Washington State began retooling its running back room in the spring when the Cougars picked up a commitment from Wisconsin transfer Nakia Watson. Now, the position group will be even deeper when co-starters Max Borghi and Deon McIntosh inevitably leave after the 2021 season.
Djouvensky Schlenbaker, a three-star running back from Squalicum High School in Bellingham, announced his commitment to the Cougars on Monday, becoming the fifth overall commit and second in-state commit in the class of 2022.
"Get ready, I've got some big goals to knock off in the future wearing grey and crimson," Schlenbaker wrote in a tweet. "I can't wait to get on the field."
Schlenbaker's held an offer from WSU since May of 2020 and chose the Cougars over a few other Pac-12 schools including in-state rival Washington. His other offers included California, Colorado, Virginia Tech, Air Force and Nevada, according to 247Sports.com.
It's unclear who'll replace Borghi and McIntosh at the top of WSU's depth chart come next football season, but the Cougars now have two more options than they did in February with the addition of Schlenbaker, who becomes the first high school running back to commit to the program under second-year coach Nick Rolovich.
According to 247Sports.com, Schlenbaker is a top-10 overall prospect in the state of Washington (No. 15) and he's considered the nation's No. 34 rated running back.
During Squalicum's spring 2021 season, the big, bruising Schlenbaker rushed for 1,046 yards, eclipsing the mark in the final game of the season with 246 yards and three touchdowns on just 22 carries. In two seasons with the Storm, Schlenbaker has rushed for 3,430 yards and should crack Whatcom County's top-10 this fall.
