Jan. 10—PULLMAN — To land their newest commitment, Washington State coaches leveraged a bit of family ties.
The Cougars are adding Missouri wide receiver Daniel Blood, according to a Saturday report from 247 Sports, good for their 19th commitment of the offseason. Blood’s brother, JR, is WSU’s new director of recruiting strategy.
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It’s also a recruiting win for coach Kirby Moore, who got to know Blood during their days with the Tigers. On Friday, Blood made a visit to Iowa State, where former Cougar coach Jimmy Rogers is now the head honcho. But he also previously visited Moore in Pullman, where he will play next season.
Listed at 5-foot-10 and 187 pounds, Blood spent three years at Missouri, totaling 15 catches for 152 yards. He appeared in 35 games: 10 as a true freshman in 2023, 13 in 2024 and 12 last season, making five catches for 51 yards in his final season in Columbia. He was never at the forefront of the Tigers’ receiver rotation, but he saw a handful of snaps in each game.
In his snaps on offense, Blood usually found himself in the slot, where he was able to use his speed. His best game last season was a two-reception, 39-yard effort against Kansas, which included a 26-yard catch. He spread his other three catches across three more games.
Blood is a native of Destrehan, Louisiana, which is on the outskirts of New Orleans. In his time at Destrehan High, he was a three-star prospect, earning offers from Tulane, Memphis, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana, Liberty and a handful of others.
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Can Blood get more playing time at WSU? He’ll have to compete for snaps. This offseason, the Cougars have landed two other wideouts from the portal: Florida’s Tank Hawkins and Oregon State’s Darrius Clemons. Plus, speedy receiver Tony Freeman recently re-signed with the Cougars, creating a bit of congestion at that position. Blood will have to earn his way.
Blood’s addition also highlights what seems to be Moore’s strategy in the portal: find Power Four athletes who didn’t get a chance to secure meaningful playing time at their previous schools and give them a shot at WSU. Of the Cougs’ 19 portal additions, seven come from the P4 ranks, including players like Hawkins, Arizona cornerback Jshawn Frausto-Ramos, Arizona State safety Jack Bal, Arizona defensive end Eduwa Okundaye and Cal defensive tackle Ike Okafor.
Will that approach pay off for the Cougars? It may be too early to tell, but all of these guys seem to be oozing with potential, which is what Moore seems to be banking on. To land Blood’s commitment, he may have gotten an assist from his brother.
