Versatility

pat_hm

I'm pleased with this class. It wasn't flawless by any means. There were a few let downs. We missed on some guys and got beat out by more established programs. Nonetheless, this group helps boost UW's overall depth while also contributing a handful of elite level prospects. Seven of the seventeen signees were Top 300 guys. If you go by average star rating UW secured a 3.47 good for 17th, tied with UCLA. Southern Cal was #1 overall with a 3.90 rating. Last year UW had a 3.21 average. Encouraged to see that improve despite our win total. I like that every player who committed to Petersen followed through and signed.

The DB's highlight an impressive defensive group. Love, Murphy, Gilchrist & Rapp are all very talented and give us four more sturdy additions to the secondary. Throw in Myles Bryant for free. Great haul by Jimmy Lake. Levi Onwuzurike is a monster. We need more guys like him who can get to the quarterback. Preferably from Texas. Amandre Williams is built for this defense. Assuming he's fully healed, Myles Rice also adds more depth to the defensive line. I like the instincts and athleticism at linebacker with Eifler and Wellington. I could see both of them ascending quickly up the depth chart. This is as strong of a defensive class as we've seen in a long time.

I wish I could say the same about the offense. 2016 was an unusually weak running back year in California and the West region in general but UW was able to secure the top guy. The only other top 300 running back from the West was Malepeai who played Helfrich and flipped to USC. Wattenberg is a good get. He'll redshirt along with Harris. Outside of McGrew and Wattenberg there is not a whole lot to get worked up about. They all need to redshirt and get in the weight room. Van Soderberg will replace Durkee at punter.

The most exciting feature of this class is the versatility from Byron Murphy and Brandon Wellington. Two way explosive talents. I would be very surprised if we didn't see Byron Murphy on offense side of the ball at some point in the season. As much as I want to keep him on the defense it makes too much sense for him to get reps at wide receiver given the need for playmakers. Wellington has been the most complete two way player in the state of Washington for a long time and its hard to deny his ability with the ball in his hands. He gets it done. Physically he's ready to go. I'd love to see him handle a couple of series to spell Gaskin. Gilchrist could also develop a role on the offense but he'll start in the secondary. Pleasant is another guy who could potentially move outside if needed. Regardless, they all add value which at the very least continues to build quality depth and special teams. Now go win 10 games.

whatshouldicareabout

pat_hm said:

I'm pleased with this class. It wasn't flawless by any means. There were a few let downs. We missed on some guys and got beat out by more established programs. Nonetheless, this group helps boost UW's overall depth while also contributing a handful of elite level prospects. Seven of the seventeen signees were Top 300 guys. If you go by average star rating UW secured a 3.47 good for 17th, tied with UCLA. Southern Cal was #1 overall with a 3.90 rating. Last year UW had a 3.21 average. Encouraged to see that improve despite our win total. I like that every player who committed to Petersen followed through and signed.

The DB's highlight an impressive defensive group. Love, Murphy, Gilchrist & Rapp are all very talented and give us four more sturdy additions to the secondary. Throw in Myles Bryant for free. Great haul by Jimmy Lake. Levi Onwuzurike is a monster. We need more guys like him who can get to the quarterback. Preferably from Texas. Amandre Williams is built for this defense. Assuming he's fully healed, Myles Rice also adds more depth to the defensive line. I like the instincts and athleticism at linebacker with Eifler and Wellington. I could see both of them ascending quickly up the depth chart. This is as strong of a defensive class as we've seen in a long time.

I wish I could say the same about the offense. 2016 was an unusually weak running back year in California and the West region in general but UW was able to secure the top guy. The only other top 300 running back from the West was Malepeai who played Helfrich and flipped to USC. Wattenberg is a good get. He'll redshirt along with Harris. Outside of McGrew and Wattenberg there is not a whole lot to get worked up about. They all need to redshirt and get in the weight room. Van Soderberg will replace Durkee at punter.

