Pac Ten Alley

When the Rick Neuheisel era began at Washington one of the first things he did was redesign the uniforms which had been previously changed under Jim Lambright.

Lambo had gone back to purple helmets, and the fans hated it. I love Lambo the coach, but if you look at films of what he wore on the sidelines in those days he wasn't exactly a fashion hound.

The first item on Rick's agenda was the return to the traditional gold helmets of the James era. The next thing he did was change the pants to match the helmets. Both changes were applauded by the Husky populace who never really understood why the Huskies yellow gold pants never matched the helmets.

The jerseys redesigned by Nike were less popular as the font for the numbers was changed up. All in all it was a pretty good looking uniform which has a little bit of Colorado, a little bit UCLA, and a lot of traditional Washington.

The next thing on the agenda was freshening up the Husky logo. The W was not tampered with too much, but the Husky Dawg was slimmed down, and streamlined to resemble what many Husky fans began calling the Weasel. Despite the Neuweasel look the new line of apparel developed by Nike outsold the older look by an extremely wide margin.

Ty Willingham hasn't been too concerned with the uniforms since he arrived at Washington. His signature piece was removing the names off of the jerseys for the first two years to build team unity. Husky fans hated it because they could never tell who was playing without a program to check the numbers. UW went back to names on the back of the jerseys last season to help out their middle aged fan base.

Husky fans also began to complain about the affiliation with Nike because Phil Knight the Chairman and founder of Nike is an Oregon alum. Not only is Knight an Oregon alum he is also the schools largest booster, and is credited with helping turn the program around in the 1990's with lots of cash, and free marketing help from the pros's at Nike.

Nike dominates the market for athletic uniforms because they traditionally have given the schools the most money, innovative design, and free equipment over the last twenty years. Working with Nike was good business for Washington, and other schools because Adidas, Champion, and Russell were giving out much less compensation, and frankly their equipment wasn't as good. Like interim Scott Woodward says, whoever gives the school the best deal is acting in the best interest of the University, Nike was giving the best deal.

As we enter 2008 things are changing in the world of college uniforms, firms like Under Armour, Nike, and Champion are stepping things up again to be legit options to Nike, and athletic administrators around the country are taking notice, especially on the West Coast where Oregon/Nike envy reigns supreme among the fan base.

Word on the street is that Washington will have a new supplier in 2009 when the present Nike contract ends. When that new supplier is selected expect the retirement of the Weasel logo after a decade of service to UW.

Ultimately the coaches have the last say on uniforms. Most want a look that is attractive to inner city youth. Oregon has gone this route with lots of success sometimes playing in as many as four different uniforms in a year to pick up style points with recruits. You may not like Oregon, you may think their uniforms look goofy at times, but the kids love them.

Changing things up at Oregon hasn't been that big of a deal because the team nickname is a water fowl for crying out loud, and for years the Walt Disney rendition of Donald has been the logo. Nothing against Donald, but Oregon was a school with little tradition before the 1990's and was a perfect laboratory for change.

I for one like most of the Oregon uniforms they have come up with. I think the home uniforms with the green jerseys, and the tire marks are pretty impressive. The helmets which UW fans call Zero's are a work of art. The automotive enamel they use is just out of this world. Oregon has it going on.

Schools like Washington, USC, Michigan, and Notre Dame for example have lot more tradition going on. You aren't going to see tire tracks on the shoulder pads, it just doesn't fit in with the long tradition established at those schools. They have nationally recognized uniforms, and tradition with minor tweaks, changes over the years. What works usually keeps on working.

One problem at Washington over the past 100 years has been the color purple. The regal color is one of the very toughest to work with, and that by the way is one reason it was reserved for royalty. Purple fades, purple oxidizes, and dark purple works poorly with modern textiles.

With the advent of modern stretch fabrics it has become extremely difficult to master the traditional dark Husky purple. Washington has actually used a lot of Navy over the years to combat that. The Husky teams of the early sixties were in Navy for example. Purple on cotton just wasn't very color fast in the washing machine.

When you look at a current Husky jersey before it is stretched it looks like the purple of the later Jim Owens, and Don James squads. Once it stretches out it becomes much lighter, and Husky fans hate the more lavender like look. Hopefully the new vendor will be able to find a way to return to that darker color that Husky fans crave.

Who is going to be that new vendor?

According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times Under Armour is the leader at this point in the battle to clothe the Husky Athletic department. Under Armour is the new hot kid on the block, and is extremely popular with the current crop of kids getting ready to attend college. My nephew wears it for various sports and says it is just incredible stuff.

Under Armour which started off making sports underwear has caught on big and is now entering the lucrative athletic shoe market which has been dominated by Nike. The strategy of course is to get colleges and pro teams to start using their products, once kids see it on the feet of their favorite players they go to the store and buy it.

Don't count out Nike just yet, if they want the UW business they will write a big enough check.

Impressed with BYU Fans

I did the BYU preview yesterday and we have around 40 responses to the article, and most are from BYU fans. That is really impressive, and it just shows you how excited a fan base can get when you start winning some games. I want to thank all the fans that have responded, and have to say that the BYU crew is a classy bunch!

Pac Ten Alley

Let's take a walk down the coast to see what the neighbors are up to.

Tragedy strikes the Oregon community as Todd Doxey drowns after jumping off a bridge into the McKenzie river. Details are still pretty sketchy at this time. Our hearts go out to our friends in Oregon, and the Doxey family.

You hate to hear about things like this, but it happens in lakes, and rivers across the country each summer. Every day you hear about another kid drowning for one reason or another. You need to respect the water, especially rivers which are very dangerous to swim in.

Back in the days I used to jump off about any cliff, or bridge that I could find. I wasn't one of those maniacs that jumped off the Montlake bridge, but when I jumped at the Arboretuem, or from cliffs on Orcas Island I didn't go head first.

U of O redshirt freshman Todd Doxey, only 19 years of age, lost his life yesterday in a tragic accident on the McKenzie River.

Ted Miller of ESPN interviews Oregon QB Nate Costa.

I feel good. The knee is real solid. My focus this summer is to get back to the level I was at and I'm getting back to that point right now. I'm almost there. I'm 95 percent right now and by fall camp, I'll definitely be 100 percent.

Here is a look at some BYU traditions.

Another tradition is going to LaVell Edwards Stadium--the house that LaVell built. From a 30,000 seat bush league stadium, LaVell inspired the fanbase to build a 65,000 seat stadium that lets us rank in the Top 25 in attendance every year, and Top 5 (sometimes Top 2) in attendance in the West. Further, it is in a setting that is so gorgeous that Mike Tirico said during the Syracuse game in 2002: "[LES] is my favorite place to broadcast a game".

