Joel Dublanko camped at Washington State last summer and it paid off.

The 2016 linebacker from Aberdeen, Wash., had a great workout, got to spend a lot of time with the coaching staff and the Cougars just offered him.

Since Dublanko has already spent time with the coaches - especially position coach Ken Wilson - the sophomore linebacker definitely has interest in Washington State moving forward.

"When I was a t camp this past summer I had a very good workout with the coaches especially coach Wilson," Dublanko said.

"As the workout continued I could tell he was my kind of coach, a great teacher and a high-energy guy. He talked to my dad and me after and said that he really wanted me to come to WSU and play for him.

"We also met with coach (Mike) Leach and spent lots of time after the camp with coach David Yost. Because of our great time at camp this past summer and because I really loved coach Wilson we decided to come out for a game."

Dublanko, who also has offers from Akron, Mississippi State and Montana, made his way to Pullman for a game earlier this season. During that trip, the 2016 recruit met with the Washington State coaches and things went very well.

"When we got there we met with coach Wilson and coach Yost and coach Yost said that we should check with coach Wilson because coach Yost thought they had an offer for me," Dublanko said.

"So a few days after the game my dad called coach Wilson to talk to him about a few things and during that conversation coach Wilson told my dad that they were offering me.

"I am pretty excited because it was my first Pac-12 offer and I really feel a great connection with coach Wilson. I got to watch him coaching first-hand and he is a real players' coach. You can tell how passionate he is for the players and how much he loves his guys."

UCLA, USC, Washington and others have been showing a lot of interest as well in Dublanko, who said he definitely likes the offer from Washington State but doesn't plan to rush a decision.

"I can absolutely see myself playing for coach Wilson at WSU but there is a long way to go and I am excited for the whole recruiting process," Dublanko said.