As WSU inks 23 players in early signing period, Cougs’ priorities — and changes — become clear

PULLMAN – When it comes to Washington State’s approach to signing day, times are changing.

On Wednesday’s early signing day, when the Cougars signed 23 players to National Letters of Intent, the trends became clear. WSU placed its priorities on defensive backs, inking a class-high six at that position, and offensive linemen, with four signees.

The biggest sign of change, though, came in the number of early enrollees – nine, the most in program history.

The names include quarterback Steele Pizzella, linebacker Jovan Clark, wide receivers Sean Embree Jr. and Jack Foley, defensive backs Ishmael Gibbs, Aiden Knapke, Kyle Peterson and Jamarey Smith, and offensive lineman Liam Vaughan.

All will enroll in January and participate in spring practices.

“Immediate impact and those types of opportunities are there,” WSU head coach Jake Dickert said.

Dickert also made one thing clear : He doesn’t like the date of the early signing period, the earliest , moving up three weeks from years past. That’s why the WSU class doesn’t include any transfer or junior college players – the transfer portal doesn’t open until Dec. 9.

“I think we need to get to an NFL model,” Dickert said. “We need to stop being tied to an academic calendar. That’s what causes all these problems. I look at the NFL – they don’t finish the regular season, then have the draft before the playoffs, then do unlimited free agency before the playoffs. Because they would say, ‘Oh, that’s chaos.’ They don’t have coaching turnover before the playoffs, but we do, because we’re tied to an academic calendar. So we gotta figure this out.”

The Cougs did well to hang on to Pizzella, who might have considered flipping to another school when news broke Monday that offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was leaving WSU for the same job at Oklahoma. A three-star prospect from the Los Angeles area, Pizzella is a dual-threat quarterback, much in the same mold as Cougars quarterback John Mateer.

Instead, Pizzella honored his commitment to WSU , perhaps signaling a change among Cougars quarterbacks – like Mateer, they don’t have to be the pocket passer model for which the program has become known.

“We love dual-threat quarterbacks,” Dickert said. “I think that’ll be our target as we continue to go through these classes – that’s who and what we want in that position. I think John shows that to the highest fashion this year. I don’t like comparing anyone to John, but Steele has been very impressive. He’s a 10.6 (seconds) 100-meter kid as a junior.”

WSU coaches also paid extra attention to the defensive back position, which Dickert said is “a must in today’s college football landscape. You gotta run and cover with speed.” It’s a key reason they sought out Gibbs, from Los Angeles, and Knapke, from the Denver area. Kennewick native David Kuku caught WSU coaches’ eyes as a junior and fellow DB Gaylon McNeal Jr. did so just this year.

The Cougars will likely return their top three cornerbacks – Steve Hall, Ethan O’Connor and Jamorri Colson – but they’re losing more at other spots in the secondary. Nickelbacks Kapena Gushiken and Jerrae Williams and safety Tyson Durant are all graduating and moving on, meaning WSU will have some vacancies at those spots.

It’s also clear WSU wanted reinforcement on the offensive line, where coaches will have to replace left tackle Esa Pole after this season and four others after next season – guards Brock Dieu and Christian Hilborn, center Devin Kylany and Fa’alili Fa’amoe are due to run out of eligibility after the 2025 season.

Cougars coaches went to the furthest reaches of their footprint to find new offensive linemen.

Turner Bertrand, a 6-foot-7 prospect, hails from Kearney, Nebraska. Liam Vaughan, a 6-2 player, comes from the Detroit area, becoming WSU’s first Michigan recruit since the class of 2018.

“It’s not just looking at lists,” Dickert said of finding players from farther away. “It’s looking at fit. It’s finding guys that can really work, who’s rising as a senior.

“I love that piece of it. So we find guys that don’t just put together really fancy highlights. We make cut-ups of all these kids. Coach (Rob) Schlaeger (general manager) does a good job of good, bad and ugly, and we kind of sort through what these guys are.”

On the offensive side, WSU inked receivers Embree , Noah Westbrook and Foley, whom the Cougars flipped from Wake Forest. Foley and Embree stand 6-4, according to official listings, and Westbrook has some size at 6-1.

In terms of numbers, though, the biggest come courtesy of linebacker AJ Tuitele, a product of North Las Vegas’ Mojave High, where he piled up 167 tackles (46 solo) in 13 games, including 37 for loss and four sacks. He doesn’t play in the state’s top division – at 3A, Mojave is two notches down from 5A – but the stats resonated with Dickert all the same.

“Schematically, we gotta be more multiple, and we gotta make sure that we’re attacking people,” Dickert said. “And I think AJ just really embodies that.”