WSU Football Recruiting: Cougs Add to 2013 Class with Another JUCO O-Line Commit

Washington State received an immediate commitment from the junior college ranks when they offered Devonte McClain, out of San Mateo CC on Sunday night. Devonte is the third commit in the past two seasons out of San Mateo, joining Lyman Faoliu in the class and Justin Sagote from 2012’s commitment class.

It’s not definitive yet but the immediate presumption is that the offer became available after O-lineman Jake Rodgers announced he was transferring for personal reasons. In the article I mentioned Rodgers may have been looking for playing time, but it was reported shortly thereafter by Christian Caple that he just wasn’t enjoying himself anymore and was looking for a change to rekindle the fire.

McClain is 6’5″, 295 lbs and will be the 8th offensive lineman in the 2013 class. Evaluating his highlights, it immediately looks like he’ll have to add a few lbs to his frame, maybe 10-15 along with working on footwork, but he’ll have three years to play two so he could be an early redshirt candidate for just that purpose. If he could use the rest of this summer to bulk up quicker than expected, it’s possible he could compete for immediate time but it will be difficult.

This isn’t a huge get for the Cougars, as McClain isn’t a dominant force coming in, but it bulks up some depth concerns after the Rodgers transfer and allows the Cougs to continue progressing in the trenches with decent experience at above prep level.

Go Cougs!