Of all the twists and turns the Eastern Washington University football team has had to endure the last 10 months during a pandemic, recruiting a slew of "creative" high school players was at or near the top of the list.
 
Another five high school players will join the Eastern football program and play for the Eagles next fall, head coach Aaron Best announced Wednesday (Feb. 3) on the first day of the NCAA's February Letter of Intent signing period.  Previously on Dec. 16, the Eagles announced 17 new additions, including 16 who signed national letters of intent and one as an invited walk-on who has been admitted and confirmed attendance at EWU.
 
The five new additions in February include a pair of signees, plus three who are invited walk-ons. Three of the five are offensive linemen, and Eastern also signed an in-state linebacker and defensive end. In all, four of the new additions are from Washington, giving Eastern a total of 12 among the 22 new players set to arrive at EWU next fall.
 
"We did most of our work prior to the first signing day," said Best, whose team will begin the winter/spring season on Feb. 27 at Idaho. "That was our intent knowing the season was going to be moved to the spring, which is really our winter. We wanted to tie up as many loose ends as we could on Dec. 16, knowing we would have a few things to address once we got to the third of February."
 
The offensive linemen include 6-foot-6, 245-pound local product Dane Anderson out of Central Valley High School in Spokane, Wash. His father, Chris Anderson, was a NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (then I-AA) All-America center in 1995 for Eastern Illinois where he also earned second team Academic All-America accolades.
 
The others offensive linemen 6-2, 270-pound Bailey Price from Woodinville (Wash.) High School and 6-4, 250-pound Dean Abdullah from Antelope (Calif.) High School.
 
"We filled a few more holes up front," said Best.
 
The linebacker signed was Shane Aleaga, who is from Burien, Wash., and will graduate from Kennedy Catholic High School. The class is rounded out by defensive end Gabriel Johnson from Bothell (Wash.) High School.
 
"Shane was somebody we recruited for the last couple of months," said Best. "He's a Washington product and comes from great football bloodlines. We feel like we signed two good ones at linebacker – one early and another in this signing period."
 
Best said the recruiting process was made more difficult by the fact most high schools – including those in Washington – did not play last fall, and most players did all their learning remotely. In the absence of organized team activities, Best saw the creativity of the recruits shine through, which is a trademark of Eastern's program to "go above and beyond" what is expected.
 
"I would have never thought in a million years that somebody could use a broom stick and cement in five-gallon buckets to do squats," said Best. "What they do is nothing short of amazing. They used what they had in the moment and got something out of it."
 
"They've taken it upon themselves to be creative – some are absolutely amazing," he added.
 
 
More Comments from Head Coach Aaron Best . . .
 
On Five New Additions: "We felt we had relationships with a few offensive linemen, so that was the main need in this second signing period. We are excited about them all, and four of the five are from Washington. We like keeping players in-state year-in and year-out so they can play in front of their family and friends. All of them are great people and good students."
 
On Recruiting Priorities for Late Period: "One was the offensive line, and we like the three players we are adding. One has position flexibility and two have bodies to play at tackle. We also wanted to sign a linebacker, and Shane gives us an in-state linebacker who was recruited by multiple schools. We're excited about his addition. And Gabe Johnson is a defensive end who has a high motor, and you can't teach that. It's contagious – you get on the phone with him and you leave the phone conversation with more energy than when you started. We're excited about those additions."
 
On Self-Motivation: "It's huge and that's addressed here even at a normal time. There are mandatory workouts, meetings and lift sessions, and to me it's not about those who show up for what is mandatory. It's about the above-and-beyond players who will get more out of the orange when they squeeze it. That certainly holds true to a lot of the players we've recruited. They've sent us workout videos and some have trainers. They are doing things on the weekend and aren't just doing school-related workouts. Top to bottom, these guys did a great job when most of them had their fall seasons pulled away. Are you going to be inactive or get active in different ways? Sometimes that starts with a plan – you execute the plan and then you evaluate it. They did a great job staying with it even though their minds were in a million different spots over the last 10 or 12 months."
 
On Chance for Recruits to Play a High School Schedule Before Arriving at EWU: "All in all, they are excited to get here. We're excited to maybe see some high school football unfold this spring, and because they've already signed it's weird in that situation. But we want to see them compete at the high school level if given the chance before they permanently come to Eastern in August."
 
