, who missed much of his senior year with a broken leg: “His work ethic is unbelievable, and he’s a driven kid.”

Jack Seelye

Position: Offensive line

High school (city): Liberty (Walnut Creek, Calif.); Diablo Valley College

Height/weight: 6-1/275

Best: “He is tough, hard-nosed and a player that plays with great leverage and ‘want-to.’ … We want to add a level of competitiveness into the offensive line room, and he is up to the challenge.”

Jared Taylor

Position: Quarterback

High school (city): Lakewood (Stanwood, Wash.); Feather River College

Height/weight: 6-0/200

Chapin, on Taylor’s 1,961 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and one interception at Feather River: “I looked at his numbers and they didn’t seem to be real.”

J.T. Weir

Position: Wide receiver

High school (city): Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)

Height/weight: 5-8/150

Chapin: “It wasn’t just how good he was at our camp. … (Skyline) had a great season last year, and he was a big part of that.”

Michael Wortham

Position: Quarterback

High school (city): Center (North Highlands, Calif.); Sierra College

Height/weight: 5-9/175

Chapin, on Wortham’s size: “We know sometimes the measurables aren’t going to define” a player.