‘We’ll always be a developmental program’: Washington State adds nine prep recruits on national signing day

PULLMAN – Jake Dickert isn’t overlooking the NCAA’s transfer portal, but he is prioritizing the recruitment of high school players.

“We’ll always be a developmental program,” the first-year Washington State coach said. “We won’t just be a talent-addition program.”

The Cougars’ haul of newcomers reflects Dickert’s recruiting emphasis.

Nine players, all of them high school prospects, inked binding contracts with WSU on Wednesday’s national signing day. They’ll join 14 earlier additions in the Cougs’ 2022 class, which now totals 18 prep recruits and five transfers.

“I want to build our program through high school players,” Dickert said during a news conference after WSU finalized its list of signees. “The portal will always be there, but I think (focusing on player development) puts a premium on relationships within your program and how you run your program daily.”

The Cougars addressed weak spots up front and in their secondary, signing four offensive linemen and three defensive backs.

They also reeled in a dynamic running back and an efficient quarterback, both of whom put up big numbers while playing against stiff competition in Texas’ Class 6A ranks – the state’s top level of play.

WSU made the most of its Lone Star State coaching connections, landing six Texans. New Coug staffers Eric Morris (offensive coordinator), Clay McGuire (offensive line) and Joel Filani (receivers) “have deep ties in Texas, as well as some of our support staff,” Dickert said. Recruiting coordinator Marco Regalado, who took over that job in mid-January after Josh Omura’s sudden departure for Arizona, grew up in south Texas.

“Our foundational areas will still be Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Hawaii,” Dickert said. “But it’s good to have a secondary pipeline in Texas that we can tap into, that finds the right people for our program.

“When you’re recruiting for the second signing day, sometimes you have to spread a bigger net than we’d like, but I think we did it targeting the right people and positions.”

It’s far too early to guess whether any of the rookies will vie for reps immediately. Dickert hinted that most of them are development projects, but he highlighted three names to watch in 2022.

Jaylen Jenkins, a speedster out of powerhouse Allen (Texas)WSU High, might soon become a flex option in the Cougs’ backfield. He proved effective in the receiving game during his prep career.

Dickert said two linemen stand out among the rest, in terms of next-level physicality: tackle Landon Roaten, from Tomball, Texas, and guard Kendall Williams, out of San Diego.

WSU lost three starters from its 2021 O-line, so the Cougars will be searching for experienced transfers this offseason. “You’ve got to give these (young) offensive linemen time to develop,” Dickert said.

The team is still shopping for plug-and-play pieces at “four to five spots,” Dickert added. WSU could use a few linemen, another running back, a receiver, a couple of tight ends and an extra DB or two.

“The high school market is pretty well dried up,” Dickert said. “We’ll attack the (junior college) market that we’ve had a lot of success with here in the past, as well as keeping an eye on the portal.”

Each of the nine new Cougars pledged to WSU at some point in the past two weeks. The delayed surge on the recruiting trail might be chalked up to the program’s recent staff overhaul. Since early December, the WSU has made eight coaching hires.

“I’m yet to say this is our first class,” said Dickert, who was named permanent head coach just after the regular season. “That’ll be next year. These guys will set the foundation for who we’ll be in the future.”

WSU’s 2022 recruiting class ranks ninth in the Pac-12 and 64th nationally, according to 247Sports.com. Here’s a look at Wednesday’s signees:

Tony Carter

Position: Strong safety

High school: Mandarin High (Jacksonville, Florida)

Height/weight: 5-11, 201

Other FBS offers: Maryland, Western Kentucky

Carter was a tackling machine while playing multiple positions in the Mustangs’ defense last season, leading all Jacksonville-area players with 151 stops and adding 13 for loss. He was named one of the “Super 24” players from the northeast part of the state by the Florida Times-Union. He’ll be a safety at the collegiate level, but he made his name as a LB at Mandarin. Carter earned a three-star rating from 247Sports.com, which ranked him a top-200 prep LB in the country. He pledged to WSU on Saturday after being offered four days before and taking a weekend visit to the Pullman campus. Also a state-ranked wrestler, Carter is unbeaten in 3A matches this year.

“He’s a unique specimen because he’s also a wrestler and has a goal this year to be a state champion,” Dickert said. “I felt bad for him at recruiting dinners because I think he’s gotta go cut 10 pounds now.

“He’s a hard-hitting strong safety that fits exactly the role we want for our defense.”

Landon Roaten

Position: Offensive tackle

High school: Tomball High (Tomball, Texas)

Height/weight: 6-5, 285

Other FBS offers: Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Tulane, Tulsa

A three-star recruit and top-200 offensive tackle recruit in the nation, per 247Sports, Roaten earned all-district honors last season at Class 6A Tomball, just outside of Houston. He can play guard or tackle. Roaten landed at No. 62 on the Houston Chronicle’s annual list of the top 100 college prospects in the area. Landon and his twin brother, Luke, both received offers from the Cougs on Jan. 18 and both committed one week later. Dickert said Roaten is one of the Cougars’ two most “physically ready” incoming linemen.

