PULLMAN, Wash. — Wednesday marked the beginning of the early signing period for college football.
So far, 19 players are headed to WSU in the class of 2021. Defensive linemen and receivers were a huge focus for this class with head coach Nick Rolovich and company, but overall, there was an even bigger focus for the latest group of Cougs.
"Flash fails and family prevails, and I think it’s kind of the theme of our class," said Nick Rolovich. "We want these guys to feel like they’ve got a new family."
It's a new generation that also has high expectations.
"I look at this class right now, and I think this is just going to add to the opportunity to win a championship. I think there’s major contributors throughout these signees right now. They want to be Cougs and that’s a big part of it," said Rolovich.
The Cougs added a whopping four wide receivers in this class.
They also added someone who can throw to them in Rolovich’s first official quarterback recruit Xavier Ward, who will enroll early in January.
"It's a real benefit that he’ll be here midyear and go through spring with us and also get in that QB room, which is a great room. I can’t say enough about the four guys we’ve got right now and how they work together and compete and cheer each other on. I think he’ll fit in great there. I hope he comes in with a mindset to compete and battle," said Rolovich.
Overall, Rolovich felt that he was prepared for the challenges of recruiting to Pullman because he already had to deal with the challenges of recruiting to a remote place at Hawaii, albeit the challenges are completely opposite in a lot of aspects.
One of the things he hammered home with recruits was the community in Pullman and how there aren’t a lot of distractions away from football. The other thing he hammered home was something almost all WSU alums can identify with.
"Every alum really treasures their friendships that they developed here and that along with the safety and the ability to focus is what I’ve realized is some of the main selling points," said Rolovich.
