Another Washington State bound football player opens up recruitment after Dickert takes Wake Forest post

Pittsburg star athlete Jamar Searcy said Cougars' coaching change biggest reason for change of plans
Pittsburg RB/SS Jamar Searcy (28) offers a stiff arm during the Pirates' 28-27 win over Folsom for the CIF Division 1-AA Northern California Regional title on Friday. At Pittsburg High School, 12-6-2024
Pittsburg RB/SS Jamar Searcy (28) offers a stiff arm during the Pirates' 28-27 win over Folsom for the CIF Division 1-AA Northern California Regional title on Friday. At Pittsburg High School, 12-6-2024 / Photo: Ernie Abrea

The ability for Jamar Searcy to change directions on the football field is what truly makes him so covetered.

The Pittsburg (Calif.) senior running back and strong safety has changed his destination point for college, he announced Thursday.

The speedy, hard-hitting elusive 5-foot-9, 185-pound back told SBLive Sports he decommited from Washington State due to the program's coaching change at the top.

Head coach Jake Dickert announced Wednesday he was taking the same job at Wake Forest, which came two days after standout quarterback John Mateer had entered the transfer portal. With such an upheaval in the program — Dickert and Mateer are just two of many — Searcy felt he needed to reopen his recruitment.

Asked if he has any recruiting trips planned, he said" "Not at the moment. I would like to stay wide open."

There's plenty of places who could put him to good use. As many things as he can do on the football field.

He's coming off perhaps his best offensive game, albeit in defeat, a 28-26 heartbreaker to San Diego Lincoln in the CIF State Division 1-AA championship Friday at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.

Searcy rushed 23 times for 196 yards and all four Pittsburg touchdowns, to go along with 5 catches for 67 yards and six tackles. A missed extra point kick and failed two-point conversion with just over a minute remaining did in the Pirates (12-3).

Search finished with 1,667 yards and 22 touchdowns to go along with 37 catches, 367 yards and three more touchdowns. In the regional final, a 28-27 win over Folsom, Searcy was held in check on offense, but came through with 7 tackles, an assisted tackle on Folsom game-winning try on a 2-point conversion, a forced fumble and fumble recovery to end the game.

“He’s electric,” Pittsburg senior quarterback Marley Alcantara said of Searcy “He’ll make anything out of nothing. He’ll shake a dude, run him over, spin. Dude is lightning in a bottle.” 

Searcy has 10 more offers and more are expected now that he's a free agent.

The other 10 are: Cal, Houston Christian, Idaho, Nevada, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, San Diego State, San Jose State, UC Davis and UNLV.

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Mitch Stephens
MITCH STEPHENS

Mitch Stephens is a senior editor at SBLive Sports for California, a state he's covered high school sports since 1984. He won multiple CNPA and CPSWA writing awards with the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and MaxPreps.com before joining the SBLive staff in 2022. He's covered the beat nationally since 2007, profiling such athletes as Derrick Henry, Paige Bueckers, Patrick Mahomes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeremy Lin and Najee Harris as preps. You can reach him at mitch@scorebooklive.com.