 

EWU's 2020-21 February Signing Class (Feb. 3, 2021)

 

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown / High School
Dean Abdullah	OL	6-4	250	Antelope, Calif. / Antelope HS '21
Shane Aleaga	LB	6-1	210	Burien, Wash. / Kennedy Catholic HS '21
*Dane Anderson	OL	6-6	245	Liberty Lake, Wash. / Central Valley HS '21
*Bailey Price	OL	6-2	270	Woodinville, Wash. / Woodinville HS '21
*Gabriel Johnson	DE	6-4	220	Bothell, Wash. / Bothell HS '21

*Walk-on who has been admitted and confirmed attendance at EWU.
 
Pronunciations
Abdullah – Ab-dull-uh
Aleaga – Al-ee-ah-guh


 

More on December Signing Class . . .

 
The list of 17 new additions announced in December included a trio of wide receivers and five defensive backs, with a particular emphasis on the Tri-Cities in the state of Washington. The Eagles signed three players from Kamiakin High School in Kennewick, and another multi-talented player from Pasco.
 
In all, eight of the 17 players are from high schools in Washington, with five from California, two from Utah, one from Arizona and one from Oregon.
 
"We haven't replaced seniors with a signee -- we look two years in advance," said Best. "We felt like we were top heavy at the safety position with upperclassmen now. We had some individuals we recruited who we felt were players we really liked on the field and did their work off the field, and their families were awesome in the process.
 
"There was no need to pass up players and wait until 2022," he continued. "It just worked out that we would sign a lot of defensive backs. We need players who can play man coverage, tackle and play fearlessly. We needed to make a statement at that position that we are going to be better and we would create more competitive depth. It starts in fall of 2021 with these players we bring onboard."
 
The three players signed from Kamiakin were all offensive juggernauts for the Braves back in fall of 2019 when they last played. Tuna Altahir was an All-State running back, Woodley Downard earned first team All-MCC honors as a wide receiver and Messiah Jones, signed by EWU as a tight end, earned honorable mention All-MCC as a WR. Altahir was the league's offensive MVP.
 
Eastern already has three Kamiakin graduates in its program – offensive guard Wyatt Musser, cornerback Darreon Moore and wide receiver Champ Grayson.
 
Additionally, the Eagles signed Desmian Licon from Pasco, Wash., as a defensive back. He earned a trio of first team All-MCC honors as a wide receiver, defensive back and returner.
 
It was the second time in the last four years the Eagles have signed three players from the same high school in the same recruiting year. In the 2018 class, Eastern signed wide receiver Freddie Roberson, wide receiver Anthony Stell Jr. and cornerback Darrien Sampson – all current Eagles. Eastern also signed three from Pasco HS in 2002, a trio from Mead High School in 2001 and three from Renton HS in 1992.
 
"It's not often you sign three players from the same school, so it was fun to watch their film because every down one of those guys was making a play," said Best. "We couldn't be prouder of all four of them for EWU to be their next stop, just two hours away from where they lived, attended high school and played football. We're happy to continue those inroads to the Tri-Cities."
 
The Covid-19 pandemic affected recruiting in a way Best has never seen before. Instead of on-campus and in-person recruiting, schools adjusted to virtual means of communications and a seemingly endless and changing stream of regulation.
 
"A lot of people kind of wondered how it would go – not just for us but in general," Best explained. "The NCAA rules and regulations seemed to come out every two weeks in terms of interpretations, adjustments and time frames. We tried to stay with the theme of being creative proactively. We stayed old-school with some of our approaches – phone calls are always the best calls in my opinion. Obviously, Facetime helps this day and age and Zoom works very well with multiple people on at the same time.
 
"But we wanted to be ahead of things instead of being reactionary," he continued. "You couldn't go off campus and they couldn't come to campus, so it came down to the way your creative juices were flowing that day, that week and that month. (Recruiting coordinator) Marc Anderson, (assistant) Pat McCann and (assistant) Allen Brown did a great job of attacking this process in a lot of different ways. We had a lot of different ideas and did it at a high clip for the better part of 7 1/2 months."
 
