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WSU football recruiting: Junior Day visitors

Recruits from the class of 2017 will visit campus over the weekend; for many of them it'll be their first time in Pullman.

By Aaron Polevoi
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

With spring football in full swing, the Cougar football team will be welcoming a group of recruits from the class of 2017 to campus this weekend.

Highlighting the list of visitors is 4-star QB Connor Neville. Any quarterback in a Mike Leach recruiting class is worth watching and Neville is no exception. Playing for Wilsonville High School in Wilsonville, Ore., Neville has received offers from Hawaii and Boise State, in addition to WSU. He finished his junior season throwing for 3,110 yards, 37 touchdowns, and a QB rating of 126.5. In ten games played, Neville threw eight interceptions. Although he may only have three offers in writing, Neville is going to garner a lot of interest during his senior season which is why this weekend's visit with WSU is extremely important. I don't expect him to verbal by the end of his stay in Pullman, but with the Air-Raid product he'll see over the weekend, it's awfully hard not to be tempted by the idea of being a Cougar quarterback.

Another name to keep track of is 4-star OL Henry Bainivalu, out of Skyline High School in Sammamish, Wash. Standing 6`4 and weighing 277 pounds, Bainivalu is ranked as the third best prospect in the state of Washington. He holds scholarship offers from essentially every school on the coast: Washington, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Oregon State, but schools like Michigan, Oklahoma State, and Nebraska have offered him as well.

Dontae Powell, a 4-star OL out of the Tri-Cities will be visiting campus this weekend as well. Multiple recruiting services have Powell listed as anywhere between 285 and 308 pounds, so we'll go with Scout's listing of 6`6 and 300 pounds. Regardless of his actual weight, Powell is one big boy who's been an absolute bulldozer for Richland High School. As his Hudl tape will show, he plays on both side of the football, something that makes him more marketable to teams vetting for his service.

Continuing the theme of offensive lineman, 3-star OL Jaxson Kirkland is another visitor this weekend. Much like Powell, Kirkland is another large young man, listed as 6`7 and 305 pounds. Playing for Jesuit High School in Portland, Ore., Kirkland holds offers from WSU, Oregon State, and Hawaii. 3-star OL Cody Kanouse, out of Gig Harbor, Wash., joins Bainivalu, Powell, and Kirkland as offensive linemen names to remember as he'll join those three for a visit as well.

3-star DB Jason Rucker from Portland, Ore., could fit well into WSU's future plans. Although listed as a safety, Rucker has the talent to be considered as an ATH and could be moved around all over the field. He's listed as the top safety in the state of Oregon and has received interest from Oregon, Arizona State, and Cal.

Cyrus Habibi-Likio, a RB out of Mountain View, Calif., was on campus Thursday afternoon and got to take in a practice. The 3-star tailback has received offers from BYU, Wyoming, and Hawaii, and Washington is starting to take interest as well.

Like Habibi-Likio, WR Isaiah Hodgins was in Pullman Thursday to take in a spring ball practice. A 3-star receiver from Walnut Creek, Calif., Hodgins got a tour of the football facilities and topped it off by meeting Dom Williams. Boise State, Colorado State, and Colorado have offered scholarships to Hodgins.

3-star LB David Morris out of Sherwood, Ore. has received a lot of interest from WSU. Standing 6`3 and weighing 205 pounds, Morris is ranked the fifth best OLB prospect on the west coast. Colorado State, BYU, Cal, and Hawaii have all offered Morris a scholarship.

Alex Forsyth, a 6`4, 290 pound OL from West Linn, Ore. has gained a lot of attention recently, receiving offers from Arizona, ASU, Oregon and Oregon State. Ranked as a 3-star prospect, Forsyth is the top offensive tackle in Oregon is ranked ninth overall on the west coast.

Here is an unofficial list of those who are visiting WSU this weekend or visited earlier in the week:

  • Connor Neville, QB, Wilsonville, Ore.
  • Henry Bainivalu, OL, Sammamish, Wash.
  • Dontae Powell, OL, Richland, Wash.
  • Jaxson Kirkland, OL, Portland, Ore.
  • Cody Kanouse, OL, Gig Harbor, Wash.
  • Jason Rucker, S, Portland, Ore.
  • Cyrus Habibi-Likio, RB, Mountain View, Calif.
  • Isaiah Hodgins, WR, Walnut Creek, Calif.
  • David Morris, LB, Sherwood, Ore.
  • Alex Forsyth, OL, West Linn, Ore.
  • Darren Hall, CB, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
  • Quazzel White, OL, Tacoma, Wash.
  • Brandon Thompson, RB/CB, Yelm, Wash.
  • Max Novak, WR/CB, Tacoma, Wash.
  • Milan Grice, RB, Rancho Bernardo, Calif.
  • Vos Price, WR/CB, Chino Hills, Calif.
  • Armani Marsh, DB, Spokane, Wash.
  • Jake Porter, DE, West Linn, Ore.
  • Phillip Tran, QB, San Jose, Calif.
  • Zach Lewis, QB, Sammamish, Wash. (2018)
  • Hunter Bryant, TE, Sammamish, Wash.
  • Anfernee Gurley, CB, Everett, Wash.
  • Riley Straly, OL, Bend, Ore. (2018)
  • Braden Lenzy, CB, Tigard, Ore. (2018)
  • Travis Mackay, OL, Portland, Ore.
  • Trey Woods, ATH, North Bend, Ore.
  • Jonny Neville, TE, Wilsonville, Ore.
  • Trey Davis, WR, Portland, Ore.
  • Malik Thirdgill, DE, Portland, Ore.
  • Jacob Isaia, OL, Las Vegas, Nev. (2018)

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