This recruiting weekend was so ... recruiting

I have a story to tell you. It involves grown men working behind each others backs. Drama, intrigue, suspense. There are changes of heart, lies and deceit. There may be some tears, there is definitely some irrational anger and there are twists. Oh boy, there are twists.

Based on that description, you might think I'm talking about a soap opera, professional wrestling, or maybe a new FOX primetime show debuting this summer. The answer is actually D) none of the above. That's because the above story is recruiting. The answer is always recruiting.

We are now two weeks away from National Signing Day, which means recruiting has ramped up to a new level of crazy, even by its already lofty standards of crazy. This past weekend was recruiting in a nutshell. Don't believe me? Let these player updates tell the story.

Jalen Canty

With four major recruiting services and a host of others chiming in, it's rare for significant recruiting news to go unreported. Official visits are usually among the more documented things, except in the case of Jalen Canty. The 6-foot-8 defensive end prospect visited WSU last weekend, but the trip wasn't reported until Saturday night. And even then, the news broke because one of the other players visiting posted a picture of himself and Canty on Instagram. Yup.

The story with Canty doesn't stop there. He came to Pullman committed to Fresno State, but by the time Monday rolled around, he had opened things back up. The trip to Pullman likely had an impact on that, but he also received an offer from Oregon late Sunday night. He now has a top three of WSU, Oregon and Utah.

Britton Ransford of WazzuWatch has more on Canty and the impact of that Oregon offer. It's a significant bit of info, but behind a paywall. There is a fine line to passing along details requiring premium access and this (and a bit below) are on the do not share side in my opinion. This isn't me trying to help Britton sell subscriptions. I'm merely saying there is some very good info on that side of the paywall if you are so inclined. If you're not, I'm sure it will come out eventually at which point I'll pass it along.

Barry Ware

On Sunday, the WSU football twitter account tweeted out its customary tweet signaling a verbal commitment. Shortly after, a couple of WSU players sent congratulatory messages to Ware on Twitter. Put two and two together and you have a commitment, right? Maybe. It's now Wednesday and no commitment has been reported. Adam Gorney of Rivals.com shared more on Ware's status ($$).

Marcus Griffin

The 4-star defensive tackle and former WSU commit took an official visit to California over the weekend. He received some recent interest from Notre Dame and will take an official to South Bend this week. If you're looking for a resolution soon, you're out of luck. He announced on Twitter that he would make his decision on Signing Day. According to Britton, Griffin will likely choose between WSU, Cal, Mississippi State and Notre Dame. Arizona could also be in the picture.

Tristian Vizcaino

Vizcaino committed to WSU in July and had been solid since, until this weekend. He took a trip to Washington and flipped his commitment to the Huskies. It's not everyday you see kickers flipping their commitments, a lot of kickers don't even get offers out of high school. Vizcaino was likely to fill a significant role for WSU next season, possibly handing both place kicking and punting duties.

WSU has Wes Concepcion, Thomas Fossedal and Erik Powell still on the roster. Concepcion handled the punting duties late in the season, although he's listed as a kicker. Fossedal and Powell are both listed as punters on the roster. That doesn't mean WSU won't still add someone. According to Britton ($$), WSU is interested in a couple of kickers and might have an option already on campus.

Daniel Sullivan, a former kicker at Wyoming, is currently attending school in Pullman. He made 7-of-11 field goal attempts during his freshman season for the Cowboys, but suffered a stroke at a kicking camp before his sophomore season and ended up leaving Wyoming. According to Britton, Sullivan has been cleared medically and will meet with the WSU coaching staff this week.

I'm not an expert on kicking mechanics, but he appears to have plenty of leg.

Lightning Round

Patrick Choudja

WSU remains in the mix, along with Boise State, Nevada and Fresno State.

"It was great, I loved the atmosphere and environment," Choudja said, via Coug247. "It's a smaller city but I think that would be good and keep me focused on football. They were telling me they need some bodies up there, they don't have a lot of depth."

Patrick Porter

Porter will still visit Minnesota and Miami, but said his trip to Pullman "went great."

"I committed to Washington State because Coach Mike Leach is getting the program back on track," Porter said, via Coug247. "He is graduating five DB's this season so I can go in and fight for a starting spot. I also know I'll get a good education."

Brayden Lenius

Like Porter, Lenius will visit Minnesota this weekend and Miami the next. Those two will be seeing a lot of each other.

"Everybody is like one big family," Lenius said, via WazzuWatch. "All the coaches, I talked to all the coaches and I liked them. I talked to the receivers coach and it's all good, I like them all. "They want me to play outside or inside, too. They want me to go back and forth. I didn't commit. I'm still going to take my visits."

Sulaiman Hameed

Hameed said there is still a chance he'll take a visit, but is already talking about heading to Pullman in the summer. Seems like a good sign.

"It was great," Hameed said, via WazzuWatch. "It was amazing. I'm really glad I went. The coaching staff, the players, everybody was great up there. Pullman is a great place to be. I'm excited for the summer."

Keith Harrington

Having a player from Florida visit Pullman in January may not be the best selling point, but it appears to have worked out well.

"I loved it,'' Harrington said, via TampaBay.com. "I loved the environment, the campus, the coaches. I got to tour the campus and got to meet some of the players. It was great. I can't wait to get there.''