WSU Football | Wulff likes his first class, even if it lacks star power

The sprint to build a recruiting class has ended for new Washington State coach Paul Wulff, and his staff and he are confident that future years will be smoother.

Wulff, who was named Cougars coach Dec. 11, announced a class of 24 recruits Wednesday and said some of the new players were found "in cracks" where they had slipped past other schools. He also said many players fit the "under-the-radar" label.

Despite its shortage of pedigrees, Wulff said he likes the class of 19 high-school players and five junior-college transfers.

"We feel we have some great young players who will fill holes, which is what this program desperately needs. ... The type of guys we feel are going to compete and be here for five years," he said.

Wulff said future recruiting will be easier.

"I think our ability to recruit from here on out is going to be outstanding," said Wulff, who said his assistants are "phenomenal recruiters."

He said his staff already has made scholarship offers to some high-school juniors for the 2009 recruiting class.

WSU had only three commitments when Wulff was named coach. He said his staff had to scramble because other schools had established solid relationships with prospects.

As expected, this recruiting class is ranked last in the Pac-10 by Scout.com and Rivals.com. The class announced Wednesday has only a handful of players who were pursued by other Pac-10 schools.

Wulff said he made a point to recruit several players who can switch positions if necessary.

"The thing you'll notice in our class is that the majority of these guys are multiple-position players," said Wulff, who said he wants to be able to plug holes caused by injury or academics immediately.

Four recruits are listed as tight end/defensive end. Some might become offensive linemen.

Wulff said upgrading the defensive line and secondary were recruiting priorities.

The only four-star recruit is junior-college defensive tackle Bernard Wolfgramm.

One of the most intriguing recruits is Andrei Lintz, a Soviet-born tight end-defensive end from 1A Meridian High School outside Bellingham.

"He has the potential to be one of the better players in the Pac-10 if all things fall into place," Wulff said. He noted that Arizona State recruited Lintz (6 feet 4, 220 pounds) aggressively after he had orally committed to WSU.

Wulff agreed that quarterback Calvin Schmidtke of Lakes High School isn't 6 feet as listed but said "height shouldn't be an issue" in the new offense WSU will install. Wulff also noted that Jason Gesser was about the same size as Schmidtke.

Receiver Cory Mackay of Eastlake High School originally committed to Washington to play linebacker but was persuaded to switch to WSU to play wideout. Wulff said he normally doesn't like to pursue players who have committed to other schools but said he had built a relationship with Mackay when he was coaching at Eastern Washington and wanted to make his pitch.

The class has several good students and even an Eagle Scout — offensive lineman Alex Reitnouer of La Canada, Calif.

Wulff said the Cougars may sign one or two more players.

Notes

• Wulff explained that safety Myron Beck, junior-college transfer who prepped at Ingraham High School, is a walk-on and not a scholarship player. Another JC walk-on already enrolled is Easton Johnson, a wide receiver from Feather River College in California who played at Hazen High School. Johnson tied a state record as a running back in 2005 when he gained 471 yards against Renton.

• Wulff confirmed that punter Darryl Blunt, suspended by ex-coach Bill Doba, is no longer a Cougar.

• Spring football drills begin March 17.