WSU football recruiting: Cougs sign three midyear JUCO prospects, lose one

Washington State officially added the first three prospects of their 2017 recruiting class on Wednesday, which marked the first day of the midyear junior college signing period.

Robert Valencia, a highly touted offensive tackle prospect out of City College of San Francisco, inked his letter of intent along with junior college teammate Easop Winston, a wide receiver who also committed to area recruiter Jim Mastro yesterday.

Valencia, who took an official visit to the Palouse last weekend, picked Washington State over invites from Cal, Utah, Oregon and Texas Tech. Winston, however, flew under the radar, flipping from Eastern Michigan to Washington State on Tuesday.

Both are expected to compete for immediate playing time with Valencia — a four-star recruit rated the No. 18 junior college prospect by Scout.com — pushing Cole Madison and Andre Dillard at both tackle positions. Winston is expected to help fill the massive void left on the outside by Gabe Marks’ graduation.

Sean Harper Jr., a cornerback prospect, was previously expected to sign in February and arrive with the rest of the 2017 recruiting class next summer, however he sent in his letter of intent Wednesday morning and will be in Pullman next month.

As you may recall, Harper previously signed with WSU in the 2015 class, but was unable to qualify. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, Harper’s primary recruiter dating back to his Missouri days, stuck with the talented defensive back, and it certainly paid off.

Valencia, Winston and Harper will each have three years to play two at WSU.

Another massive offensive tackle prospect, George Moore, was expected to sign with the Cougars today and arrive in January, however it appears that plans have changed, according to a Rivals.com report.

No longer able to enroll early, Moore announced on Twitter moments ago that he is de-committing, leaving WSU with five offensive linemen committed for 2017.

The remaining junior college prospect in the Cougars’ 2017 class is Preston Hendry, a defensive end out of Orange Coast College, who is expected to sign in February. He’s rated the No. 54 junior college prospect by Scout.

Note: Washington State brought in Riverside City College (Calif.) linebacker Nick Underwood for an official visit last weekend, but he signed with Maryland today. According to a source, WSU backed off Underwood following the official visit.