If you follow college football recruiting at all, you may have heard about the Nike event The Opening which is currently going on in Beaverton, Ore. Essentially, top recruits throughout the country have gathered at Nike headquarters for what amounts to a four day combine.
One of the players in attendance is tight end Josh McNeil. McNeil is ranked as a 4-star prospect by Scout, Rivals and ESPN. SB Nation caught up with McNeil at The Opening and Bud Elliot has the breakdown of his top schools.
While McNeil no longer has a leader, he does have a top five.
"Alabama, Miami, Georgia, Florida and Washington State," he said, adding that the schools were not in any order.
Now, when it comes to recruiting powerhouses, one of those teams is not like the others. So why is it a top TE with offers from the biggest football schools in the country would have WSU in his top five? Back to Elliot for the answer.
While McNeil cited the opportunity to play right away and NFL development at the former four schools, the connection with Washington State is based on a personal relationship.
"I was an East Carolina commitment for a while, but my recruiter coach left for Washington State. I want to give them a shot," he said.
Thank you Dennis Simmons.
McNeil wants to make his decision by early August and has already visited Alabama and Georgia. He has plans to visit Florida and Miami later this month and per Elliot is, "looking into a way to make an unofficial visit to Washington State before his decision."
WSU is against the odds a bit here, but if Simmons can convince McNeil to commit to East Carolina, who's to say he can't bring him to Pullman.
Football
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While McNeil cited the opportunity to play right away and NFL development at the former four schools, the connection with Washington State is based on a personal relationship. "I was an East Carolina commitment for a while, but my recruiter coach left for Washington State. I want to give them a shot," he said.
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Like all coaches, teaching is a major part of the job for Mike Leach, in his first season as head coach at Washington State. He believes the teaching of technique will continue to evolve to meet changing times. "At all levels, players need to be taught how to tackle," he said. "They need to be taught how to tackle in the NFL. … It’s a constant series of corrections and refinements."
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6. Marquess Wilson, WR, Wash. St. - Buzz: The possibilities seem endless for this guy in Mike Leach's offense. Wilson veraged 16.9 yards per catch last season at Washington State and had 82 receptions and 12 TDs. He led the nation last season with five catches covering at least 60 yards, was tied for first nationally with three receptions covering at least 70 yards. He is tall (6 feet 4 inches) with a long stride, and is deceptively fast.
Baseball
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Allen has spent the past three seasons at Washington State, where he was the Cougars’ hitting coach and recruiting coordinator.