Washington State Football 2012 Evals: LB Justin Sagote

November 3, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Travis Wilson (7) runs the ball while pursued by Washington State Cougars linebacker Justin Sagote (51) during the first half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utah defeated Washington 49-6. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Stats: 61 Tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble

What he accomplished in 2012: Justin Sagote had a very impressive season for Washington State. Sagote was brought in due to the dismissals of Kaufusi and Mizell. Nobody was quite sure how much of an impact he would have off the bat but he quickly surprised a lot of people.

He slowly started to emerge as one of our key linebackers in the beginning of the season, really came alive halfway through and quickly emerged as one of the key leaders on our defense. He sure made his presence know in the Apple Cup with 5 total tackles and a fumble recovery. 

What I expect in 2013: What do I expect from Justin Sagote for this upcoming season? I have big expectations for Sagote, he’s going to be the leader of our linebacking core along with Darryl Monroe. Coach Breske has even gone on record this off-season as a believer that he can be the leader of the defense come this fall.

Lots of people were really impressed by what Sagote was doing for the Cougs regardless of the team’s poor record in 2012. When we’re talking about how our season went and how the defense did in 2013, you’ll definitely be talking about the huge impact Sagote had in the Pac-12.