 
More Comments from Coach Best:
 
On Receivers Signed: "Coach (Pat) McCann probably used his best maneuvering to talk us into more receivers than we expected to sign. He has a point though – we need more because we are a productive offense and we are going to stay productive. We have to have more players to develop that production with. Three is what we came out with, and we are very excited, privileged and honored that they want to be a part of our football family. We couldn't pass up a player who was going to make us better on the field."
 
On Kamiakin Connection: "We commend coach (Scott) Biglin for what he's done there and get that program rocking and rolling. We're excited about bringing in even more Kamiakin Braves to our program. It's not very often we've had three players in one class from the same school. All three of the players we signed are very athletic and very long, and two are basketball players. They are gifted, not just as athletes but as people. They are close to one another and we're fortunate we became their destination after high school."
 
On Desmian Licon: "Desmian was one Coach (Allen) Brown had his eyes set on early. He plays both ways and can help us in the return game and special teams units. He can play man coverage, he's fearless and is a hard worker – he just has a knack for the football offensively and defensively."
 
On Recruiting Length & Position Flexibility: "We really focused on position flexibility and we wanted length – you can't teach that just like you can't teach speed. When a player can play bigger than his size, that's constitutes length as well. Recruiting players with the possibility of being position flexible is something we've always coveted. But we put a little more emphasis on that into this class. It was easy to see on film, but it was more challenging because we didn't see them in person. We found players who were open to both sides of the ball, and that made them a little more coveted to us more than maybe a one-trick pony."
 

EWU's 2020-21 Early Signing Class (Dec. 16, 2020)

 

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown / High School
Tuna Altahir	RB	6-0	215	Kennewick, Wash. / Kamiakin HS '21
*Ronald Davis	DB	5-11	190	Federal Way, Wash. / Federal Way HS '21
Woodley Downard	WR	6-2	195	Kennewick, Wash. / Kamiakin HS '21
Isaiah Howard	WR	6-2	185	Fresno, Calif. / Clovis West HS '21
Josh Johnson	WR	6-3	190	Los Angeles, Calif. / San Pedro HS '21
Messiah Jones	TE	6-6	240	Kennewick, Wash. / Kamiakin HS '21
Desmian Licon	DB	6-0	175	Pasco, Wash. / Pasco HS '21
Joseph Obeto	DB	5-10	190	Covina, Calif. / Charter Oak HS '21
Armani Orange	DB	6-0	180	Moreno Valley, Calif. / Rancho Verde HS '21
Shane Schwake	OL	6-8	290	Eugene, Ore. / Sheldon HS '21
Sean Skladany	DE	6-3	215	Gig Harbor, Wash. / Peninsula HS '21
Davante Smith	RB	5-10	180	Ventura, Calif. / Pacifica HS '21
Daniel Taumoepeau	DE	6-0	195	Daly City, Calif. / Westlake HS (Utah) '21
Emilio Veater	LB	6-1	195	Wellsville, Utah / Mountain Crest HS '21
Chad Vidican	DT	6-2	270	Renton, Wash. / Hazen HS '21
Kekoa Visperas	QB	6-0	190	Spanaway, Wash. / Bethel HS '21
Kentrell Williams Jr.	DB	5-10	180	Chandler, Ariz. / Chandler HS '21

*Walk-on who has been admitted and confirmed attendance at EWU.
 
Pronunciations
Altahir - All-tuh-hear
Desmian Licon – Dez-me-on Lee-cone
Obeto - Oh-bet-oh
Schwake – Shh-walk-ee
Veater – Vee-ter
Vidican – Vid-ih-cun
Kekoa Visperas – Kay-koh-uh Vi-spare-us
Skladany – Skluh-day-knee
Taumoepeau –Tau (like the beginning of "ouch")-moy-pay-ow
 
 

 Bios of February Additions

 
*Walk-on who has been admitted and confirmed attendance at EWU.
 