Luke Roaten

Position: Offensive tackle

High school: Tomball High (Tomball, Texas)

Height/weight: 6-5, 265

Other FBS offers: Wyoming, Air Force, Louisiana Tech

He distinguished himself in the prep ranks as an all-district, three-star defensive-line prospect, but WSU will flip Roaten to offense and develop him at tackle. He committed to Wyoming in July before reopening his recruitment in December.

“It was unbelievable. Throughout this process, they were always looking for a place to play together,” Dickert said of the twins. “We just see such a great fit, even though Luke mainly played defense.”

Jaylen Jenkins

Position: Running back

High school: Allen High (Allen, Texas)

Height/weight: 5-8, 166

Other FBS offers: Arkansas State, Hawaii, Tulsa, Utah State, UTSA, Western Kentucky

Jenkins was named co-MVP of his district after piling up 1,519 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on 150 carries during his senior season at Allen, a national high school heavyweight in the Dallas area. The speedster tacked on 318 yards on 26 receptions and earned a three-star grade from 247Sports, which considers Jenkins the No. 83 prep RB in the nation. Dickert said Jenkins has a chance to be an immediate contributor at WSU as a “change-of-pace” back behind power-oriented runners Nakia Watson and Djouvensky Schlenbaker, a true freshman who signed with the Cougars in December.

“He really possesses a unique skill set of speed, plus the ability to flex out and do a lot of the things our tailbacks will do in our new offense in the new receiving game,” Dickert said of Jenkins. “He’s very multiple, so we’ll see if at a young age he can come in and impact.”

David Johnson

Position: Cornerback

High school: Hooks High (Hooks, Texas)

Height/weight: 6-2, 174

Other FBS offers: UTSA, New Mexico

WSU secured a surprise signing when it flipped Johnson from UTSA. The Cougs had hosted him on an official visit last weekend, and Johnson decommitted from the Roadrunners’ program Wednesday morning. A three-star wide receiver (247), Johnson will make the move to corner. He earned all-district honors at DB for Class 3A Hooks as a junior but was limited to two games in his senior season because of an injury.

“I love 6-2 rangy guys that are really athletic,” Dickert said. “He’ll be a stash-and-store name. In two years, everyone’s going to be like, ‘How’d you get this guy?’”

Zack Miller

Position: Left tackle

High school: Orange Lutheran High (Orange, California)

Height/weight: 6-7, 308

Other FBS offers: Colorado, Liberty

Miller was on the fence between Ivy League options - Harvard and Princeton- and WSU, but he chose the Cougs on Monday after visiting Pullman over the weekend. Miller, who competed in one of the toughest prep leagues in the country, was named a top-10 offensive lineman in Orange County by the Orange County Register. The three-star prospect is rated the No. 63 O-tackle prospect nationally, per 247Sports.

“Really feel like he can be an anchor at that left tackle position for a long time to come,” Dickert said. “He’s a special breed of length and athleticism. … (O-line coach Clay McGuire) has had a lot of success with guys like Zack.”

Kendall Williams

Position: Guard

High school: Lincoln High (San Diego)

Height/weight: 6-3, 291

Other FBS offers: Nevada

A two-way starter in the trenches at Lincoln High, Williams was named a second-team All-San Diego defender after his senior year. A three-star D-line prospect, Williams projects as a guard at WSU. He participated last year in the Makasi Bowl, a respected all-star competition pitting the best from San Diego and California’s Inland Empire. Out of all WSU’s new linemen, Williams and Landon Roaten have the best chance at carving out roles early.

“Those guys will be thrown into the fire a little bit,” Dickert said.

“(Williams) is ready-made with his size and mentality.”

Reece Sylvester

Position: Free safety

High school: Sterling High (Baytown, Texas)

Height/weight: 5-11, 180

Other FBS offers: Rice, UMass

The three-star safety (247Sports) took a recruiting trip to the Palouse last weekend and came to a decision Wednesday morning. As a senior at Class 5A Sterling – just east of Houston – Sylvester pocketed all-district multipurpose MVP honors after recording 1,084 rushing yards, 1,092 passing yards and 29 TDs from scrimmage while picking off three passes. He reopened his recruitment in December after pledging to Rice last August.

“He’s a great fit for our free safety position, really roaming the middle of the field with his ball skills,” Dickert said. “I love quarterbacks, and Reece was a guy that played full-time at quarterback. He sees the field in a different way.”

John Mateer

Position: Quarterback

High school: Little Elm High (Little Elm, Texas)

Height/weight: 6-1, 215

Other FBS offers: New Mexico State

The three-star prospect broke his own single-season school record in 2021, putting up 2,449 passing yards one year after throwing for 2,268. He added 847 yards on the ground as a senior and amassed 38 TDs from scrimmage while earning district offensive player of the year honors. He competed in Texas’ top classification of prep play in the talent-packed Dallas metro. Mateer, ESPN’s 16th-ranked dual-threat QB nationally, was underrecruited despite accumulating 7,060 passing yards, 1,223 rushing yards and 88 total scores throughout his high school career. He decommitted from FCS Central Arkansas on Jan. 17, three days after receiving an offer from WSU, which hosted him on an official visit Jan. 21. Mateer pledged to the Cougs’ program Jan. 24.

“John is not short on confidence and I think he’s the next gunslinger that we can really develop in our program,” Dickert said.