Report: Cougs add receiver Rickey Preston for 2015

Louisiana yielded a 2015 recruit about a week ago, and WSU has gone back there again to secure a commitment from high school wide reciever Rickey Preston, which was first reported by Britton Ransford of WazzuWatch.com.

Preston is rated a consensus 3-star wide receiver by 247sports.com, and at 6-foot-1 and 174 pounds, he appears to be the dynamic outside receiver Mike Leach covets. He had offers at one time or another from the likes of Missouri, Nebraska, Texas A&M and others. There's only one issue, as you can probably guess: As with so many kids who don't put pen to paper on signing day, he's got some academic issues and was expected to end up heading to a junior college.

Howver, he told Ransford that his academic issues are sorted out ($), and if that's the case, this is an enormous coup for the Cougs. Because, well, watch:

Whoa. ESS-EEE-SEEEEEE SPEEEEEED.

Preston would help to fill a big need at receiver in this class. WSU graduated its top two outside receivers in Vince Mayle and Isiah Myers, and the only player in the 2015 class who projects to play on the outside is junior college transfer C.J. Dimry, who was relatively unrecruited and appears a bit raw as a prospect. Preston is, in a word, explosive and could contribute from the moment he steps on campus.

WSU already has 25 initial scholarships handed out for 2015, but Ransford is reporting that the plan is for Preston to sign a financial aid agreement after the signing period ends, which would allow WSU to count him against 2016 even though he can play right away. It sounds similar to what USC has planned on doing with WSU decommit Deontay Burnett, although I don't know if it's exactly the same. That said, as a replacement for Burnett in this class, Preston is similar in style and appears to be every bit the player Burnett is.

Go Cougs!