 

Dean Abdullah

 
Coach Aaron Best on Abdullah: "Dean is a very position-flexible player on the offensive line. We believe he can play all five positions. He's an absolute workout warrior, and gets up early each and every day to get a workout in. By the time I get up he already has his finished. He's been true to that throughout the course of the pandemic – he's gotten into a routine and has stuck with it. He's very personable and will fit in well with his offensive line teammates here. He's well-rounded as a person and on the football field. We'll probably start him outside as a tackle – we feel he has the length and athleticism for that position. We think he'll be a really good one."
 
HS: Will graduate in 2021 from Antelope High School. Was listed as a two-star recruit by 247 Sports. He earned honorable mention CIF All-State honors and first team All-Sac-Joaquin Section honors in 2019 for the Titans. He was the Capital Valley Conference Lineman of the Year and was also a first team all-league selection for the second-straight season. Abdullah had 52 pancake blocks on offense, and on defense registered 26 tackles and had two tackles for loss (one a half-sack), a pass broken up and a quarterback hurry. He helped his team finish 6-6 overall and 4-2 to finish third in the league. His team advanced to the CIF Division III playoffs and beat Ponderosa 29-28 in the first round before falling in the second round. Was coached in high school by Reggie Harris. Also competed in basketball and track and field in high school.
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in engineering at Eastern. Born 2/28/03 in Sacramento, Calif. Parents are Ahmed Abdullah and Nadyah Tayeh.
 
 

Shane Aleaga

 
Coach Aaron Best on Aleaga: "He'll be an inside linebacker for us and is cut out to play in the box. He'll play from C-gap to C-gap and is well-studied in the football world coming from a football family. He's a physical presence, but also a very intelligent football player on the field. He plays with great angles and sees things before they develop. And he'll hit you when he gets there if you have the ball in your hands. Those are all the characteristics we are trying to find in our linebackers. We feel we've signed two good ones. And having Shane be from within the state is a huge bonus for us in somebody with the caliber of his play."
 
HS: Will graduate in 2021 from Kennedy Catholic High School. Was listed as a two-star recruit by 247 Sports. He earned first team All-North Puget Sound League honors as a junior in 2019. He helped his team win the NPSL title as he recorded 80 tackles (8.9 per game), four tackles for loss and one sack in nine games. He helped the Lancers to an 11-1 record and a No. 1 seed in the State 4A Playoffs. Kennedy Catholic beat Wenatchee 49-20 in the first round before having its unbeaten season ended with a 55-42 loss to Woodinville. With 27 tackles as a sophomore, he had 107 tackles (7.6 per game) in the 2018 and 2019 seasons combined. Was coached in high school by Sheldon Cross. Also competed in basketball in high school.
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in business at Eastern. Born 11/19/02 in Burien, Wash. Parents are Ink and Kelli Aleaga. Nickname is "Sugar Shane."
 
 

*Dane Anderson

 
Coach Aaron Best on Anderson: "He's long, athletic and raw – and could even be called pliable and moldable. He didn't start playing football until later on, and we were intrigued. We've had several of those types of players over the years. He's a local product coming from Central Valley, and we're excited about his opportunity. He's watched our games so he knows about the tradition we have – not only as a program but as an offensive line. His father was an All-America center at the FCS level, so he comes from a football family. He's a relentless skier as well, so he's a multi-sport athlete in football, basketball and skiing. We really enjoy the ceiling he has. He has a lot of growth potential, not just from a physical standpoint but from a mental standpoint as an offensive lineman. Being local, long and the desire to be coached are the ingredients to become a very fine offensive lineman here at Eastern. We're excited about his addition to our program."
 
HS: Will graduate in 2021 from Central Valley High School. Was listed as a two-star recruit by 247 Sports. Anderson helped lead Central Valley to a 7-3 record (3-2 in the Greater Spokane League) in the 2019 season. He finally settled in as an offensive tackle at CV after previously playing as a wide receiver, tight end, safety and defensive end. Was coached in high school by Ryan Butner. He also played basketball for the Bears, and helped the school to a State 4A runner-up finish. He was a near 4.0 student in high school, with a 3.95 grade point average through 2020. Eastern has had a long line of Central Valley graduates in its program, including current player Aaron Williams ('18).
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in engineering at Eastern. Born 3/18/03 in Dayton, Ohio. Parents are Chris Anderson and Josie Moore. His father was a NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (then I-AA) All-American in 1995 as a senior center at Eastern Illinois. He also earned second team Academic All-America honors and was a first team All-Gateway Football Conference selection. The Panthers finished 10-2 overall and 5-1 in the Gateway in 1995, and fell to Stephen F. Austin 34-29 in the FCS (I-AA) Playoffs. Listed at 6-foot-5, 281 pounds, he was originally from Kaukauna (Wisc.) High School. He was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2016 and was a 1991 graduate. He redshirted at Eastern Illinois in 1991 when EWU traveled to Charleston, Ill., and fell to the Panthers 30-12 in the lone meeting between the two schools.
 
