WSU restocks at receiver, O-line and running back

With star quarterback Luke Falk choosing to return for his senior season, Washington State went in search of wide receivers, a running back and offensive linemen Wednesday on national letter of intent day.

Of course, coach Mike Leach also signed a quarterback to run his Air Raid offense in the future, landing four-star Connor Neville from Wilsonville, Ore. The Cougars signed five wide receivers, and a bevy of offensive linemen as they seek to qualify for a third consecutive bowl game next season.

Neville, who is 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, threw for 2,756 yards with 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a senior and was the top-rated QB in Oregon.

The Cougars signed four-star offensive lineman Robert Valencia, 6-foot-6, 295 pounds, from City College of San Francisco. Receivers Travell Harris, Davontavean Martin, Anthony White Jr. and Easop Winston will try to break into the Air Raid.

One late addition was wide receiver Jamire Calvin, who had committed to Nebraska. The four-star recruit from Los Angeles had entertained numerous offers from major programs.

Eastern Washington: Aaron Best, the former longtime offensive line coach at Eastern who just took over as head coach last week, announced the signing of 19 high school players and introduced the phrase “EKG” -- for “Eastern Kind of Guys.”

The class includes Nick Moore, a quarterback from Hart High in California, and the brother of former Oregon State QB Matt Moore, now playing for the Miami Dolphins.

Locally, Eastern signed Gonzaga Prep defensive end Matthew Simpson, the co-Defensive MVP of the 4A Greater Spokane League as a senior.

Boise State: Coach Bryan Harsin announced the signing of 13 players.

Boise State had previously announced five mid-year signees, and Riley Whimpey, who initially signed in 2015, will enroll at Boise State this fall following a two-year church mission.

Of the 13 signees, six are slated for the offensive side of the ball, including three wide receivers -- Damon Cole, Octavius Evans and Cartrell Thomas. The Broncos also signed quarterback Chase Cord (Peoria, Ariz.), running back Drake Beasley and offensive lineman Isiah Moore. Moore is transferring from Mesa Community College.

The Broncos signed seven defensive players, including three each at linebacker and defensive back and one STUD. The linebackers include Breydon Boyd, Roman Kafentzis and Zeke Noa, while the defensive backs include Jermani Brown, Tyreque Jones and Kekaula Kaniho. The lone defensive lineman, Aisa Kelemete, played for Highland High in Pocatello.

The five mid-year signees included cornerbacks Marques Evans and junior college transfer Michael Young, offensive linemen John Ojukwu (Boise High) and junior college transfer Zachary Troughton, and quarterback Rathen Ricedorff (Show Low, Ariz.), the NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year.

Whimpey, a linebacker from San Clemente, Calif., served on a two-year church mission in Milwaukee, Wis., and is expected to join the team this summer.

Washington: Coming off a Pac-12 title and appearance in the College Football Playoff, Washington coach Chris Petersen signed 17 players, addressing some needs at skill positions while also landing six of the top 10 players from the Huskies’ home state. The group of homegrown talent is led by running back Salvon Ahmed, tight end Hunter Bryant and offensive lineman Henry Bainivalu.

But Petersen and his staff were calculated in what they went after. They signed three wide receivers — Ty Jones, Terrell Bynum and Alex Cook — all with different styles. The Huskies lost three defensive backs to either graduation or early entry to the NFL, so Washington added three players in the secondary highlighted by cornerback Elijah Molden, the No. 2 player from the state of Oregon and the son of former Oregon standout Alex Molden.

A late addition was offensive lineman Jaxson Kirkland. The big offensive tackle from Portland, Ore., was a late signing after the Huskies lost out on Foster Sarell, who chose Stanford. Kirkland was always leaning toward the Huskies; he’s the son of former Washington offensive lineman Dean Kirkland.

Montana: Coach Bob Stitt unveiled his third recruiting class, made up of 18 high school seniors and four college transfers who have enrolled for the spring semester at Montana.

Ten of the 18 high schoolers are from Montana.

Montana State: Second-year Bobcats coach Jeff Choate, the former St. Maries High star and Post Falls High football coach and athletic director, announced the addition of 27 players (including preferred walk-ons).

Idaho recruits included offensive linemen Zach Redd and Connor Wood from Rocky Mountain of Meridian; running back Jake Roper from Rocky Mountain, who redshirted at Boise State last fall; and quarterback Tucker Rovig from Mountain View High in Meridian.