I have to agree with the Oklahoma blog for it's nominee of idiot of the summer. I have a feeling that this guy is going to be coughing up most of his net assets once the lawyers get through with him.

Mr. Idiot is a 36 year old Nebraska fan who lives in Austin, TX, but that isn't what makes him the idiot. No my friends, Mr. Idiot is now Mr. Idiot because after some Sooner fans were talking some smack on a Nebraska message board, Mr. Idiot decided to take drastic measures to show those Sooner fans what's up. Mr. Idiot used his tech savvyness to lift a template of News OK.com, then he wrote and posted a bogus story about how Sam Bradford & Landry Jones were arrested on cocaine distribution charges, then went back and posted the story on the message board.

The ND Domer Report tells us why they are ND fans, and why losing a key player is no big deal.

I'm Irish-Catholic, I went to college and played football at a small Division III school in VA, so my childhood allegiance to Notre Dame remains intact, no one in my immediate family went to college, so I have no family allegiances, Rutgers is a North Jersey school, I hate Temple, and as I get older, Penn State annoys me more and more. Most importantly, though, the place is just special. There's no other place that can offer such religious and football tradition, matched with a mystique that you just can't explain. Plus, their athletes aren't dummies. It isn't like USC, where you can take ballroom dancing (*cough*, Matt Leinart, *cough*) and coast through to the NFL. You have to be a good person and good citizen to make it through."This, my friends, is why I root for and love Notre Dame.

Stanford Preview from USA Today.

Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard is still being remembered for sparking the Cardinal's big upset of USC last year, but that has not guaranteed him of a starting job when the season opens against UCLA.

Arizona needs to get over the loss of Brandon Jennings. I mean c'mon people!

Before the anger comes let me be clear. I feel strongly that what Emmanuel Negedu did was wrong, but a part of me understands it. I think what Brandon Jennings did is also wrong but more foolish than anything and moot if he does not get his test score.

It is ex Cal QB Aaron Rodgers time in Green Bay. Brett Favre is burning some bridges in Packerland.

The Packers now are Rodgers’ team, and the fourth-year passer literally can’t wait until the July 27 reporting date for the team’s training camp at St. Norbert College. “I’m going out there a week early, if that tells you anything,” Rodgers told Yahoo! Sports on Saturday in his first extended interview since Favre requested his formal release in a letter the Packers received Friday. “I’m just excited about that first night’s sleep in the dorms, going out and practicing the next day and all the things that will follow. I knew at some point my time would come, and it looks like we’re getting close to that.”

The Oregon State blog needs to start thinking football, enough baseball already.

Jacoby is having a great second "rookie" season with the Boston Red Sox. Out of all the professional players we've covered, he's probably getting the most attention from Beaver fans. He's hitting .278 on the season with 5 home runs, 27 RBI, and all in 209 at-bats. The most impressive stats, however, are his stolen bases. Jacoby leads the American League in stolen bases with 35, one ahead of Ichiro. Willie Tavarez of the Rockies leads the MLB with 39.

ASU selects Field Turf for new indoor practice facility.

Arizona State University has selected FieldTurf as the playing surface for its new football indoor practice facility. Ground was broken on the state-of-the-art complex this past May and it is expected to be completed by early August. The announcement regarding the FieldTurf was jointly made by ASU Vice President for Athletics Lisa Love and FieldTurf CEO Joe Fields. The new indoor practice facility with FieldTurf will further enhance ASU's reputation as having outstanding athletic facilities. The facility will include 103,500 square feet with a 75-yard practice field (with an end zone) and a 45-yard practice field (with an end zone). The cost for the facility is $8.4 million. Besides giving the Sun Devils football team a climate-controlled venue for practice, the facility will also be utilized by the ASU Marching Band, ASU intramurals and for university summer football camps.

Meaningless answers to meaningless questions at USC. Isn't it about time these guys went on double secret probation?

USC is envied and admired nationally because of its success. More people are aware of USC because of its tradition and the last six years have made this one of the most glamorous programs. When USC plays back east or in the south, the fans have always had respect for the program, whether they base it on the past or the current era. That said, more people also like to see one of the top dogs get knocked off. In the Pac-10, even when USC wasn't great, schools like beating the Trojans because of their years of dominance, so it always meant more to beat USC.

The Bruin Blog has this tidbit about the Washington game. What Nestor and the gang are forgetting is that UCLA isn't going to be very good this year. They have no offensive line, and by the time they play UW they probably won't have a QB. No way does UW lose to UCLA this year unless Willingham is totally incompetent. I can understand the half empty glass scenario, an 0-3 start could mean big trouble. By the way Nestor, Jake is Tebow good!

Unless Jake Locker really is the Tim Tebow of the West, this game should be one of the most manageable for UCLA in 2008. Despite playing all three out-of-conference games at home, Washington will be punished by a schedule featuring Oklahoma, BYU, and Notre Dame. Immediately prior to the UCLA game, the Huskies are facing potential blowout losses to USC and Arizona State. Morale could reach epic depths.

The WSU blog is always an excellent read, and they have lots of great stuff this week, plus a butt kiss to ex PI writer Ted Miller. Ditto from the Husky blog, we love Ted too! We added a link to Ted's blog, and it is recommended reading.

So, with that in mind, Ted, I offer you a one-of-a-kind cyber deal. We finish tenth in the PAC as you predicted and I will perform any reasonable act of self-humiliation and/or homage as you desire on this blog or through any feasible media outlet.

BYU Preview

The "Quest for Perfection" is the goal in Provo this year as the BYU Cougars are primed to make a run at an undefeated season and a BCS Bowl game. Bronco Mendenhall is a name to remember because his name is going to come up next time Washington hires a new football coach.

In 2003 Mendenhall accepted the job to serve as defensive coordinator at Brigham Young University under then-head coach Gary Crowton. After three straight losing seasons, Crowton resigned. After a windmill of events, including the job being offered to former Cougar linebacker and current Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham the Cougars ended up settling on Mendenhall.

In 2005, his first year at the helm, the Cougars finished the regular season with a 6-5 record. They appeared in the Las Vegas Bowl, their first bowl game since 2001, falling to Cal 35-28.

In 2006 Mendenhall altered the 3-3-5 defense he brought from New Mexico, changing to a more conservative 3-4-4 in order to take advantage of BYU's traditional strength at linebacker and to minimize the traditional lack of depth at defensive back. This change resulted in the top-ranked scoring defense in the Mountain West Conference and one of the top scoring defenses in the nation.

