Just an FYI for Coug fans: I wouldn't expect any news of guys committing right away. This weekend is not last weekend.
— Kyle Rancourt (@KyleRancourt) January 22, 2012
Well, so much for that. According to Adam Gorney of Rivals, Los Angeles Harbor JC OL Niu Sale has committed to the Washington State Cougars. In my defense, Sale visited last weekend with Gabe Marks, Robert Lewis, Kache Palacio, and others instead of this past weekend with Cedric Dozier and Kenny Lawler.
Sale was the Junior College teammate of Theron West, who is also committed. Los Angeles Harbor JC pipeline!
First off, the video kind of sucks. It never highlights where Sale lines up, so you spend most of the time trying to discern who #56 is. He's playing LG for the majority of the video, and you can see him pull a lot. He's way quicker than I anticipated, and can move for a guy who is listed at 6'3, 300 lbs.
Sale will have 3 to play 2, but I'd rather redshirt a high school kid and have the JC guy play until the high school kid is ready. We've discussed recruiting junior college players ad naseum, but for those who haven't been around for a lot of it, here's the gist:
Junior College players are, more often than not, a band-aid. They don't have 5 to play 4 (that is, 5 years to to play 4 years, with the extra year coming via redshirt if needed), and are often at a junior college for academic reasons. I think taking JC guys at skill positions (WR, RB, QB) are ok, because a lot of those guys can step right in and play. The offensive and defensive lines are probably the area where guys need the most time to develop. The problem with JC guys, though, is they have so little time to develop.
Case in point, Isiah Barton. During the 2010 season, Barton's junior year, he looked ok at times. Fast forward to 2011, and I can make an argument that Barton was more valuable to WSU's receiving corps than Jared Karstetter. So there really wasn't a problem with Barton being a JC guy, but now that he's figured stuff out, he's gone.
If Sale redshirts, he'll have two seasons to contribute, and he'll be fighting a bunch of RS Freshman and Sophomores. I'd rather him play now and help transition those players into starting roles when he leaves.
While I'm not super high on Sale, it's more of a longevity issue. He'll probably play in a back up role this coming year while moving into a starting role in 2013. Which means we'll only really get one productive season from him. There were a lot of schools after him, though, so that seems promising. Sale was at one point an Arizona State commit, and has offers from ASU, Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn, Kansas State, Oregon State, San Diego State, and Utah. Take that, SEC!
Overall, I like Sale's athleticism for a guy that big. I wouldn't expect him to win a starting spot, but our offensive line is kind of a mess, so he probably helps out immediately from a depth standpoint. Long-term, this doesn't do much more than keep the seat warm for a guy like Denzell Dotson or Sam Flor.
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