One of the most amazing things going on concerning Husky football right now is the recruiting class they are assembling for 2008. After the Arizona loss I honestly thought this class was going to get away. If it had it would have been curtains for this program for another four years because this is a cornerstone recruiting class.
The last cornerstone recruiting class by the way is graduating this year, and it was the last recruiting class assembled by Rick Neuheisel. These big 25-28 man classes set benchmarks that last half the decade.
The news that Redlands Chris Polk had given Willingham a verbal commitment was big news last night. Polk is a kid that will start classes on January 7th. That means Washington will have three top freshmen receivers on campus this Winter, Spring, and Summer which will give the receiving corp a huge boost in 2008.
Chris Polk literally came out of nowhere because there wasn't a lot of fanfare or information after his visit. UW, and the Polk family really kept things private on this one so the verbal was a true surprise to the fanbase.
The verbal was a coup that echoes up and down the West Coast because Ty stole a top player that Pete Carroll covets. That doesn't happen every day, and Washington is also in good position to poach some top talent from UCLA if Dewayne Walker isn't named head football coach. They might even be able to poach Walker.
One of the biggest reason Willingham got his fourth year was because of the way this recruiting class was developing. I don't know what is going to happen on the football field next year, or if Ty will win enough games to save his job, but this class gives the UW a very sound foundation for the future just in a nick of time.
How does this class rate with past classes over the last decade? Well I sincerely think that if they finish up with the linemen remaining on the board it may be one of the best since the days of Lambo, and James. Hindshight is 20/20, but this class should be much better than the one that brought in Reggie Williams, and Charles Frederick. This class is developing a lot of balance, it has effectively put a fence around the state, and it fills the teams biggest needs.
We have four kids left to fit in this class, and there is room for one more kid that they can count back toward the 2007 class. Two are going to be offensive linemen, one is going to be a defensive end. The last one or two may be surprises. Keep an eye on some soft verbals to UCLA. S Woods and CB Hester come to mind.
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12 comments:
John,
Have you seen the article at dawgman.com and from The Advocate (http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/preps/12457956.html), the Baton Rouge newspaper? Seems like Roussel has committed.
I did see that this afternoon, and it is good news, the kid can play. He needs a year in the weight room, and he needs to work on his speed, but he is a real hard nosed football player like Paul Homer is.
JB, great article. I agree with the whole thing except on why TW kept his job. I heard before it happened and after that TW was to be let go by ME. ME had already made the decision and then got a phone call by the NCAA. The NAACP had called ME but I believe him when he said he did not meet with them. After that conversation with the NCAA and references to the UCLA firing we shut it down. I have heard rumors of who initially contacted the NAACP but I do not know if they are true. So good for TW on the recruits. A truly good job. That though was not why he kept his job.
Ah contraire....Middleton and Kearse had a huge impact. Much bigger than the NAACP.
I like your stuff JB and you can think what you want but you are wrong on this.
What does anyone know about Tyrone Ward. Statitically speaking he looks awesome, but then it seems that he has off field issues. Didn't know if anyone had any info on him...can't imagine wasting a Schollie on a WR that has issues and because they have brought in some top WR talent already. Whats your thoughts?
I don't think they are recruiting Ward anymore...in fact I doubt that they will take another receiver unless that receiver can get in early like Polk.
Carroll, Decastro, and Thompson are the top three priorities left on the board.
It seems like DeCastro is a glimmer in Ty's eye now. Seems to still be high on Stanford. I would love to see them get the LB from Bonaventure Panupa (butchered his name). Big Middle Linebacker size kid that could be a great pick up.
Do you think Ward would still come to UW as a walk-on? It seems as though he has great atheletic ability and size.
Ward as a walkon? I think he would have other offers from other schools he would take first. Not sure if his legal problems would put him in a situation where he wouldn't at least get a MAC offer.
Dadco....I could be wrong, but when I was sitting with Chris, and Kim over in Hawaii we felt there was around a 99% chance Ty was coaching his last game. When we heard about Middleton and Kearse we did a double take. I don't think it was the ultimate influence on why Ty kept his job, but it made an impact. I heard the same stories you have by the way and agree with your take, I just think the recruiting made the decision easier for Emmert once the flak came up.
Panapa? I think that need was filled with Roussel.
Ty and Denbrock meet with DeCastro and his family today.
Panapa has great size at 240 for the middle linebacker position and Rousell will be the weakside linebacker. They need 2 linebackers in this class to help on the Def side of the ball. If your right and DeCastro isn't lost then by all means pick him up. I just like recruiting Linebackers and runningbacks. They have the most potential to play other positions if a need arises.
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