WSU Football Recruiting: Class of 2013 by the numbers

Mike Leach's first full recruiting cycle as Head Coach of the Washington State Cougars has been pretty successful. There have been a few hiccups along the way, but overall, this is one of the better classes we've seen in a while. Leach focused heavily on both the offensive and defensive lines, so while this class may not be as sexy as years past, it still bodes well for the future success of the Cougs.

Total Number of Incoming Players:

25

This number could change by tomorrow, as the staff has some wiggle room in terms of greyshirting players and counting them towards next year's class. One player is already slated to greyshirt (Dylan Hanser), and I wouldn't be surprised if another was asked to do the same.

Both Robert Lewis and BJ Salmonson greyshirted last year. It's unclear whether or not the staff will count them towards the 2012 or 2013 class. For now, let's assume at least one of them is in 2012. With Hanser greyshirting, that means the class sits at 25 again. I'm sure the staff can find some room if they need to, though, so let's project that there are 2-3 spots open. Leaves us at roughly 22.

Total Number of Incoming JC Players:

4

Again, this number could change. Last year, Sam Jones was a big Signing Day surprise out of a JC in Arizona. He failed to qualify academically, though. I don't think there will be any more additions from the JC ranks, but if someone flips at the last minute, all bets are off. I'm just glad the total number of JC guys isn't approaching double digits.

Total Number of Players With At Least One Other BCS Offer

12

This may not seem like many, but at least half of the class was offered a scholarship by one or more BCS schools. The total number of offers for the 12 players was 40. The days of getting players coveted only by Big Sky and WAC teams are over. In case you're wondering, here are the other schools who offered (via Scout):

Arizona (3), Arizona State (6), Arkansas (2), Baylor, Cal (2), Colorado (3), Duke, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Maryland, Miami (FL), Michigan State, Oregon (2), Oregon State (3), Purdue, Texas Tech, UCLA (2), Utah (3), Washington (3), West Virginia

The number in parenthesis is the number of players from this class that particular school offered. Arizona State is like, so angry at Mike Leach.

Class Ranking

Scout: 38th overall, 8th in Pac-12
Rivals: 47th overall, 10th in Pac-12
24/7: 53rd overall, 10th in Pac-12

ESPN only ranks the Top 40 teams, and we're not one of them. They also don't rank by conference. If you average out the three scores, that leaves us with the 46th best class in the nation, and roughly the 9th best class in the Pac-12. That sounds about right. It's also been a banner year for the Pac-12 from a recruiting standpoint, so 9th in conference is nothing to scoff at.

Number of Players by Position

QB: 1
RB: 3
WR: 3
OL: 6
DL: 5
LB: 2
DB: 4

Mark and I have done positional breakdowns, but this is just a raw look at number of spots. Leach has focused heavily on the lines, which is pretty fantastic because, beef. I'd like to see one more DB before all is said and done, but that's just because I think we could always use more help in the secondary.

Overall, this class is looking to be pretty fantastic. There are a few players with extremely high ceilings, and a few under-the-radar types who could wind up being the foundation for future success.

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