Juco offensive tackle Eliesa Pole commits to Washington State

PULLMAN – Eliesa Pole, a juco offensive tackle with family ties to Washington State, committed Sunday to the Cougars’ football program.

The 6-foot-7, 320-pounder is the younger brother of former Cougars defensive lineman Toni Pole, who appeared in 35 games at WSU between 2011-13. Toni Pole is best remembered for his interception in overtime during the 2012 Apple Cup. His pick set up WSU’s game-winning field goal.

Eliesa Pole spent the past two seasons at Chabot College in Hayward, California. He was named a unanimous All-Bay-6 Conference performer this year. According to his Twitter profile, Pole has been playing football for just two years.

The Bay Area native developed quickly into a Division I recruit and attracted interest from several suitors. He chose the Cougars over offers from BYU, Cal and Fresno State, among others. Pole has yet to receive a star rating from 247Sports.com.

WSU’s offensive line certainly could use the help after a rough 2022 season, during which the group surrendered 40 sacks – 11th most in the Pac-12. The Cougars are losing one of their starting tackles to graduation – left tackle Jarrett Kingston, unquestionably the team’s most consistent O-lineman this year. Kingston was named to the all-conference honorable mention team despite missing the last three games of the year due to a season-ending injury suffered Nov. 5 at Stanford.