 

*Gabriel Johnson

 
Coach Aaron Best on Johnson: "Gabe has a high motor, is very physical and is an active football player. The first thing that stood out on video is that he never came off the football field, but never changed speeds. It didn't matter if it was special teams, defense, first quarter or fourth quarter. He pushes go and stays on the entire game. He's a fearless player and comes from a winning program in our State. He's wired to play, wants to play and is eager to play. The opportunity to play at Eastern Washington was something he coveted. We're excited about his presence. He's also a captain on the track and field team, so he has leadership qualities we like to see. He has a great upside and will come off the edge for us as a defensive end. We'll put some additional weight on him, but his motor is second to none. He plays the game the way it's meant to be played from the snap through the whistle. We're excited to be able to coach him, and high motors are contagious. That's a great trait to have."
 
HS: Will graduate in 2021 from Bothell High School. Was listed as a three-star recruit by 247 Sports. In January of 2021, he was named by the Seattle Times as a "White Chip" selection as one of the top 100 prospects in the state of Washington. Earned first team All-KingCo league honors as a junior and second team accolades the year before. He helped lead his team to the championship game of the State 4A Playoffs in 2019 after advancing to the quarterfinals the year prior. The Cougars finished his junior campaign with an 11-3 record and won the 4A KingCo Crown Division title with a 4-0 mark. After beating Skyview (38-17), No. 1 seed Kennedy Catholic (55-42) and Woodinville 31-21 in the playoffs, the Cougars fell to Camas 35-14 in the title game. The previous season, Bothell finished 9-3 overall and was the runner-up in the KingCo Crown Division with a 4-1 record. The team beat Chiawana 40-14 in the State 4A Playoffs before falling to Union 49-35 in the quarterfinals. Was coached in high school by Tom Bainter. Also competed in track and field in high school.
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in athletic training at Eastern. Born 12/18/02 in Seattle, Wash. Parents are Leon and Sarah Johnson. Nickname is "Gabe."
 
 

*Bailey Price

 
Coach Aaron Best on Price: "He comes from a winning program at Woodinville. They've been a participant in our team camps in the past, and we've had our eyes on a lot of their players for quite some time. We've had a great run of Woodinville talent added to our roster in recent years. We think he'll be an inside offensive lineman and think his natural position will be center, but we'll see as we go along. He has great instincts and he's committed to work out. He's dedicated, especially during these times of being at home and not seated in school. His family is incredible, and his father is the principal at Bothell High School. There is actually a little bit of a rivalry in the household, so that's a fun one. Bailey has been coached well and has won a ton of games. We're excited to get Bailey and his potential on board. He's as excited about us as we are about him – I think it's a natural connection. We look forward to seeing the start of his journey and where he ends up going. He has a chance to be a good one."
 
HS: Will graduate in 2021 from Woodinville High School. Was listed as a two-star recruit by 247 Sports. Earned second team All-4A KingCo League honors as an offensive lineman in 2019. He helped the Falcons finish 11-2 overall and 3-1 in league play as the runner-up in the KingCo. Woodinville beat Skyview 38-17 in the quarterfinals of the State 4A Playoffs, then upset No. 1 seeded Kennedy Catholic 55-42 in the quarterfinals. Their season came to an end with a 31-21 loss to Bothell. Was coached in high school by Wayne Maxwell. Eastern has had several Woodinville graduates join its program, including current Eagle Cage Schenck ('20).
 
Personal: Interested in majoring in business management at Eastern. Born 10/11/02 in Kirkland, Wash. Parents are Juan and Shannon Price. His father is the principal of Bothell High School.