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Son of ex-Viking, Vandal Cox among Idaho's signees

From news services | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 12 months AGO
by From news services
| December 19, 2019 12:00 AM

MOSCOW — Idaho announced the signing of 11 players to letters of intent on Wednesday, including the son of a former Coeur d’Alene High and Vandal great.

“We got three offensive linemen, a quarterback, two safeties, a corner, a defensive end, a fullback/tight end, a linebacker and a really fast athlete. Our assistant coaches and our players, when we brought these guys on campus did a great job. It’s a really good class,” Idaho coach Paul Petrino said. “We’ll keep adding to it, probably another six to eight guys, but it’s a really good start. A good class, a lot of places where we had needs, and people that we wanted to get. Now let’s continue to work hard and finish out this class.”

Jake Cox, a 6-foot-3, 226-pount tight end from Coronado High in El Paso, Texas, is the son of Mike Cox, who starred at Coeur d’Alene High and at Idaho in the 1980s. Jake Cox caught 11 passes in a run-heavy offense last season, finishing the year with 127 yards and two scores. He also carried the ball 21 times, averaging 4.8 yards per attempt on the season. Cox also mixed it up on the defensive side of the ball, recording 39 tackles as a senior. Mike Cox is the defensive coordinator at UTEP.

Chad Bagwell, (6-6, 311, offensive lineman) joins the Vandals after two seasons with Sierra College in Rocklin, Calif. There, he earned All-NorCal first team honors as a sophomore, helping the Wolverines to a 7-4 record. Prior to Sierra, Bagwell played for Lincoln High.

Jory Dotts (6-5, 294, offensive line) played regionally at Colville High. He led the team to the 2018 Washington Class 1A state championship, earning first team all-league honors as an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman. Dotts followed that up with a repeat performance in 2019, earning first team All-NEA on offense and defense.

Fa’Vae Fa’Avae (6-0, 225, linebacker) played two seasons for Washington State. He redshirted in 2017, then made six tackles over 10 games the following year. Last season, Fa’Avau made four tackles, including one sack, in limited action over seven games. Prior to his time at WSU, Fa’Avau competed for national powerhouse Mater Dei. There, he led the Trinity League in sacks as a junior, posting 12.5.

Greyson Harwood (6-3, 269, offensive line) competed for Minico High in Rupert. He helped lead Minico to an 8-3 record as a senior. Harwood twice earned all-conference accolades.

CJ Jordan (6-3, 189, quarterback) transferred to Union (Ore.) High for his senior season and was off to a tremendous start before suffering an injury in October. He threw for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns in eight games, while also running for 319 yards and four scores. Jordan and the Titans were 5-3 prior to the injury. Jordan began his high school career at Clackamas (Ore.) High.

Zach Krotzer (6-3, 230, defensive end) played four years at Shadle Park High in Spokane. He led the squad to a 5-5 record, earning Greater Spokane League 3A Defensive MVP honors. He also earned All-GSL 3A first team honors as an offensive lineman.

Tommy McCormick (6-1, 184, wide receiver/safety) joins the Vandals after an impressive prep career at Churchill County High in Fallon, Nev. He caught 58 passes for 929 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior, helping lead the Greenwave to a 10-2 record. Defensive, McCormick averaged better than six tackles per game and recorded nine tackles for loss on the season. McCormick joins his older brother, Sean, on the Vandals.

Jabarii Pharms (5-11, 176, safety) played for Stagg High in Stockton, Calif. There, he averaged 13.5 tackles per game as a senior, helping to lead the squad to an overall record of 7-5. Pharms also competed in basketball at Stagg.

Chauncy Smart (5-8, 164, athlete) joins the Vandals after spending two years at the University of Miami running track. A sprinter, Smart transferred to Miami to focus solely on track, after originally committing to University of South Florida to play football. In high school, he was ranked No. 1 in Florida in the 100-meter dash after winning the event at the 3A state championship in 2017. Smart played both running back and cornerback in high school.

Arnell Walker (5-11, 170, cornerback) last played for Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep in 2018, helping lead the team to a 9-2 record. He recorded 44 tackles on the season. Walker also mixed it up as a running back, rushing for 226 yards on 34 carries as a senior. He finished his high school career with nine interceptions.

Washington State: Washington State added 18 players on early signing day, including two that will enroll at the school in January.

Marshawn Buchanan, a 6-foot running back from Victorville, Calif., and Devin Kylany — a 6-foot-5 offensive lineman from Lake Stevens, Wash. — will join the Cougars when the spring semester begins next month.

Among the prep signings — quarterback Jayden de Laura from St. Louis High in Honolulu, who completed 228 of 319 passes for 3,452 yards and 29 touchdowns this season; and wide receiver Joey Hobert, son of former Washington Huskies quarterback Billy Joe Hobert.

Eastern Washington: The Eagles signed 14 high school players. In addition, Arizona State transfer Ely Doyle will join the Eagles as a safety and will be eligible to play as a sophomore in 2020.

The signees include an Idaho prep standout — quarterback Shane Jennings, a three-time all-state selection from Gooding.

A full list of signings can be found on Scoreboard.

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