West Rusk’s Tyree Wilson Adds Houston + Tulsa To Offer List

Tyree Wilson has his fourth and fifth college football scholarship opportunities in four days thanks to a bite Wednesday from Houston and Tulsa.

The Cougars and Golden Hurricane programs are the 12th and 13th from the NCAA Division I FBS ranks to offer the rising senior linebacker and Washington State verbal pledge from West Rusk, who reported the latest development via Twitter. 

In spite of fierce competition with his teammates at the middle level of the defense, as has been the case at West Rusk in recent seasons, Wilson (6-5, 225) was able to record 74 total tackles through his junior year. Thirteen tackles went for loss in an 11-game season that ended with a first-round appearance in the Class 3A Division II state playoffs.

Senior linebacker Jacob Waller recorded a team-best 136 tackles, cutting into Wilson’s stat line.

Joe Wright, who played at Hardin Simmons last season, led all of East Texas in tackles en route to a 3A Division II regional championship game appearance in 2015. Wilson and Waller were starters on that West Rusk team as well.

Houston is hoping to make Wilson at least the second East Texan in its 2018 signing class. It gained a commitment Sunday from John Tyler defensive end and linebacker hybrid Dekalen Goodson and has six other offers out for local soon-to-be seniors aside from Wilson.

Major Applewhite took control of the Cougars program between the 2016 regular season and a Las Vegas Bowl loss after two seasons as Houston's offensive coordinator under Tom Herman.

Applewhite joined the Cougars after five seasons at Texas and a one-year hiatus from coaching upon Mack Brown's retirement. He served as the Longhorns co-offensive coordinator his final three seasons in Austin.

Alabama previously enlisted Applewhite's services as offensive coordinator for the 2007 season after two years of positional coaching at Syracuse and Rice. That was Nick Saban's first year as the Crimson Tide's head coach.

Houston was home to 1988 Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware and has produced seven consensus All-Americans in its history.

Tulsa, coached by Philip Montgomery, recorded a 10-3 record last season after defeating Central Michigan in the Miami Beach Bowl. Two of its losses came against ranked Ohio State and Houston teams.

Navy served as the Golden Hurricane’s third loss. The Midshipmen’s two-point win cost Tulsa a chance to appear in the American Athletic Conference championship game as the West Division’s representative.

Wilson, like all college football prospects currently in their junior year of high school, will become eligible to sign with any program that offers him in December.

2018 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

• Tre Allison, John Tyler, OLB, 6-0, 200 — committed to SMU; additional offers from Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (7)
• Chance Amie, Tyler Lee, QB, 6-3, 190 — offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, Houston, Iowa State, New Mexico, North Texas, Rutgers, Southern Miss, Syracuse, Tulane, ULL, Virginia (17)
• Xavier Benson, Pleasant Grove, LB, 6-0, 200 — offers from Arkansas State, Army, Memphis, North Texas, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, ULL, ULM, Wyoming (12)
• Drake Centers, Tatum, OL, 6-4, 295 — offers from SMU, Texas State (2)
• Kylar Cooks, Liberty-Eylau, OL, 6-5, 250 — offers from Arkansas State, North Texas, Texas State (3)
• Kris Dike, Van, OL, 6-6, 283 — offers from Colorado, Houston, North Texas, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Tulane (7)
• Dekalen Goodson, John Tyler, DE/OLB, 6-2, 215 — committed to Houston; additional offers from Mississippi State, SMU, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (6)
• Trae Hall, Henderson, QB/ATH, 6-3, 185 — offers from Florida Atlantic, New Mexico State, Tulane, ULL, ULM (5)
• Conner Henson, Harmony, OL, 6-4, 250 — offers from ULL, ULM (2)
• Chasen Hines, Marshall, OL, 6-3, 340 — committed to LSU; additional offers from Arizona, Baylor, Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, North Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Rice, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech (16)
• Tevailance Hunt, Texas High, WR, 6-2, 180 — committed to Kansas; additional offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Memphis, Nevada, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Southern Miss, Tulsa (14)
• Dewaylon Ingram, Carthage, WR, 6-0, 160 -- offer from Arkansas State (1)
• Keaontay Ingram, Carthage, RB, 6-0, 198 — offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, UTSA (27)
• Malik Jackson, Lufkin, WR, 5-8, 165 — offer from Arkansas State (1)
• Kameron King, Marshall, OL, 6-3, 270 — offers from North Texas, Tulane (2)
• DeMarvion Overshown, Arp, S, 6-4, 196 — offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, LSU, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, SMU, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Stanford, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, UTSA (30)
• Jonathan Shepherd, Kilgore, WR, 6-3, 196 — offers from Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Kansas State, ULM, New Mexico, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas State, Texas Tech (13)
• Tyree Wilson, West Rusk, LB, 6-5, 225 — committed to Washington State; additional offers from Houston, Kansas, Memphis, Oklahoma State, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Tulane, Tulsa, ULL, ULM, Wyoming (13)