The Idaho Vandals, who drop from FBS to FCS next season, announced the signing of 12 athletes to letters of intent on Wednesday, the first day of the new early signing period in college football.

Among the signees are Connor Whitney of West Valley in Spokane, who the Vandals recruited as a safety.

The class includes five offensive linemen, two defensive linemen, two defensive backs, one linebacker, one running back and one wide receiver. Six signees come from junior colleges and six from the prep ranks.

“We brought in a good mix of experienced guys who are ready to play at this level, as well as some high school guys who will compete right away,” Idaho coach Paul Petrino said. “This class is another example that we will go wherever it takes to find the best Vandals, but it was also great to get Connor Whitney, who we think is the best player in Spokane.”

The early signing period runs through Friday. The regular signing period begins Feb. 7.

Washington State: The Cougars signed 18 on Wednesday, and coach Mike Leach called it the best class since he joined the program for the 2012 season.

The new recruits include four-star quarterback Cammon Cooper of Lehi, Utah.

The Cougars also signed four-star receiver Rodrick Fisher from East Valley High in Spokane.

According to 247Sports.com, this class ranks fifth in the Pac-12 and 38th nationally. It has eight offensive players, nine defensive players and one athlete who can play on both sides of the ball.

Cooper, who is 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, is a record-setting quarterback who led Lehi to a state football championship. Leach called him the best quarterback in the country this year.

Boise State: In addition to signing tight end Cole Ramseyer (Coeur d’Alene), Broncos coach Bryan Harsin signed 18 others on Wednesday.

The other signee from Idaho was nose tackle Keeghan Freeborn from Rocky Mountain High in Meridian.

The balanced class includes 10 offensive and nine defensive student-athletes. Included on the offensive side are five wide receivers, two offensive linemen, two running backs and a tight end. Defensively, Boise State signed three linebackers, two each at cornerback and nose tackle, a defensive end and a STUD.

Eleven of the signees are from California.

Eastern Washington: The Eagles signed seven high school players, as well as a transfer from Navy.

The lone area signee was offensive lineman Risone Ama of Mt. Spokane.

Idaho State: The Bengals signed six high school seniors, including offensive lineman John Perko of Gonzaga Prep, and a pair of players from 3A Gooding — linebacker Sam Funkhouser and safety Ruger Jennings.

Washington: In addition to quarterback Colson Yankoff (Coeur d’Alene) and tight end Devin Culp (Gonzaga Prep), the Huskies signed 16 other players.

The class is led by wide receiver Marquis Spiker from Murrieta, Calif., and a pair of quarterbacks: Yankoff and Jacob Sirmon from Bothell, Wash.

The rankings mattered little to Huskies coach Chris Petersen, who joked he hoped his class ranked “85th” in the country. Washington’s class is ranked 11th by 247sports.com and tops in the Pac-12.

Spiker is ranked among the top 10 wide receivers in the country and set the California state record for touchdown catches with 72.

Another big coup for Washington was getting linebacker Brandon Kaho from Reno, Nev. He had appeared headed for BYU.

Montana: The Grizzlies signed 15, 14 of them from high school. Nine of the incoming freshmen are from Montana high schools.

Montana State: Third-year Bobcats coach Jeff Choate, the former Post Falls High football coach and athletic director, added 16 players, including seven Montana athletes and four mid-year college transfers.

Choate’s son, Jory, a Class AA first-team all-state defensive end at Bozeman High, committed as a preferred walk-on.