NORTHWEST NOTES: May 13, 2021
Barriere named first-team
All-American again
Eastern Washington University quarterback Eric Barriere added a second first team All-America honor to his resume on Wednesday after Associated Press released its 2020-21 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America team.
Two days earlier, the Walter Payton Award finalist became the seventh first team All-America quarterback in school history when Stats Perform announced its squad of the top FCS players. Barriere was joined on that squad by wide receiver Talolo Limu-Jones (second team), but no other Eagle was picked for the AP squad.
In the next three days, two major FCS player of the year awards will be handed out, and Barriere is a top candidate to win. Today, the FCS Athletic Directors Association (FCS ADA) will announce its prestigious and unique All-America team, which includes just one player at 11 different positions, plus an MVP on offense and defense.
On Saturday, the Walter Payton Award will be announced on the eve of the NCAA Division I Championship game between South Dakota State and Sam Houston. Barriere is one of three finalists, and the award will be announced at 11 a.m.
Cade Coffey, a Lakeland High product, was named to the second-team as a punter after completing his career at Idaho this spring.
Barriere was a unanimous All-Big Sky Conference first team selection in the 2020-21 season and was the league's Offensive Player of the Year. He led Eastern to a 5-2 record and the first round of the FCS Playoffs in the 2020-21 season, including a five-game winning streak to end the regular season.
The list of former EWU first team All-Americans at quarterback is impressive – Gage Gubrud, Vernon Adams Jr., Bo Levi Mitchell, Matt Nichols, Erik Meyer and Harry Leons. Mitchell and Meyer turned their honors into Payton Awards in 2011 and 2005, respectively, and Barriere hopes to have his named etched to a trophy this week.
Gueye reclassifies,
signs with Cougars
After reclassifying into the class of 2021, Washington State men's basketball head coach Kyle Smith announced the official signing of Mouhamed Gueye (Saly, Senegal) out of Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif. Gueye becomes one of the highest ranked recruits in program history and was ranked the No. 34 recruit in the country for 2022 according to 247sports.com before finishing his academic requirements early to join the college ranks early in 2021.
“We are beyond thrilled to add Mouhamed to our program,” said Smith. “He has decided to accelerate his development by graduating early to enroll at Washington State this fall. Mo has exceptional physical talent combined with good skill and feel. He will be able to play all three front-court positions for us and should be an excellent defender who can guard multiple positions.”
A 6-11 forward with a 7-5 wingspan, Gueye has the size and length to contend with the best of the Pac-12 in the front court while brining guard-like skills to create mismatches around the court. The big forward has spent the last two years at Prolific Prep in California playing organized basketball for the first time in his life after moving to the United States from Senegal. Prolific Prep has been home to some of the top talent in the nation including most recently Jalen Green, Gary Trent Jr, and Josh Jackson.