Mendenhall also coached the Cougars to their first victory in five years over arch rival, the University of Utah. The team finished the regular season with a record of 10-2 and were ranked in the top 25 of the AP and Coaches polls as well as the BCS standings. The Cougars faced Oregon in the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl on December 21, pitting Mendenhall against Crowton, who then was the offensive coordinator at Oregon. BYU won easily, 38-8.

In 2007 After avenging a loss in 2006 to Arizona, BYU stumbled out of the gate losing two close games to UCLA and Tulsa, both on the road. BYU then ran the MWC table going 8-0 to win their second straight outright MWC Championship. BYU accepted an invite to the Las Vegas Bowl against UCLA. BYU won the game on the final play when BYU's Eathyn Manumaleuna blocked a 28-yard field goal attempt. BYU's final rankings were 14 in both the AP and USA Today polls with an 11-2 record.

Washington recently seems to be scheduling all the top mid majors at the wrong time. Over the last couple of years they have scheduled the likes of Fresno State, Boise State, Hawaii, and now BYU. Each of those teams have come into the Washington contest harboring legit BCS aspirations.

The BYU offense is led by Max Hall who had a good debut season as the starting quarterback for the Cougars, throwing for 3,848 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. If he makes the progress that many signal callers make heading into their second year running the show, the BYU offense will be very hard to stop.

Receiver Austin Collie returned from his mission last year and immediately became Hall’s favorite target. This year should be even better for Collie, but Hall will have plenty of other options. Tight end Dennis Pitta is a superb pass catcher and a nice target in the redzone and Luke Ashworth and Spencer Hafoka both had great springs after coming back from their missions and should compliment Collie at the wideout spots quite well.

On defense replacing a majority of the secondary and a few starting linebackers is tops on the list of things to do for BYU. Corners Brandon Howard and Scott Johnson have some experience, but can they help the Cougar’s play with the likes of UW, and UCLA?

Making matters more disheartening is the loss of linebackers Kelly Poppinga, Bryan Kehl and Markell Staffieri. Those will not be easy guys to replace and that will put a lot of pressure on some inexperienced players. Former tight end Vic So’oto might find himself in a starting role and Matt Bauman has to prove that he is ready for a full time starting position.

While the back eight has some issues that need addressed, the defense has its leader with Jan Jorgensen. As a sophomore, Jorgensen tallied 14 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. As an upperclassman, and one of the more experienced players on the team, he will be asked to be a leader as well as a sack machine. And as long as the front line can get pressure, the secondary will have some time to adjust.

If BYU is going to beat Pac Ten teams and make a run at a BCS bowl they are going to have to fill in the holes on defense.

How do you beat BYU?

You utilize Jake Locker to give an inexperienced defense fits all night. The Cougars haven't seen anything like Jake, and they are going to have a lot of problems with him. Washington should also be able to run the ball on these guys and take up some time of possession. The BYU offense is explosive, but if you keep the ball out of their hands and kill them with long drives you are going to win this game at home.

What do I think?

This is a winnable game, in fact it is a must win game if this team is going to do anything this season. I think Locker will have his way with the BYU defense and UW will win a high scoring game. The BYU offense can put some points up in a hurry so it will be a good test for our young defensive backfield. My opinion has always been that Pac Ten teams should beat MWC, and WAC teams, especially at home. Mark this as a "W" for Washington.

The Monday Morning Wash

Just like Rodney Dangerfield the 2008 Washington Huskies are not getting any respect in the national media. Most of the prognosticators are picking the Huskies to finish anywhere between 10th, and 7th in the conference. The opening lines from Las Vegas have the Huskies starting out the season as a 10 1/2 point underdog to Oregon even though the Ducks are less than settled at QB. Bob Condotta of the Times reports that the spread is likely to be bet up before the game because bettors usually pick the favorites at home to begin the season which makes plenty of sense.

Winning breeds respect, and Washington hasn't won very much since Rick Neuheisel left the program. Washington hasn't beaten Oregon in five years, and what makes the losing streak even worse is that they really haven't gotten fired up to play the Ducks in five years. I have been to every game, and Washington has come out lacking emotion each time. How can you lack emotion when you are playing Oregon?

Last years game was typical, but a RS frosh by the name of Jake Locker willed the Huskies to stick with the Ducks throughout the game till they ran out of gas in the 4th quarter. Locker single handedly picked up the team and made them competitive or it could have been one of the biggest blowouts in Husky history.

You might have noticed that whatever gets written here in the blog now gets edited, and posted over at Bleacher Report. The Oregon preview got an interesting response. One poster responded that UW had to be crazy to schedule the Ducks for opening night in Autzen even though it meant UW was able to pick up a much needed bye during the nations toughest schedule.

I want to know who the idiot is that scheduled the UW vs. Oregon game as the season opener ? I know it was done to obtain a much needed bye during the season but to play the opener against a pac ten team on the road a team of Oregon's caliber is just plain silly . This loss could ruin the whole season . Ty you're sticking you're neck out on this one . As most people think you need some W's and this is a bad place to start . Good luck to you and the 2008 Husky football team ! I have been a Husky fan for 50 years and yes U dub has had some tough season openers but this one takes the cake !

They rescheduled it for two reasons, one for automatic TV money, and two to give the team a much needed bye week later in the season. You would rather open with Idaho, but with a non conference slate of BYU, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma there were not a lot of options. The question should be who was the idiot that put together that brutal non conference schedule?

Thanks for the opinions, but I for one don't agree that opening with Oregon hurts Washington, in fact it is better than playing them later in the year. The best chance Washington has to beat Oregon in 2008 is in the opener when the Ducks are breaking in a new quarterback. The best chance Washington has to be fired up is for an opener on national TV when everyone expects them to lose.

Take away Dennis Dixon from the 2007 Ducks and they went from BCS Championship contenders to the consolation bowl participants. It is a given that whoever starts for Oregon in 2008 will do a better job than Brady Leaf who was ill suited to run the spread offense, but there will be growing pains at Oregon since breakig in a new QB, and new WR's is never easy to do.

Nate Costa is the likely starter for Oregon in the opener, and like Dixon he is a dual threat QB. He would have been Dixon's replacement last season if he hadn't have gone down with a knee injury. Some Oregon fans even think that the Ducks wouldn't have missed a beat on the way to the BCS championship game if Costa was available.

I think Costa will develop fine, but I think it is a stretch based on what we saw this Spring that he is going to step in and run the Duck offense with the efficiency that Dixon did on opening night.

I still am predicting a Duck win, and a ten point margin doesn't seem to be too far out of the realm of possibility, but if the Duck QB makes mistakes UW could surprise. What Bellotti needs to do is control the game on the ground, but his ego is such that he may just have his team come out throwing which would be a mistake in my opinion.

