PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State has added defensive back Chad Davis Jr, defensive lineman Lamonte McDougle and quarterback Gardner Minshew to the 2018 roster, head coach Mike Leach announced Thursday.
Davis Jr. (6-2, 190) is originally out of Mainland High School in Daytona, Fla. and played the 2017 season at Independence Community College (Kan.). Davis Jr. signed a financial aid agreement to join the Cougars this fall as a true sophomore and will have four years to play three seasons. This past fall at ICC, Davis Jr. appeared in 10 games and made 19 tackles, including three pass breakups while playing with fellow Cougar signee wideout Calvin Jackson Jr. As a senior at Mainland HS in 2016, Davis Jr. tallied 54 tackles, including 14 for loss, with five sacks and one interception.
McDougle (5-11, 295), played the 2017 season at West Virginia where he earned Freshman All-America honors from ESPN.com. He appeared in all 13 games and recorded 23 tackles including four for loss with two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The Pompano Beach, Fla. native attended Deerfield Beach High School (with Cougar linebacker Kendrick Catis), where he earned 3A All-State first-team honors as a junior and was rated the ninth-best defensive tackle in Florida. McDougle’s dad, Stockar, played on the offensive line at Oklahoma (1998-99) including the 1999 season under then-offensive coordinator Mike Leach. McDougle’s uncle, Jerome McDougle, played at Miami before enjoying a successful career with the Philadelphia Eagles. Due to NCAA transfer rules, McDougle will sit out the 2018 season and be eligible to play for the Cougars in 2019 as a redshirt-sophomore.
Minshew (6-2, 220) played the past two seasons at East Carolina where he threw for 2,140 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior in 2017 after appearing in seven games a sophomore in 2016. Minshew earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from ECU in December and will arrive at WSU as a true senior graduate transfer. Prior to ECU, the Brandon, Miss. native played the 2015 season at Northwest Mississippi CC where he led the Rangers to a NJCAA National Championship as a freshman after throwing for 3,288 yards and 28 touchdowns.
