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Huskies ‘feel very strongly’ about 2019 recruiting class
DoogCourics
Member Posts: 5,739
From the Athletic:
But don’t roll your eyes just yet. Because when all is said and done, the Huskies’ 2019 recruiting class could be remembered as one of the best — and most important — to come through Montlake in a long time.
It’s currently ranked as the consensus 17th-best group in the country; that’s one spot behind last year, which was the best ranking Petersen has had in five-plus years as UW’s coach. But this still feels like a step forward. The Huskies did, after all, sign more blue-chip (read: four-star or better) prospects than they did in the 2018 class, adding 14 compared to 10 a year ago. And they added young, talented depth where they need it the most, signing four defensive linemen and four inside linebackers, both positions that relied heavily last season on now-departed seniors.
The importance of this class, though, goes beyond the simple fact that it’s rated so high. It’s also noteworthy because the Huskies engaged in and won recruiting battles for those touted prospects against some of the nation’s top programs, a trend they must continue if they are to better compete with those teams when they face them on the field.
A sampling:
• Four-star defensive tackle Jacob Bandes, a consensus top-100 prospect from Pittsburg (Calif.) High, chose UW over national champion Clemson.
• Four-star outside linebacker Laiatu Latu, from Carmichael (Calif.) Jesuit, chose the Huskies over USC, Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame, among others.
• Four-star defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele, a consensus top-100 prospect from Honolulu St. Louis and the West’s top-rated defensive tackle, had the following top five: Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas and Washington.
• Four-star cornerback Trent McDuffie, from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, also had offers from, among others, Alabama, USC and Florida before signing with the Huskies.
• The offer sheet for four-star Kapolei (Hawaii) High offensive lineman Julius Buelow included Notre Dame, Oregon, Florida and many others.
Wednesday, the Huskies added two four-star prospects who were sought by some of the nation’s best. Asa Turner, a four-star safety from Carlsbad (Calif.) High, nearly switched his UW commitment to Notre Dame during the early signing period in December, but UW coaches were able to swing him back to the Huskies’ side and secured his signature Wednesday morning.
Four-star linebacker Daniel Heimuli, a consensus top-200 prospect from Menlo Park (Calif.) Menlo-Atherton, announced at a ceremony at his school that he, too, would sign with the Huskies. The other hats on the table: Alabama and Oregon, which had the Pac-12’s top-ranked recruiting class.
Ultimately, Washington signed nine of the top 50 players in California, per the 247Sports Composite. Eight are four-star prospects, and the ninth, three-star safety Cameron Williams from Bakersfield (Calif.) High, had offers from USC and Oregon, among others. For comparison’s sake, USC and Oregon each signed seven of the top 50, Arizona State five, Stanford four and UCLA one; California didn’t sign any. And while the Huskies signed only three players from the state of Washington, that group includes Graham-Kapowsin quarterback Dylan Morris and Seattle Rainier Beach offensive lineman Nathaniel Kalepo, the top-ranked players in the state.
“We just feel really good about these kids,” Petersen said. “I think you go down this list, and you can make a case for why we’re so excited for each one of these guys.”
This year, at least, that feels like more than just coach-speak.
WAM!!!!!
But don’t roll your eyes just yet. Because when all is said and done, the Huskies’ 2019 recruiting class could be remembered as one of the best — and most important — to come through Montlake in a long time.
It’s currently ranked as the consensus 17th-best group in the country; that’s one spot behind last year, which was the best ranking Petersen has had in five-plus years as UW’s coach. But this still feels like a step forward. The Huskies did, after all, sign more blue-chip (read: four-star or better) prospects than they did in the 2018 class, adding 14 compared to 10 a year ago. And they added young, talented depth where they need it the most, signing four defensive linemen and four inside linebackers, both positions that relied heavily last season on now-departed seniors.
The importance of this class, though, goes beyond the simple fact that it’s rated so high. It’s also noteworthy because the Huskies engaged in and won recruiting battles for those touted prospects against some of the nation’s top programs, a trend they must continue if they are to better compete with those teams when they face them on the field.
A sampling:
• Four-star defensive tackle Jacob Bandes, a consensus top-100 prospect from Pittsburg (Calif.) High, chose UW over national champion Clemson.
• Four-star outside linebacker Laiatu Latu, from Carmichael (Calif.) Jesuit, chose the Huskies over USC, Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame, among others.
• Four-star defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele, a consensus top-100 prospect from Honolulu St. Louis and the West’s top-rated defensive tackle, had the following top five: Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas and Washington.
• Four-star cornerback Trent McDuffie, from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, also had offers from, among others, Alabama, USC and Florida before signing with the Huskies.
• The offer sheet for four-star Kapolei (Hawaii) High offensive lineman Julius Buelow included Notre Dame, Oregon, Florida and many others.
Wednesday, the Huskies added two four-star prospects who were sought by some of the nation’s best. Asa Turner, a four-star safety from Carlsbad (Calif.) High, nearly switched his UW commitment to Notre Dame during the early signing period in December, but UW coaches were able to swing him back to the Huskies’ side and secured his signature Wednesday morning.
Four-star linebacker Daniel Heimuli, a consensus top-200 prospect from Menlo Park (Calif.) Menlo-Atherton, announced at a ceremony at his school that he, too, would sign with the Huskies. The other hats on the table: Alabama and Oregon, which had the Pac-12’s top-ranked recruiting class.
Ultimately, Washington signed nine of the top 50 players in California, per the 247Sports Composite. Eight are four-star prospects, and the ninth, three-star safety Cameron Williams from Bakersfield (Calif.) High, had offers from USC and Oregon, among others. For comparison’s sake, USC and Oregon each signed seven of the top 50, Arizona State five, Stanford four and UCLA one; California didn’t sign any. And while the Huskies signed only three players from the state of Washington, that group includes Graham-Kapowsin quarterback Dylan Morris and Seattle Rainier Beach offensive lineman Nathaniel Kalepo, the top-ranked players in the state.
“We just feel really good about these kids,” Petersen said. “I think you go down this list, and you can make a case for why we’re so excited for each one of these guys.”
This year, at least, that feels like more than just coach-speak.
WAM!!!!!
Comments
He should be the hottest name on the HC market next season.
I'm not here to bash Jimmy Lake so don't twist
Also a preemptive "lotta twisting going on out here".
I also wouldnt be surprised if marques tries to come back to Washington and Cort too.
Harris of all people has to know what a dumpster fire SC is right now. He’ll
End up there eventually but I doubt he wants to be the guy responsible for coaching this years DB class.
Eventually he will leave, but it won’t be for anything but a good job. The good head coaching jobs are hard to get.