NOOKSACK - When Nooksack Valley football coach Robb Myhre and his coaching staff saw lineman B.J. Salmonson coming out of middle school, they knew they had something special heading their way.
"We were really excited about him becoming a high school football player," Myhre said after the Pioneers wrapped up practice on Friday, Aug. 26. "Dad, B.J. and his mom were really excited about his basketball career. They saw a really bright basketball career for him. We knew he was a pretty good basketball player, too, but we all thought, 'You have no idea how good he's going to be in football.' At that age, all the skill kids get the credit. The line kids are in the background. But we, as a staff, looked at him as having the potential to be a Pac-10 kid. He had the size then. We knew his future was in football."
Turns out, Myhre and his staff knew what they were talking about.
Salmonson will soon be playing in the newly expanded Pacific-12 Conference, after Myhre announced Friday that his star offensive lineman has committed to attend Washington State University.
"I like the small-town community they have there," Salmonson said in a phone interview on Saturday, Aug. 27. "I like the coaching staff - I really liked everything there."
Salmonson, who was listed at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds entering his junior season in 2010, said he chose the full-ride offer from the Cougars over the University of Washington and the University of Oregon.
Salmonson will not be able to make it official with a National Letter of Intent until the signing period opens Feb. 1. When he does, Myhre said he believes Salmonson will become the first Nooksack Valley football player to sign with an NCAA Division I school.
"That means a lot to me," Salmonson said. "I was really excited when Coach Myhre told me that I'd be the first to go D-I. It was kind of a shocker, but I'm really happy that I can do that."
When he arrives in Pullman next year, Salmonson will become the fourth player from Whatcom County and the fifth former Northwest Conference player on the WSU roster, joining tight end Andrei Lintz (Meridian), defensive back Casey Locker (Ferndale), receiver Blair Bomber (Lynden) and kicker Andrew Furney (Burlington-Edison).
Salmonson's older brother Jessie, who used to play alongside him on Nooksack Valley's line, also is entering his sophomore year as a student at Washington State this fall.
"It helps a lot to know guys there," Salmonson said. "I liked that my brother is going there."
Salmonson said he plans to major in physical therapy, "or something of that sort."
He will likely play left tackle for the Pioneers this year. Last year he helped the team rush for 1,968 yards, accumulate more than 4,000 yards of total offense and advance to the Class 1A state quarterfinals a year after helping them to the state semifinals.
He said he expects to play center or guard in college.
"B.J. is a big, strong kid that can move," Myhre said. "A lot of schools were looking at him. What they saw on film was a kid running down field, and on his way downfield he's knocking three or four guys over while still having someone behind him. He was able to stay ahead of our back ... We're pretty excited for him, but it means he's gotten to be a senior too fast. We could still use a few more years out of him. I can't believe we only have 10 games left with him - a couple more if we make the playoffs. It's been fun to watch him develop."
Reach David Rasbach at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or 360-715-2271.
