Just a couple days ago we heard that Jake Browning, one of two quarterbacks known to have a Washington State offer on the table, will be heading to Seattle to play his college ball for the Washington Huskies. The Cougars may get their guy soon.
Brett Rypien out of Shadle Park high school in Spokane is taking “one more” visit this weekend to Boise State, after which he says he is planning on making his final decision. The 6’2, 185 pound senior to-be has offers from WSU, BSU, UW, Mississippi State, Oregon State, Colorado State and Idaho. More are sure to come down the line, but for now Washington State’s looking good to land him after they had a great visit with him and it would be a huge coup for the Cougs.
Of course a lot can happen between now and the end of the cycle and Rypien will have every opportunity to either decide to wait it out or change his mind somewhere in the process, which is why a lot of fans are skeptical when it comes to this time of year in recruiting. Nothing is set until signing day, we found that out even two years ago when second-year freshman Tyler Bruggman was almost schmoozed away by Arizona State at the last minute.
However as Mike Leach pointed out to us last season, quarterbacks (especially the higher profile ones) are the one position that do tend to commit early and stick it out. The reason is usually that the bigger schools and especially coaches like Leach like to generally get their one guy and once the spot is filled they sit on him. With nearly every other position outside of kicker/punter, teams are looking for anywhere from three to six guys to come in, which really makes it easy to wait it out a bit longer unless a school you’re really serious about starts filling up quickly.
For what it’s worth, incoming freshman quarterback Peyton Bender decided on Washington State last year on March 30 and never wavered. Bruggman was a mid-June commit in 2012 and he too stuck with Leach. That’s a pretty good track record so far for a coach that’s known for getting his guy and keeping him, regardless of the star-rating or other teams that are after them.
Rypien is of course the nephew of former Cougar legend and Super Bowl XXVI Champion Mark Rypien. Brett’s junior year he tore up the GSL, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 57 touchdowns. He is rated 4-stars and the 6th best quarterback in the country by both Scout and ESPN.