Washington State's Shalom Luani went unrecruited out of high school, but made his own luck and followed his dreams all the way to Martin Stadium and beyond
When Washington State defensive line coach Joe Salave’a went out to Faga’itua High School in American Samoa to recruit defensive tackle Robert Barber, he recalls noticing Shalom Luani, a teammate of Barber’s in the 2012 graduating class.
But Salave’a didn’t have a scholarship for a defensive back at the time. In the winter of 2012, as the Cougars’ new staff was assembling its first recruiting class, Salave’a only needed a tackle, which he got when Barber committed.