Washington State picks up 19th commitment from three-star outside linebacker

Even after losing a commitment on Monday, Washington State came out of the week even, picking up its 19th pledge in the 2021 recruiting class.

Lawrence Falatea, a three-star outside linebacker from Sandy, Utah, committed to the Cougars on Friday, just days after three-star cornerback Elisha Lloyd announced he’d be decommitting from the school and reopening his recruitment.

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A 6-foot-4, 207-pound prospect, Falatea didn’t list any other Power Five offers, but he had three in the Mountain West Conference, from Utah State, San Diego State and New Mexico. Eastern Washington also offered the outside linebacker.

Although Falatea is listed as an outside linebacker, and will most likely play the “Edge” position at WSU, he’s also played wide receiver, running back and tight end at Alta High School, according to his Hudl.com profile.

According to MaxPreps.com, Falatea registered 35 total tackles with 13 tackles-for-loss as a junior in 2019, with 6.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries.

Including Falatea, the Cougars now have five outside linebackers or defensive ends in the 2021 class. It’s expected most, if not all, will make the transition to “Edge” at the college level. The group includes another recent commit Francisco Mauigoa, the brother of ex-WSU center Fred Mauigoa, along with Texas’ Raam Stevenson, Washington’s Andrew Edson, Texas’ Jayhvion Gipson and Florida’s Xavier Young.