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When the Washington State Cougars signed less than a full recruiting class in February, it was assumed that new coach Jake Dickert would be filling it out a little bit at a time as opportunities came along. That’s proven to be true, as WSU added a pair of players to its 2022 class in the last few days: Defensive lineman Rashad McKenzie Jr. and kicker Colton Theaker.
McKenzie is a 6-foot-4/250-pound three-star defensive lineman from Bishop Alemany in Mission Hills, California, who is an exciting prospect. Beyond the fact that WSU seems to be on a never-ending quest for defensive linemen, McKenzie’s 247sports composite rating slots him as the 6th overall player in WSU’s class, and 3rd-highest high school recruit. He reportedly held offers from Oregon, Arizona State, Nebraska, and others.
McKenzie would seem to profile as a defensive end in Dickert’s defense, but he also looks like he has the frame to add considerable weight if the Cougs wanted to develop him into a tackle.
Theaker, meanwhile, comes to WSU after spending a year at Allan Hancock College (a junior college in California) following a two-year stint at FCS Cal Poly. He has two years of eligibility remaining, and also reportedly held an offer from Mississippi State.
This signing is interesting because Theaker doesn’t have a track record of making a high percentage of kicks — just 18-of-34 in his career across the two schools — and the Cougs return Dean Janikowski, who picked up a number of awards last season and has three years of eligibility remaining. Perhaps the signing has something to do with leg strength: Theaker has hit a couple from beyond 50 in his career, while Janikowski’s long last season was 41 with zero attempts from beyond 50.
With these signings, the class now sits at 25, with room for more. Some intriguing players surely will hit the transfer portal as schools work through spring practices and position battles heading into the fall start to take shape.
2022 WSU Football Commits
| Player | Pos. | 247 Composite | Rating | Measurables | Commit Date | City | State | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos. | 247 Composite | Rating | Measurables | Commit Date | City | State | Comments |
| Cameron Ward** | QB | ✯✯✯✯ | 0.9300 | 6-3/220 | 1/20/22 | West Columbia | TX | Transfer from UIW (4 to play 3), played under OC Eric Morris |
| Andre Dollar** | TE | ✯✯✯ | 0.8817 | 6-6/230 | 12/14/21 | Mustang | OK | Flipped from Oregon, 23rd overall TE nationally |
| Jordan Lee** | DB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8800 | 5-11/205 | 1/5/22 | Las Vegas | NV | Transfer from Nevada (1 to play 1) |
| Taariq Al-Uqdah* | LB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8735 | 6-0/218 | 2/24/21 | South Central LA | CA | Selected to All-American Bowl, USC tried hard to flip |
| Daiyan Henley** | LB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8700 | 6-2/220 | 12/20/21 | Los Angeles | CA | All-MWC grad transfer from Nevada (1 to play 1) |
| Rashad McKenzie Jr.* | DL | ✯✯✯ | 0.8647 | 6-4/250 | 3/27/22 | Mission Hills | CA | Offered by Oregon, Arizona State, Nebraska |
| Zeriah Beason* | WR | ✯✯✯ | 0.8614 | 6-0/195 | 4/20/22 | Duncanville | TX | Oregon State transfer (4 to play 3; HS rating listed) |
| Djouvensky Schlenbaker** | RB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8607 | 6-0/220 | 6/28/21 | Bellingham | WA | Offers from UW, Cal, Colorado, Virginia Tech, Air Force |
| Eric Wilder* | OL | ✯✯✯ | 0.8527 | 6-5/280 | 6/29/21 | Syracuse | UT | Offers from Cal, UCLA |
| Nusi Malani** | DL | ✯✯✯ | 0.8500 | 6-6/275 | 12/29/21 | San Bruno | CA | Transfer from Virginia (4 to play 3) |
| Javan Robinson* | DB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8464 | 5-11/175 | 10/10/21 | Apopka | FL | WSU only reporterd Power 5 offer |
| Hudson Cedarland** | LB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8449 | 6-4/220 | 6/21/21 | Gig Harbor | WA | 247Sports rates him as a borderline 4-star |
| Jakobus Seth* | OL | ✯✯✯ | 0.8445 | 6-4/280 | 6/28/21 | Lakewood | WA | Rated as a DL, also offered by OSU |
| Jaylen Jenkins* | RB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8444 | 5-8/168 | 1/29/22 | Allen | TX | Also offered by numerous G5 schools |
| Zack Miller* | OL | ✯✯✯ | 0.8405 | 6-7/308 | 1/21/22 | Orange | CA | Also offered by Colorado |
| Leyton Smithson* | DB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8403 | 6-2/180 | 11/23/21 | Bellingham | WA | Rated as a WR, headed for safety |
| Kendall Williams* | OL | ✯✯✯ | 0.8396 | 6-3/291 | 1/23/21 | San Diego | CA | Rated as a DL, headed for OL |
| Tony Carter* | LB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8348 | 6-0/195 | 1/29/22 | Jacksonville | FL | Also offered by Maryland |
| Bryce Grays* | DB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8248 | 5-11/190 | 11/17/21 | Richmond | TX | WSU only reporterd Power 5 offer |
| David Johnson* | DB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8227 | 6-2/174 | 2/2/22 | Hooks | TX | Rated as a WR, headed for DB; flipped from UTSA |
| John Mateer* | QB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8225 | 6-1/215 | 1/24/22 | Little Elm | TX | Previously committed to Central Arkansas |
| Sam Lockett III** | DB | ✯✯✯ | 0.8171 | 6-1/205 | 12/15/21 | Spokane | WA | Two seasons at Utah State before JUCO (2 to play 2) |
| Luke Roaten* | OL | ✯✯✯ | 0.8167 | 6-5/265 | 1/25/22 | Tomball | TX | Landon's twin, rated as DL, previously committed to Wyoming |
| Landon Roaten* | OL | ✯✯✯ | 0.8148 | 6-5/285 | 1/25/22 | Tomball | TX | Luke's twin, previously committed to Louisana Tech |
| Reece Sylvester* | DB | ✯✯✯ | 0.7982 | 5-11/180 | 2/2/22 | Houston | TX | Offered by Rice and many FCS programs |
| Colton Theaker* | K | N/A | 0.0000 | 6-3/185 | 3/30/22 | Arroyo Grande | CA | JUCO transfer, offered by Mississippi State (2 to play 2) |
| Grant Stephens | OL | N/A | 0.0000 | 6-4/302 | 4/6/22 | Missouri City | TX | Grad transfer from FCS N. Colo., offers: Cal, Purdue, Arizona |
LINKS
Trip to New York for NIT 'icing on the cake' for Washington State men's basketball | The Spokesman-Review
The Cougars had fun in NYC, despite the loss.
Dickert changing mindsets | Sports | dnews.com
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