Bridge Program Absentee's

Three incoming players will not be participating in the bridge program. RB Demetrius Bronson, QB Dominique Blackman, and DT Craig Noble all have work to do to qualify for Fall.

Noble needs to retake his California High School Exit Exam. He has passed his SAT, and has the required GPA. Bronson is taking some Summer courses from BYU, and is awaiting results. Blackman's GPA slid this Spring which means that he either has to take a course to raise his GPA, or retake the SAT. All three kids have a great chance of being here later this Summer if they get the work done.

Noble is the only kid who had a realistic shot at playing this year, but the chances are diminished since he may not be here till mid August. If you miss the first two weeks of drills chances are it means a redshirt season which in Noble's case may be a blessing even though he will be disappointed.

Conditioning and Drills

Molly Yanity from the PI has an in depth article on the Huskies off season conditioning program.

Football practices are still more than a month away on this bright June morning. The Huskies don't have a game for 69 days. Yet, here is the majority of the team, scattered between the humid weight room and the adjacent Dempsey Indoor practice facility -- and it's not even 8 a.m.
College football is a 365-days-a-year endeavor -- particularly for a team coming off a 4-9 season -- and for players, getting bigger, stronger, faster and smarter must happen year-round.

Bob Condotta from the Times also had a chance to watch some off season drills at the invitation of Trent Greener.

The conditioning started with about 10 minutes of stretching, then a lot of sprinting and agility drills under the supervision of trainers. One set consisted of 10 different exercises -- 40-yard sprints, 10-yard sprints, backpedals, lateral shuttle-type drills, etc. --- with brief breaks in between.

Both of the beat writers came away with the impression that Washington was making progress in this area, and they feel that this team may be in the best shape of any that have competed for Willingham during his tenure. Take that with a grain of salt because we hear this stuff every year. It was good to hear that Kelani Aldrich has put on some weight because we need the depth at DE.

Ted Miller of ESPN, and formerly of the Seattle P-I is probably the most knowledgeable college football writer in the Northwest. Ted is usually spot on, and this is what he has to say in his blog.

Will Washington and Arizona win enough games to earn Tyrone Willingham and Mike Stoops another year on the job?

The odds are better for Stoops than Willingham for one reason: schedule. Arizona's nonconference schedule -- Idaho, Toledo, at New Mexico -- is set up for a fast start that should help Stoops get to 6 or 7 wins and the program's first bowl game since 1998. Willingham's Huskies, meanwhile, start the season at Oregon, then play BYU and Oklahoma. An 0-3 start could severely damage a team trying to rebuild its confidence.

Who wants to trade schedules with Arizona?

AD Search

The AD search isn't going very well, in fact Scott Woodward will probably stay on as the interim guy through the Winter with a chance of taking over the position permanently.

A couple of things are complicating the search.

1. AD's at other BCS schools are not interested because the job does not pay more than they are currently making.

2. A new AD isn't really interested in coming in to take care of the dirty work required to fire Willingham. When Willingham goes it will make national noise no matter what his record is.

3. Many AD's don't like the way the firing of Todd Turner went down. Don't think for a minute that Todd hasn't been bad mouthing his former employer, this was not a graceful parting.

4. Who wants to start a new job with a mandate to raise $300 million to renovate a stadium for a 4-9 program?

5. UW wants to hire a guy around 50 years old, the viable candidates they have that are interested are in their mid 60's.

Recruiting

Washington is in on some very good athletes, but they do not have a single verbal as of yet. Blame most of it on the lack of a strong in state class, the lack of a local headliner, and a coach who needs to win some games to keep his job. Washington is the only Pac Ten school that has not gotten a verbal yet.

Site Updates

We welcome some new site links this week as we get ready for the 2008 season. You might notice that we added Irish Band of Brothers, and Domer Report to the lineup. Win, or lose the Irish have one of the largest fan bases in the country so there is no lack of information about what is going on in South Bend. We have also added a new blog on Arizona football, and one covering the Oregon Ducks. The House of Heat which was very entertaining last season has not published a new article in quite some time, so I am still looking for a replacement if they don't start publishing again in August.

Oregon Preview

Opening up against the Ducks in Autzen Stadium at night on national TV is not exactly the way you want to start the season with a young team. The Huskies hung with the Ducks by the grace of Jake Locker in Husky Stadium last year, but just plain ran out of gas in the fourth quarter as Oregon played one of their best games of the season. I really thought at that point that Oregon was headed for the BCS championship game, but an injury to Dixon scuttled the season.

Dixon, and Stewart aren't back this season, but the Duck's have plenty of firepower to take it to the next level. Jeremiah Johnson returns and is teamed up with a JC animal RB by the name of LeGarrette Blount. Don't forget Andre Crenshaw who is also more than capable of taking over the position. The Ducks aren't really going to miss JS too much.

It all starts at quarterback, and this is one of the two only real question marks on the team. Will the starter be Nathan Costa, a dual-threat like Dixon, Justin Roper or BYU transfer Cade Cooper? Once the position has been settled, the team should get back to some stability, but look for them to stumble a bit early as the QB gets experience.

The wide receiver unit is a little iffy, and really dependent on how consistent Jaison Williams is. It's that simple. Well, that, and remaining injury-free. Last year Williams' stats were down from the previous year despite being thrown a lot of passes by Dennis Dixon. The Ducks get a possible boost from USC transfer Jamere Holland, another projected starter, and TE Ed Dickson returns as one one of the better TE's in the country this year.

On the offensive line Center Max Unger, an All-American candidate, is back, as well as LT Fenuki Tupou and RG Mark Lewis. The Ducks as usual will have a solid offensive line.

Oregon’s defense could be the strength of this team, as they are returning 7 starters which is surprising for a team that is more concerned with outscoring you, than stopping you.

The secondary will probably be one of the better in the country. They only lost two free safeties, which sounds like a big problem, but it's not, thanks to Rover Patrick Chung. He's First Team Pac-10 and the heart of the D. Throw in Walter Thurmond and Jairus Byrd, the two best corners in the Pac-10, and you have a solid ourfit that will play on Sundays.

Senior DE Nick Reed who led the Pac 10 in sacks with 12 will anchor the defensive line. The team will have two seniors stepping in at the tackle positions, and they will probably go a long way in how this team performs on this side of the ball. While the Ducks look secure on their ends, there is a depth issue on the line. Two JUCO's have been brought in to solidify the tackle positions.

At linebacker the team is pretty set as you will have returning starter John Bacon and junior Kevin Garret on the outside. Where things get interesting is if senior John Bacon can hold off sophomore Casey Mathews in the middle, either way the future is bright with Mathews.

How do you beat Oregon?

You exploit the inexperience at QB, and WR and force them into mistakes that give up some points. Oregon can be beaten, we saw what happened to them when they lost Dixon last season. Well Dixon isn't around, and it is going to take some time for Costa, or whoever to get to that level of proficiency. Oregon's strength on offense is obviously going to be running the ball, you want to get them out of the mode by seizing the lead early and making them play catch up and making mistakes.

What Do I Think?

We are going to have our hands full with these guys, they have the talent to shut our WR's down on opening night which means we have to depend on the legs of Jake Locker, Brandon Johnson, and Chris Polk. I really have to pick Oregon in the opener because all they have to do is hand the ball off and keep it simple on offense. If they keep it simple for Costa to eliminate mistakes they are going to win this one.

The key is Costa, or whoever Bellotti goes with at QB. Washington was able to pace the Duck offense last year for most of the game, if the new QB slows down the Duck offense it could be a close one. UW needs to force the young QB into making mistakes. Getting points off those mistakes is essential.

Special Teams

Special teams have not been very special under Tyrone Willingham, and he did something about it this off season when he fired his special teams coach. To be fair there was improvement last season, and a lot of the improvement that comes from special teams has a lot to do with quality depth that is ready to play and contribute.

Kicking

The Huskies kicked the ball just OK last year. Perkins was good from short range in the FG/PAT department, and Ballman had the best year most of us remember from a punter in quite some time.

This Spring the kicking game was troubling. Perkins is in obvious pain every time he kicks the ball, and every kick is a tick against the clock of his career. If the Huskies are going to improve this season Erik Folk needs to make a move to take over the position. While Perkins proved to be accurate at short distances last season, his range is even more limited this year. It is time for Folk to step up and put the 40 yard or longer FG back into the Husky lexicon.

Ballman didn't look great this past Spring, but it seems to be a trend for him, he didn't look good last year until the games started. He responded by being one of the better punters in the league last year. We have had guys that have kicked longer, so long that they out kicked coverages, but Ballman did a great job of putting the ball almost exactly where you wanted every single time. You have to love that consistency.

The Huskies hope walk on Kiel Rasp from Nathan Hale continues to develop behind Ballman so they can use the scholarship elsewhere.

P Ballman Sr
P Rasp RS
PK Perkins Jr
PK Folk Rs

Return Game

When it comes to returning the football from the goal line Washington was unable to find a new stud last year, so Louis Rankin took the job back over despite being the full time tailback. Rankin was one of the better return men in the conference, and replacing him won't be easy. This spring Curtis Shaw, and Chris Polk, were among the favorites to earn the job in 2008. Both are among the fastest most wiggly guys on the team. Polk has even been compared to Reggie Bush. Husky coaches want to get the ball in Polk's hands next season in as many ways as possible.

Anthony Russo was the guy returning punts last season. He had sure enough hands, but he lacked that extra step to be a consistent return threat. This season the job is wide open once again, and will be missing experienced hands to field the football. Polk, Shaw, and Goodwin seem to be the guys that will compete for the spot. Goodwin had the best hands coming out of Spring, so with his blazing speed perhaps he is possibly the guy.

All of our return guys have the ability to take it to the house, and it will be exciting to see more of that dimension return in 2008.

KR C. Polk Fr
KR Shaw So

PR C. Polk Fr
PR Shaw So
PR D'Andre Goodwin So

Stopping the oppositions return game has been a total thorn in the side of this team under Willingham. If you can drop punt returners in their tracks, and make teams start from inside their 30 yard line when you kick off you are doing your defense, and team a favor.

One thing that really helps in this area is fresh players going up against the oppositions tired players. Washington has been on the opposite side of that equation for most of the decade, and if they are going to achieve the goal of making a bowl game they need to make dramatic improvement here.

Quality depth, and team speed is the key here, and Washington has been developing some quality young depth to help out. The second year players who sat out last season, and the newcomers that play this year are going to be counted on to shore up this area.

When your special teams start making big plays everything starts turning around for you.

Micro Specialties

What do back up QB's do when they are not holding a clipboard? Well the good hands guys are holding on FG's. Ronnie Fouch assumes the role this year from the graduated Carl Bonnell. Bonnell was a very good holder, while Fouch still has some work to do to get his proficiency up. Snapping to him will be a kid that will play on Sundays in Danny Morovick. the NFL puts a premium, on kids that can snap, and Morovick who continues to muscle up is one of the best.

H Fouch RS
S Morovick Jr

Consensus

Don James said Special Teams play contributes nearly one third to the total outcome of any game. UW hasn't been winning many special teams battles, and it shows in the W-L column. Last years fourth quarter loss to UCLA was precipitated by special team collapses brought on by exhaustion, and inexperience which has a lot to do with depth. Gassed players don't make great plays in the 4th quarter.

Quality depth, team speed, and coaching are the three factors that makes special teams special. Washington has improved in all three area's since last season, so I expect a better overall performance in 2008. Experience is lacking at all skill positions despite the overall talent upgrade. Some young guys are going to need to step up to the plate in 2008.

The Future

Willingham is still a year away from refilling his cupboard. He only has 19 players from his first two classes on the roster. The majority of talent the has stockpiled has been in the last two classes.

If Locker is around for his senior year UW will seriously contend for a BCS bowl in 2010.

What we have in 2008 is Jake the sophomore surrounded by better talent, and almost no game day experience at the skill positions. It is year four and this team is still rebuilding. Next years class, and the experience the previous two classes get this season will make this team seriously start contending in 2009.

It all comes together with experience, and this years young players are going to get plenty of it in 2008.

2008 Roster Breakdown

Bob Condotta profiled the 2005 class in the wake of JR Hasty leaving the team last week in his blog. I am following it up with a look at all the classes to give everyone an idea of just how young this team really is despite four years of rebuilding.

One thing I have been saying ever since the blog started is that you win with your third, fourth, and fifth year players.

The Huskies are very young, they only have thirty players that fall into this experienced category.

Fifty-five of the scholarship players on the roster are in their first or second year in the program!

The future obviously started when Jake Locker entered the program, but the 2006 class is now down to only 12 players.

The thorn in Willingham's paw has been the lack of numbers from his first two recruiting classes, and of course the talent, and confusion he took over from the Gilby/Neu era. Make no mistake, he did take over at the lowest point the program has ever been at.

That being said, it is year four for Ty, and all coaches know that they have to win by year four to keep their jobs no matter what the circumstance.

If you want to point to one reason why he may not be around next season take a good look at his first two recruiting classes. Obviously there is talent left, but the overall numbers are way too low. This team won't be mature, and fully rebuilt for another couple of years.

That doesn't mean they can't win, young teams under the right coaching can win, but typically it is your older players that get you there.

Bold type indicates players who have started games at one time of their career, or are projected as a starter in 2008.

2003 Recruiting Class (1) Neuheisel

C Garcia ....Back for a 6th season because of injuries, and he should be ready to play after the first bye week. The prognosis on his foot right now is pretty good which is good news for Husky fans. Expect to hear some good news regarding Juan after the 4th. Observers say the cast is off, and he is walking without a limp.

2004 Recruiting Class (10) Gilbertson

DT Kirton....Mike Belotti recruited him as a DL. Ty recruited him as a TB, and even though after a week it was obvious it wasn't going to work they kept him there. The move to TE seemed like a good fit, but he didn't run very good routes, and had trouble blocking. Kirton is a guy to keep an eye on this summer because if he makes the succesful transition it will really help the DL.
DL O'Connor....Has never seen the field, but started the spring as the #1 DT beside Elisara. After a week he fell back to #3.
FB Kravitz ....A solid #2 FB wigh a history of dings. I would like to see him catch the ball out of the backfield more in 2008. Ty wasn't happy he took off winter conditioning to go to South Africa and demoted him to #3.
OL Bulyca .....Finally hit his stride last season as a starter, but is being pushed by those behind him. He has a bit of nasty, but the coaching changes have obviously stunted some of his development. Weight is always a problem for Casey, we will see what he reports at in August.
OL White Frisbee ....JWF is ready to make an impact this season. Was an amazing DT with Emtman potential till he broke his foot. Could play on Sundays if he can stay healthy. Will be #1-b at one of the guard positions unless Tolar moves to center.
TE Winter .....Been at LB, DE, and TE but has rarely played.
LB Tuiasosopo .....Expect a solid season, as #1-B at MLB.
S Harris .....Was the best Safety left standing last season. Will be a reserve this year and provide some solid depth.
CB Forrester .....Will be in the rotation at CB. Didn't look good at Safety last year.
TE Gottleib .....Nobody has beaten out this former walk on, but Kavario Middleton should move past him by mid season. A solid blocker, who would be a #3 TE for most past Husky teams, but UW has been very lucky to have him.

2005 Recruiting Class (7) Willingham

OL Rosborough .....May not make an impact till year five. Very big, very agile, but something didn't click last year when he had a chance to enter the rotation.
DE Jones ....After injuries have slowed him down is now ready to be an effective starter. He played right away as a frosh MLB, redshirted the next season becuase of injury, and then was dinged up again last year. the only question about Darion is health.
OT Ossai .....This will be his third year as a starter, but he was pushed pretty hard by Habben last year. Ben will be a fixture at tackle for the next two seasons.
LB Savannah ....C'mon, put down the beer, get healthy and stop screwing around. So much potential, and way too many problems. This kid could be very good if he ever gets his head screwed on right.
LB Stevens .....This utility LB is very effective when he is inserted at the right time. I think he should have been a safety, but look for him to rush the passer at times from DE. Donatell will probably play him more than Baer, and with EJ out to start the season he is going to get his chance.
PK Perkins ....May not make it much longer because of one of the worst knee injuries of all time. Too bad because he came in with a terrific leg.
DE Teo Nesheim ....Daniel has NFL written all over him and may be the best player on the defense. He could have a good enough season to leave early. the Huskies are really counting on him to have a great season.

2006 Recruiting Class (12) Willingham

QB Locker .....Can you say All American and potential Heisman Trophy winner? So much has been written about Jake what more can you say? Like Tui he elevates the play of those around him. Look for Jake to be markedly improved in 2008 with a full season under his belt.
FB Homer .....One of the most complete FB's ever at UW. A devestating blocker, and special teams demon. It must be comforting to Jake to have Homer back there protecting him.
WR Goodwin .....Mr "Go-To-Guy" in 2008! D'Andre is the only kid who proved to me he was ready to catch the ball this past Spring. The Flea can make the big play, but when he runs into the likes of Patrick Chung, and Taylor Mays it could get pretty ugly.
OL Tolar .....Ryan will be playing on Sundays, count on it. He also could open the season at center. Great motor, and always improving.
OL Habben .....Will be a full time starter in 2008 after splitting time in 2007 with Ossai. Cody had a nice debut year, and will be a solid starter for the next three years.
OL Sedillo .....The center heir apparent in 2009 may start till Garcia comes back in 2008. The coaches like the way Matt is progressing.
DT Elisara ....The former four star recruit needs to start showing it in 2008. He is a workout warrior with a great attitude, but he hasn't broken out yet. Hard work usually pays off, and the team may not have a harder worker than Cameron.
DE Matthews ....They moved him inside this spring, but his future is at DE. If Matthews is your starting DT than we are going to be very small inside. Hopefully he can move back outside hwere he is obviously best suited, but like any kid he will play anywhere to hit the field.
LB Butler ....Keep him healthy 12 games and you have one of the Pac Ten's best LB's. UW was really hurt by his injury even though Tui did nice job filling in. He drops back better in pass coverage than Trenton.
LB Houston ....This is Matt's year to get into the rotation, and he had a decent Spring. He has good speed, but we really haven't seen him play much till this past Spring.
CB Mosley ....Started a bit last season as a RS. I am not sure if CB is his best position, but that is where he is. His grandfather is Husky great Luther Carr. Not sure how many of the Carr family have been Husky athletes, but it is probably around 20 or more! UW stole him from ASU at the last minute.
S Wells ....An injury cut his season short, and the Huskies really missed him. A coaches favorite who will likely start in 2008, but is going to face a stiff challenge from the young studs.
Snapper Morovick ....He makes it a lot easier to punt and place kick, a very smart pick up by Willingham.

