Cougar Recruiting Notebook

WASHINGTON STATE is continuing the trend. Over the weekend, the Cougars became the first Pac-10 school to offer a scholarship to a steak eater from California. This new crimson target is Brandon Tuliaupupu, a 6-2, 275-pound tackle from Claremont. He is the seventh known big body from the Golden State that WSU offered before anyone else in the Pac-10.

Whether WSU ultimately signs any of these kids remains to be seen, but three things are certain:

The Cougar coaching staff is following no one’s lead in its search for talent.

Paul Wulff absolutely loves kids with the frames and feet to project into a number of different positions on either side of the ball.

Being the first school to show a prospect the love is a selling advantage that no one else can claim.

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Tuliaupupu, who also holds offers from Wyoming and Kansas, posted 41 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season.

Other Californians with similar frames and feet who found their first Pac-10 offer coming from Ol’ Wazzu have included 6-8, 245-pound Stephan Nembot of Montclair Prep in Van Nuys; Dylan Wynn (6-2, 235) of Concord’s De La Salle High; Robert Ash (6-3, 245) of Cosummes Oaks High in Elk Grove near Sacramento; Faigame Lopa (6-2, 245) of Grant High in Sacramento; Nathan Falo (6-1, 305) of Inderkum High in Sacramento; and Cody Temple (6-3, 285) of Liberty High in Bakersfield.

THE OLD ADAGE in recruiting circles was that the Pac-10’s Northwest schools look for linemen in their backyard and then head to California to find speed. Looking at the list of known scholarship offers WSU had made so far this recruiting season at cornerback – a position where speed and quicks are king – shows that the old adage may be a little outdated. Of the seven CB offers WSU is believed to have made so far, four are indeed are to Californians, but two are to home-grown kids and one is to Texan Tevin Mitchel.

The two home growns are Ellis Henderson of Skyview High in Vancouver, and Rahmel Dockery of Curtis High in Tacoma.

Besides the Cougs, Henderson lists offers from Air Force, New Mexico State, Idaho and Montana State. Dockery also has an offer from Idaho and interest from much of the Pac-10. Washington State already has a verbal commitment from one of Dockery's Curtis teammates, tight end Max Hersey.

Of note: Mitchel, the Texan on the Cougars’ CB list, is not the only defensive back from his school, Legacy High in Mansfield, that the Cougs covet. As noted in a front-page story on CF.C Monday, WSU also has offered Legacy safety/running Ian Simon.

NOTABLE: Garrett Steele, a running back/safety from California, says he plans to hit six Pac-10 schools for one-day camps during the spring and summer, including Washington State. The Cougars' camp runs from June 20-23. Another notable out-of-stater who is believed headed to the WSU camp is 6-3, 267-pound tackle Matthew Devereux, the reigning Oregon 4A Defensive Player of the Year and a Marist High teammate of future Coug Logan Mayes.