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Joe Mixon, one of the top running backs in the 2014 recruiting class, will visit Washington State, according to his personal twitter account. Mixon is a consensus 5-star prospect, and is listed as the No. 1 all-purpose back by 247 Sports.
Mixon holds offers from most of the major conference college football programs in the country, including Notre Dame, Michigan, Oregon, USC, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ohio State, and Washington. Strangely, Rivals does not list Alabama as extending an offer to Mixon. Recruiting must be real tough in Tuscaloosa.
With that lengthy and high-profile offer list, Mixon is a long-shot to become a Coug. However, it is encouraging that he takes WSU's offer seriously enough to come visit, ignoring those who say the trip will be a bore.
It appears that preferred walk-on Ryan Turman is Mixon's host. If the blue-chip running back ends up coming back to the Palouse for an official visit, we'll know that Turman is a heck of a salesman.
The last time WSU was connected to a five-star runner was in-state prospect and future first-rounder Jonathan Stewart. The Cougs ended up No. 2 on Stewart's list behind Oregon, a common occurrence with big-name recruits during the Bill Doba years.
SB Nation caught up with Mixon at The Opening, where he talked about dancing and the schools that are definitely going to be in his top 10. He also emphasized the importantance of coming in and competing as a true freshman, which could be a key reason why he has an interest in WSU:
For those more interested in what he brings to the field, SB Nation's Derrell Warren put together a detailed scouting report. Warren was impressed with his ability in the passing game, something that would be an asset in Mike Leach's Air Raid offense:
In the pass game Mixon appears to have good hands but his most impressive attribute might be his route running ability. On tape he runs a nice assortment of patterns, but what really stands out is his ability to sell his routes and create separation from linebackers after inducing them to lose leverage.
Below you can check out Mixon for yourself with some highlights of his junior year. The 6'2, 207 back can be seen running the ball, catching passes, returning kicks and showing off his 4.5 speed: