Cougars sign 23 prospects to letters of intent
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Looking to improve upon last year's mediocre season, Washington State coach Bill Doba went heavy on defense as recruits signed letters of intent Wednesday.
The Cougars announced 23 high school or junior college transfers had signed national letters of intent as Doba looks to do better than last season's 6-6 record.
"I think we filled some needs we had," including eight players in the secondary, Doba said in a conference call to reporters from Pullman. "After about 20,500 miles of air travel, I think we put together a pretty good class."
The Cougars were ranked No. 25 after beating Oregon and UCLA to go 6-3 last season, then were outscored 109-63 in their final three games to fall to 4-5 in the Pacific-10 Conference.
Doba and his assistants looked to shore up a defense that was decimated by late-season injuries. All-Pac-10 First Team defensive end Mkristo Bruce was among six defensive starters who must be replaced.
Cougars coaches signed four safeties and four cornerbacks.
Grossmont College Junior All-America defensive back Terry Mixon from San Diego, Calif., is considered the Cougars' top pick. The 6-1, 190-pound Mixon played both safety and cornerback and was a five-star pick by the Scout.com recruiting service.
Mixon had committed to Arizona State, but switched to WSU after Dirk Koetter was fired and former Idaho coach Dennis Erickson was hired there.
"Our special emphasis was on the secondary, and corners," Doba said. "We wanted a JC tight end to help bolster that group."
Devin Frischknecht, 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, of Snow Junior College in Utah, was brought aboard to help out at tight end.
The Cougars class of 2007 includes seven high school players from the state and six junior college transfers.
"I think we have enough of a mix with the JC kids to help our immediate needs," Doba said, adding the high school players form the nucleus of future teams.
Among Washington state signees are two quarterbacks: Class 4A 2006 Player of the Year Marshall Lobbestael of Oak Harbor and Pullman's J.T. Levenseller, son of Cougars' offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller.
With Eric Block, who signed as a safety but played quarterback at Bellevue, the Cougars added three signal-callers from championship teams, Doba noted. Levenseller was on a state championship team his junior year and Block was on a Class 3A championship team this season.
Levenseller likely will compete for a starting position in two years, Doba said.
Kevin Freitag, a 6-3, 275-pound offensive lineman from Burien's Kennedy High, may be the Cougars' top in-state catch, while offensive lineman Andrew Roxas from Sun Valley, Calif., is a highly rated out-of-state prospect.
Other prospects from Washington include Sehome High offensive lineman Steven Ayers of Bellingham, B.J. Guerra, a defensive lineman from Moses Lake and Redmond running back Logwone Mitz.
Three players already are attending classes at WSU and will participate in spring drills. Transfers Vaughn Lesuma, an offensive lineman, and tight end Frischknecht will join safety back Cornorris Atkins, a grayshirt from Reseda, Calif., who signed in 2006 but chose to delay enrollment until last month.
Doba said he is pleased with the recruiting class.
"I think we recruited some speed. I think some are better students," he said. "They're kids that came in, they liked it and they committed and they kept their word."
The Cougars announced 23 high school or junior college transfers had signed national letters of intent as Doba looks to do better than last season's 6-6 record.
"I think we filled some needs we had," including eight players in the secondary, Doba said in a conference call to reporters from Pullman. "After about 20,500 miles of air travel, I think we put together a pretty good class."
The Cougars were ranked No. 25 after beating Oregon and UCLA to go 6-3 last season, then were outscored 109-63 in their final three games to fall to 4-5 in the Pacific-10 Conference.
Doba and his assistants looked to shore up a defense that was decimated by late-season injuries. All-Pac-10 First Team defensive end Mkristo Bruce was among six defensive starters who must be replaced.
Cougars coaches signed four safeties and four cornerbacks.
Grossmont College Junior All-America defensive back Terry Mixon from San Diego, Calif., is considered the Cougars' top pick. The 6-1, 190-pound Mixon played both safety and cornerback and was a five-star pick by the Scout.com recruiting service.
Mixon had committed to Arizona State, but switched to WSU after Dirk Koetter was fired and former Idaho coach Dennis Erickson was hired there.
"Our special emphasis was on the secondary, and corners," Doba said. "We wanted a JC tight end to help bolster that group."
Devin Frischknecht, 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, of Snow Junior College in Utah, was brought aboard to help out at tight end.
The Cougars class of 2007 includes seven high school players from the state and six junior college transfers.
"I think we have enough of a mix with the JC kids to help our immediate needs," Doba said, adding the high school players form the nucleus of future teams.
Among Washington state signees are two quarterbacks: Class 4A 2006 Player of the Year Marshall Lobbestael of Oak Harbor and Pullman's J.T. Levenseller, son of Cougars' offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller.
With Eric Block, who signed as a safety but played quarterback at Bellevue, the Cougars added three signal-callers from championship teams, Doba noted. Levenseller was on a state championship team his junior year and Block was on a Class 3A championship team this season.
Levenseller likely will compete for a starting position in two years, Doba said.
Kevin Freitag, a 6-3, 275-pound offensive lineman from Burien's Kennedy High, may be the Cougars' top in-state catch, while offensive lineman Andrew Roxas from Sun Valley, Calif., is a highly rated out-of-state prospect.
Other prospects from Washington include Sehome High offensive lineman Steven Ayers of Bellingham, B.J. Guerra, a defensive lineman from Moses Lake and Redmond running back Logwone Mitz.
Three players already are attending classes at WSU and will participate in spring drills. Transfers Vaughn Lesuma, an offensive lineman, and tight end Frischknecht will join safety back Cornorris Atkins, a grayshirt from Reseda, Calif., who signed in 2006 but chose to delay enrollment until last month.
Doba said he is pleased with the recruiting class.
"I think we recruited some speed. I think some are better students," he said. "They're kids that came in, they liked it and they committed and they kept their word."