The most exciting feature of this class is the versatility from Byron Murphy and Brandon Wellington. Two way explosive talents. I would be very surprised if we didn't see Byron Murphy on offense side of the ball at some point in the season. As much as I want to keep him on the defense it makes too much sense for him to get reps at wide receiver given the need for playmakers. Wellington has been the most complete two way player in the state of Washington for a long time and its hard to deny his ability with the ball in his hands. He gets it done. Physically he's ready to go. I'd love to see him handle a couple of series to spell Gaskin. Gilchrist could also develop a role on the offense but he'll start in the secondary. Pleasant is another guy who could potentially move outside if needed. Regardless, they all add value which at the very least continues to build quality depth and special teams. Now go win 10 games.

One thing you need to account for is adjusting for class size. Since 2016 was only 17 kids and 2015 was 25 kids, one way to adjust is to look at the top 17 kids of 2015 versus the top 17 kids of 2016 (and just think of the last 8 kids as freebies). If you do that, you see that both classes have the same Scout star average of 3.47, as both classes are 8 4*s and 9 3*s. (however, I will admit that 2016 is much, much better at the top than 2015 as we have 7 of the 8 ranked in the Top 300 whereas 2015 only had 5. Additionally, 2015 only had 1 player in the top 150 whereas 2016 has 5.)

pat_hm

whatshouldicareabout said:

pat_hm said:

I'm pleased with this class. It wasn't flawless by any means. There were a few let downs. We missed on some guys and got beat out by more established programs. Nonetheless, this group helps boost UW's overall depth while also contributing a handful of elite level prospects. Seven of the seventeen signees were Top 300 guys. If you go by average star rating UW secured a 3.47 good for 17th, tied with UCLA. Southern Cal was #1 overall with a 3.90 rating. Last year UW had a 3.21 average. Encouraged to see that improve despite our win total. I like that every player who committed to Petersen followed through and signed.

The DB's highlight an impressive defensive group. Love, Murphy, Gilchrist & Rapp are all very talented and give us four more sturdy additions to the secondary. Throw in Myles Bryant for free. Great haul by Jimmy Lake. Levi Onwuzurike is a monster. We need more guys like him who can get to the quarterback. Preferably from Texas. Amandre Williams is built for this defense. Assuming he's fully healed, Myles Rice also adds more depth to the defensive line. I like the instincts and athleticism at linebacker with Eifler and Wellington. I could see both of them ascending quickly up the depth chart. This is as strong of a defensive class as we've seen in a long time.

I wish I could say the same about the offense. 2016 was an unusually weak running back year in California and the West region in general but UW was able to secure the top guy. The only other top 300 running back from the West was Malepeai who played Helfrich and flipped to USC. Wattenberg is a good get. He'll redshirt along with Harris. Outside of McGrew and Wattenberg there is not a whole lot to get worked up about. They all need to redshirt and get in the weight room. Van Soderberg will replace Durkee at punter.

The most exciting feature of this class is the versatility from Byron Murphy and Brandon Wellington. Two way explosive talents. I would be very surprised if we didn't see Byron Murphy on offense side of the ball at some point in the season. As much as I want to keep him on the defense it makes too much sense for him to get reps at wide receiver given the need for playmakers. Wellington has been the most complete two way player in the state of Washington for a long time and its hard to deny his ability with the ball in his hands. He gets it done. Physically he's ready to go. I'd love to see him handle a couple of series to spell Gaskin. Gilchrist could also develop a role on the offense but he'll start in the secondary. Pleasant is another guy who could potentially move outside if needed. Regardless, they all add value which at the very least continues to build quality depth and special teams. Now go win 10 games.

One thing you need to account for is adjusting for class size. Since 2016 was only 17 kids and 2015 was 25 kids, one way to adjust is to look at the top 17 kids of 2015 versus the top 17 kids of 2016 (and just think of the last 8 kids as freebies). If you do that, you see that both classes have the same Scout star average of 3.47, as both classes are 8 4*s and 9 3*s. (however, I will admit that 2016 is much, much better at the top than 2015 as we have 7 of the 8 ranked in the Top 300 whereas 2015 only had 5. Additionally, 2015 only had 1 player in the top 150 whereas 2016 has 5.)

Good point. Often times a teams rating is a bit inflated by volume. For example, Wisconsin is ranked ahead of Washington but they took 26 guys, 19 of which are ranked 3 stars. I think the 2016 UW class is pretty solid example of quality over quantity.