Roh excited by Washington State offer

Jake Roh won't play it cool by saying the scholarship offer he received from Washington State on Sunday afternoon was expected. He admits to being taken off guard. After all, the Cougar coaching staff had been in limited contact with the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral linebacker before it invited him to join the program. Still, there's something to be said for a pleasant surprise.

"It's been a good day," Roh said a few hours after wrapping up his conversation with Washington State assistant Eric Morris. "I sent them my tape a couple months ago, and they said they were full at my spot. But I sent my mid-season senior tape about four days ago. I guess they watched that and decided, 'we need go ahead to offer this guy.'"

Roh had all the usual nice things to say about Morris, who is spearheading his recruitment. But the Cougars' most important weapon in this situation might not be a coach at all. Just minutes after things became official, Washington State's gun for hire put in a call.

See, on top of being Mike Leach's next quarterback, WSU commit Tyler Bruggman is also a long-time friend of Roh's. He wasted no time making his pitch.

"I actually just got off the phone with Tyler," Roh said. "He was telling me all about it. He was talking about Leach and how cool the coaches are. He was really hyping up the program. He was telling me to go there."

For now, though, Bruggman and Leach will play from behind. Duke remains the solid favorite in Roh's recruitment. That said, the Blue Devils' top billing is subject to change.

"Duke is still No. 1, but I'm definitely going to look at Washington State," Roh said. "Just talking to coach Morris, I really feel like they are trying to change things over there. Plus, Tyler is going there."

Roh plans to take an official visit to Duke following the season, but could make his way to the Washington State campus sometime before that. Suddenly, it seems as though the Blue Devils, while favored from the start, will have to work if they hope to land the 6-foot-3 senior.

"I am definitely going to take a visit to Washington State," Roh said. "I'm excited to check that out. I don't have a date yet or anything, but I'm going to go."

In addition to Duke and Washington State, Roh holds offers from Arizona and Oregon State. His older brother, Craig, currently plays linebacker for Michigan.