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It's always interesting to look back at a recruiting class a year later and see if the guys we were originally excited about panned out right as impact players. Last year WSU recruited a solid, if not spectacular class (due to some late defections). I thought it would be worth a look to see how the highest rated players performed compared to the most actually productive newcomers on the field.
Here are the top five rated recruits coming into last year (As rated by ESPN)
1.DT Thomas Toki:
Toki failed to qualify and is going the junior college route.
2.S Deion Singleton:
Singleton had to sit out his freshman year for academic reasons and is now trying to crack the two-deeps at cornerback.
3.WR Tavares Martin Jr.:
Martin saw extended playing time as a freshman and looks to be a favorite to start at outside receiver next fall.
4.LB Aaron Porter:
Former UCLA signee went the JUCO route before signing with WSU last year. Did not see much playing time last fall.
5.S Shalom Luani:
Definitely a case of a touted recruit living up to the hype, Luani captured 2nd team All-Pac 12 honors and emerged as a leader in WSU's secondary.
These are players who ended up doing the most on the field as newcomers:
1.S Shalom Luani:
Properly ranked, if not a little underrated coming out of City College of San Francisco.
2.CB Darrien Molten:
Freshman All-American emerged out of nowhere to become Cougars best cover guy.
3.WR Kyle Sweet:
Unheralded SoCal recruit stepped in after an injury to River Cracraft and gave the team some excellent production out of the slot.
4.DE/OLB Logan Tago:
Tago stepped in for the Cougars at multiple positions and was a solid contributor on an improved defense.
5.CB Kirkland Parker:
Late JUCO signee stepped up and gave WSU some solid production in the secondary.
Of course it's still early and redshirts such as James Williams, Tyler Hilinski and Nnamdi Oguayo could still emerge as the best players in the class when it is all said and done. Looking back at the rankings it just shows just how unpredictable recruiting can be and is another example of how unheralded recruits always seem to step up for the Cougars.
Who do you guys think will be the best players in this class? Are you disappointed at all in some of the more hyped-up names?
Football
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