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Jan. 23—PULLMAN — Jimmy Rogers isn’t done flipping recruits to his new school.
Washington State landed five high school commits on Wednesday, three of whom were previously committed to Rogers at South Dakota State.
They are linebacker Sullivan Schlimgen, athlete Erimus Wright, kicker/punter Adlai Lounsbury, and offensive linemen Trevor Bindel and Dylan Hildebrand. The last two are Rogers’ first prep recruits who were not previously committed to SDSU.
That makes 14 high school recruits for Rogers, who has also welcomed 20 players from the transfer portal, including 16 from South Dakota State.
Scholarship limits are changing in college football beginning this season, increasing from 85 to a maximum of 105, but the Cougars’ new additions help fill the voids left by the 37 players from last year’s team who are departing via the portal.
If there’s one position group at which WSU has improved most , it might be the secondary, particularly safeties. The Cougars are experiencing nearly a full makeover at that spot. Incoming are SDSU transfers Tucker Large, Cale Reeder and Matthew Durrance, all of whom are veterans. Cornerback Colby Humphrey, another veteran, also makes for a promising addition to WSU’s secondary.
Gone are former WSU safeties Adrian Wilson (transferred to Arizona State), and graduates Tanner Moku, Tyson Durant and Jackson Lataimua (portal), all of whom showed flashes but struggled for the most part. Combined with former defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding’s schemes, it’s one reason the Cougars finished the season allowing 270.5 passing yards per game, No. 124 of 133 FBS teams nationwide.
Now that the transfer portal has closed again for WSU — set to close on Dec. 28, it reopened for 30 days on Dec. 19 after former coach Jake Dickert exited the program, following NCAA rules — the only players the Cougars can add are from the high school ranks. Because prep recruiting all but wrapped up in the Dec. 4-6 early signing period, almost all the high school players Rogers has landed were previously pledged to him at South Dakota State.
Rogers likely won’t enjoy the same kind of opportunities to transform players his predecessors did, though. Because of the House vs. NCAA settlement that paves the way for schools to begin directly sharing funds with players, FBS rosters are capped at 105 players — WSU’s 2024 roster included 122 — eliminating the incentive to carry walk-ons. Several recent Cougars have flourished after starting as walk-ons, including linebacker Kyle Thornton, kicker Dean Janikowski, defensive lineman Bryson Lamb and wide receiver Lincoln Victor, who played from 2019-2023.
Instead, WSU and every FBS club will be incentivized to put all players on at least partial scholarship, removing one way the Cougars have squeezed the most out of teams of the past. In an interview last month, athletic director Anne McCoy said Rogers will have a pool of $4.5 million to use as he sees fit on scholarships, institutional NIL, revenue sharing and more.
The players the Cougars will use that on became clearer Wednesday.
Schlimgen, the No. 3 overall recruit in South Dakota, turned down offers from Texas Tech, Army, Air Force and a handful of FCS clubs to become a Cougar. He took an official visit to Texas Tech last summer, but that’s around when he committed to the Jackrabbits.
In three seasons at O’Gorman High in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, he totaled 247 tackles and totaled more than 2,500 offensive yards with 29 touchdowns, earning first-team all-state honors on two occasions. He also picked up two all-state honors in baseball, started on his basketball team and holds the third-fastest 100-meter dash time in school history.
“Sullivan is a very smart and explosive playmaker,” Rogers said via release during the early signing period. “He has the self-discipline, toughness and work ethic to be the next great linebacker at SDSU.”
Wright, who also plays nickelback, also fielded offers from Ole Miss, Michigan State, Buffalo, Kent State, Miami (Ohio) and Northern Illinois before committing to Rogers at SDSU. At 6-foot and 185 pounds, Wright had 50 tackles and totaled 20 touchdowns on offense as a senior at Hillcrest High in the Chicago area, where he earned first-team all-state honors in 2024.
“Erimus is an explosive football player who plays with great speed and physicality,” Rogers said via release. “He also has great instincts and feel for the game. There is no question that Erimus will be a game changer.”
Wright played two full seasons of varsity ball at Hillcrest, where he also played running back, giving the Cougars some versatility.
“Definitely a leader by example, but a guy that relates to the rest of the team when needed,” Hillcrest coach Kyran Weaver told the Chicago Tribune in 2023. “He’s willing to do everything he’s preaching and that we’re preaching as a staff. It’s always great to have a guy who can be that role model from a visual standpoint. Also, when somebody needs a one-on-one, that push and that motivation or even being consoled, he’s available for that.”
Lounsbury, who CougFan.com reported is the first WSU player to receive a partial scholarship under the new rules, manned kicking and punting duties at Van Meter High in Adel, Iowa, about 25 miles outside of Des Moines. As a kicker the past two seasons, he received first-team all-state honors, and he picked up a first-team all-district nod at punter last year.
A part of three straight state championship teams at Van Meter from 2021-23, he combined to connect on 11 of 13 field-goal attempts during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, hitting a long field goal of 54 yards.
Lounsbury joins SDSU transfer Jack Stevens and junior college transfer punter Dylan Mauro as kickers WSU has added this offseason.
Bindel (6-5, 285) took home a slew of awards after his senior season at Liberty High, in the Kansas City, Missouri, metro — first-team all-state, first-team all-conference and first-team all-district. He also fielded offers from FCS schools Missouri State, Central Arkansas, North Dakota, Northern Arizona, SEMO, Southern Illinois and UT Martin, plus a preferred walk-on offer to Kansas State.
Bindel, an interior offensive lineman, did not have a star rating on 247 Sports.
Finally, the three-star Hildebrand turned down offers from New Mexico, Ball State, Northern Illinois and FCS clubs including SDSU, SEMO, St. Thomas and Western Illinois to pledge to WSU. Listed at 6-4 and 300 pounds, Hildebrand fashions himself a tackle.
“In pass protection, Dylan does a great job using his frame and length to his advantage,” Prep Redzone Wisconsin reporter Mark Johnson wrote last summer.
“He uses his long arms to land accurate strikes that stop or redirect his pass rusher. Dylan has solid agility and change of direction, but his length allows him time to recover if he does get a step behind.”