2007 Recruiting Class (25) Willingham

QB Fouch ....A decent spring, and enters as the #2 in 2008. The coaches like his makeup, and he will have plenty of time to mature behind Jake.
RB Griffin ....Offensive player of the game in the Spring with most of the TB's out.
SB Shaw ....Converted to receiver at midseason and gave us some great glimpses of talent against OSU. Will play SB, TB, and WR in 2008.
RB Johnson ....100 yards against Cal subbing for Rankin. We all liked what he brought to the table last year, but is he durable enough to go 12 games, and 30 carries per?
FB Sylvester .....The heir to Paul Homer is biding his time as the #3 FB.
WR Aguilar .....Will be in the rotation in 2008. Gatorade player of the year in Colorado. I thought he looked good in the Spring game.
WR Boyles ....Not ready for prime time in the spring, but his mouth was. This kid was the star of the 2007 class, but he needs work to polish the potential.
WR Logan .....Will surprise in 2008 as a solid possession receiver that can lay some lumber. I think this kid will be an awesome downfield blocker. A Husky receiver that can block? Maybe I am getting ahead of myself.
TE Izbicki ....Had a solid spring game and will be in the rotation in 2008 at TE. He came in with a lot of hype, but needed to bulk up. Seemed to be getting it at the end of Spring, but needs to work on his hands.
OL Schugert ....Best of the young offensive linemen, and the coaches considered playing him in 2007. Has a chance to push for time in a crowded OG rotation.
OL Fancher ....Will be a #2 OT in 2008. If Ossai, or Habben go down we are going to be real green at tackle unless they move a guard over here.
OL Armelin ....Will be a #2 OT in 2008. Had a good RS year, and the coaches are happy with his development so far.
DT Duncan ....Way too early to tell on Tyrone. Hurt his shoulder in 2007, and saw action this Spring. Was starting for a bit till they moved Matthews over.
DT Wood ....Way too early to tell on Nick. He was injured in 2007, and Spring was really his first action. Needs some more time, and was moved to DE this Spring.
DE Aldrich .....Not keeping the weight on, but has good speed, and potential. We will see what he looks like in August. Don't pass the poi Kelani!
LB Dennison ....Scout team player of the year. Lightly recruited kid with a great attitude.
LB Foster ....Mason will be an All American before he leaves. Best looking Husky LB I have seen in years. He was good in 2007, and will be very good in 2008.
CB Persley ....The coaches love this kid. He has great size, but was pretty raw coming in. It will be interesting to watch him develop in year two. Comes from the same HS as Ronnie Fouch, and Chris Polk.
CB Davenport ....Will start opposite Richardson if he can stay healthy. Hamstrings seems to be a problem with him.
CB McDowell ....Started right out of the box last year way before his time. He seems to have gotten bigger, and regained his confidence this past Spring.
CB Richardson ....We all thought he would grow into a LB, but his surprising speed will give him a shot at starting as a big physical corner in 2008. He won the job this past spring, but I won't be completely sold till I see him against some opposition this Fall.
S Williams .....The nickle back in 2007 moves into a starting role in 2008. I expect great things from Nate. He played well last season learning the ropes and had a great Spring.
S Aiyewa .....Mr Nasty emerged this Spring and it will be tough for Wells to get his job back. This kid knocks the snot out of people like Patrick Chung. I think it is going to be hard to keep him on the bench even with Wells coming back healthy.
K Folk .....With Perkins hurting Folk needs to produce in 2008. He had a back injury in 2007 that cost him the season. His brother kicks for the Cowboys.
P Ballman .....Had a great year punting in 2007, and can help out place kicking. didn't look great this spring.

2008 Recruiting Class (26) Willingham

QB Blackman ....A big QB prospect sort of reminds me of Jermey Stevens. Will RS, and could be a future TE. UW will give him every chance to play QB, but he may need to mature a bit before he becomes a leader of men.
QB Leonard ....A mobile QB with a cannon who is still very green. Will RS, and could be a future Safety. Luther is a great kid, and a very good athlete. I wouldn't be surprised to see him stick at QB.
TB Bronson ....Top back in the state in 2007, will start off at TB with the potential to move to defense. UW was his only Pac Ten offer till WSU came in late in the game.
TB Freeman ....Lots of speed and moves. Charles Mincy was very high on him.
TB Dailey .....The coaches project him as a Richard Thomas type FB.
TB Fogerson ....I think the kid special, real special, and I think his future is at Safety.
WR Kearse ....Will get a shot in 2008, but may not be ready for prime time.
SB C. Polk ....The next Reggie Bush?
WR Bruns .....Has a great chance to start immediately.
WR J. Polk .....Speed kills, and he will get a shot in 2008.
TE Middleton ....We haven't had a kid with this type of talent since Stevens left, and I think he will be much better.
OL Thomas .....Like all big guys he needs to RS, but you have to like a snow boarding OT.
OL Schaeffer .....Will be a solid cog for five years.
OL Ikehara ....Will start off at center.
OL Carroll ....One of the top OL in the Bay Area.
DT Taamu .....The kid is a monster and will play right away ready, or not.
DT Kelemente ....The most polished of the young DL.
DT Noble ....Top Cal recruit could use a year of seasoning, but depth will force him to play right away.
DE Thompson ....We are thin at DE, so look for him to jump into the rotation right away.
LB Rousel ....I loved his film, glad he made it in. If he was two inches taller he would be at LSU.
LB Mangum ....Was here this Spring, has some work to do on his speed. A real big Arizona kid who was not heavily recruited.
CB Long ......Fast, Fast, Fast!
CB Gobern ....Another converted TB with great speed.
CB Glenn .....We have been watching this guy for a few years now, he is ahead of where McDowell was last season when he started.
S Taylor ....An excellent athlete who could find a home on either side of the ball.
S Walker ....Was a stud LB in HS.

The kids I think that will have a chance to play in 2008

WR Bruns....He runs precise routes, has sure hands, and if there is anything that gets you on the field early it is that type of discipline. Think of guys like Steve Largent, Paul Skansi, and Chris Juergens when you are looking for a comparison.

DT Kelemete....This kid may be one of the great ones. He has a great body, and a motor that does not quit. I think he is the most polished and ready to play of the young kids. He is extremely athletic, and was an excellent wrestler. He will come in at around 290 lbs..

DE Thompson....I would like to see him RS, but numbers at DE may not let that happen. He would be equally at home at DE, or TE. I would hate to see him end up like Rayford and miss his potential impact year if he has problems putting on enough weight.

DT Noble....Big bodies on defense will get a shot this year, and Craig was supposed to be one of the best in California. The DM crew is not quite convinced and thinks he needs seasoning. We will see where he is at in August.

DT Ta'amu....This kid is big, very big, and he is strong, very strong, so he will play from the get go if his feet are in order. The Huskies haven't had a true NT in quite some time, and his build fits that bill. He wasn't as dominating as you like in HS, but the tools are there. We need to see how nasty he is when he arrives.

SB C. Polk....The next Reggie Bush showed us some intruiging glimpses this Spring as he was learning the offense. The coaches are counting on him to bring big play impact to the team in 2008 which means he will help fill the void left by Rankin, but be used differently like Rodgers at OSU. UW talked Chris out of going to USC, that doesn't happen ever day, or every year.

WR J. Polk....Speed kills, and Jordan has a lot of speed and the ability to make exceptional catches if you have watched his film. Ty stole him out of Portland!

TE Middleton....One of the top recruits in the nation last year at TE, and DE. He should be starting at the end of the first bye week. This kid will be special if he keeps his head screwed on right.

WR Aguilar*.... He took awhile to qualify, but he made a decent impression this Spring. I think he makes the rotation at WR since everything is wide open.

WR Boyles* ....Like Aguilar he took awhile to qualify, but even though he is a year older than the rest of the frosh he may need some time to bulk up.

WR Kearse .....With all the holes at WR Jermaine will get a shot, but he probably needs a year to season. One of the top recruits in the West last year.

CB Long ....Speed kills, and he may be the fastest kid on the team this Fall which means they will find a place for him to play. The coaches are grooming him for action right away which means special teams until he is comfortable with the defense.

S Fogerson ....If he sticks at TB chances are he will not play this year, but if he moves to Safety, and if there are holes to fill he could play right away. He wasn't highly recruited if you believe the recruiting services, and not him, but he might have been the best player in the state at the end of the year. I saw a highlight film of his greatest defensive hits and it was impressive. Willingham offered very late, but after watching him in the state championship game could not resist.

* 2007 Class

Pac Ten Alley

The bridge program has started, and the incoming frosh started informal workouts with the team yesterday. In other words the football season has started, and the countdown begins for camp which starts the first week in August.

Over the past few weeks I have been going over the team by position going into the Fall. I conclude the series with a couple of articles tommorow. First we will go over special teams which is a component of the Husky team that you hope improves this year.

The second article is a breakdown of the team by classes going back to 2003 when Juan Garcia caome into the program. Juan by the way is last Neuheisel recruit left standing. The article should give you all a pretty good look at where we are in the rebuilding process.

After that I start a series on Friday that previews all the Husky opponents in 2008. We start off with the Oregon Ducks who will be a major hurdle to overcome on the road to start the season. The series will conclude with the WSU preview on August 8th. The Monday Morning Wash, and Pac Ten Alley will continue to come out Monday, and Wednesday respectively each week.

Once practice starts the "Purple Curtain" will be lifted and I should have some sort of coverage here every day. Reporters only get to watch the first 20 minutes of practice which is usually just stretching. After practice Ty usually holds a news conference to answer questions. I watch the press conference every day, and you can too at the UW Athletic Department website.

The season begins early in Autzen, and finishes late in Strawberry Canyon. We have twelve games, and I feel that eight are winnable. That doesn't mean we can't beat USC, Oklahoma, ASU, and Oregon either, but I feel there are eight games in this schedule we should be able to win. As usual I will have plenty of commentary during the week, and after each game.

This is going to be a very interesting season because it will start with a new Athletic Director, and a head coach that is on the hot seat. The mandate this season is to finish with a winning record, and go to a bowl game. This team is entirely capable of doing that, if they can't they need to go in a new direction.

Pac Ten Alley

Defensive Line

Cameron Elisara and a player to be named later are going to be manning the inside of the UW defensive line this season. Elisara is a work out warrior, but that hasn't translated into immediate success for the third year player. This is the year the coaches look, and need for him to have a break out season.

Deshon Matthews moved over from DE this Spring to help out, and he did a good job, but he is pretty undersized for the position. Kirton is big enough, but can he make up for lost time after switching over from TE this past Spring? Tyrone Duncan played some for the first time this spring but didn't make a move, and O'Connor probably won't play a down in 2008.

What all this means is three true frosh are going to get a chance to play right away at UW. Taamu is a 340 pound man beast who has nose tackle all written over him. Kelemente is the guy I like the best, incredible body, good speed, size, and strength. Noble is a 300 pounder that may need more time to develop, but will get his shot at the rotation if ready this year.

DT Elisara So
DT Matthews So
DT Kirton Sr
DT Duncan RS
DT O'Connor Sr
DT Taamu Fr
DT Kelemente Fr
DT Noble Fr

Over at DE things are a lot clearer with Daniel Teo Nesheim, and Darion Jones. Teo Nesheim is an all league player who could go early to the NFL. Jones is a journeyman who has bided his time to earn his position. Both of these kids had excellent springs.

Backing them up will be Kelani Aldrich who may need another year of fattening up before he is ready to go, and Nick Wood who really didn't impress much this Spring. Wood seems more suited for inside, but because of numbers shifted outside. The coaches would love to move Matthews back to DE if a suitable partner can be found for Elisara.

Everette Thompson could really use a RS year, but numbers and need are most likely going to get him early playing time. Thompson is a talent, but you always like to RS your linemen.

Chris Stevens will see time as a stunting DE as usual this season as Washington tries to mask its inexperience in the DL with help from a deep LB corp.

DE Teo Nesheim
DE Jones
DE Aldrich
DE Wood
DE Thompson

Consensus

The future is now for the defensive line, and that means all four DL recruits are going to be thrown into the fire this Fall to see if they can play immediately. How well the new guys do will go along way in determining if the Washington defense will improve in 2008.

The only job that is locked down going into camp is Teo Nesheim's, everyone else, including Elisara is going to have to scramble for the a starting job. That means staying healthy, picking things up fast, getting to the QB, and taking up some space.

I think most of us were impressed by how well the defense played in the Spring game, but take it with a grain of salt, they pretty much knew what was coming next, and UW was using very little of their offense.

The Future

We are young, talented and fairly deep at DT looking towards the future, but we need to bring in a couple of stud DE's for the future.

Look for UW to recruit at least one DT, and a couple of DE's if they can.

I think Thompson, Kelemente, Noble, and Taamu have a bright future, but think about Ceasar Rayford for a minute. Wouldn't we all of liked him in purple and gold for one more season rather than playing on th epractice squad for the BC Lions? When you play linemen early you run the risk of not getting the use of their full potential and development.

The Monday Morning Wash

The University of Illinois football program has undergone an amazing rebuilding process since Ron Zook took over. There are lots of possible parallels between Washington and Illinois. A few experts feel that UW has the potential to be the surprise team of 2008 despite a murderous schedule.

It only took Zook three years to get the Illlini back in a BCS bowl which is the kind of performance that Washington fans expect out of their coaching staff. Willingham in year four has the talent on the squad to make a run, it is just a matter of getting that talent to mature, and perform as a team.

In 2005, the University of Illinois hired Zook to replace Ron Turner as the head coach of the Illinois Fighting Illini football team. Zook inherited a program which had become a disaster since winning the Big Ten championship in 2001, finishing 1-11 in 2003 and 3-8 in 2004, including Big Ten records of 0-8 and 1-7, respectively. In Zook's inaugural season of 2005, Illinois finished with an overall record of 2-9, and a record of 0-8 in Big Ten games.

Despite his team's past struggles, Zook has improved the ability of Illinois to recruit top football talent. According to one source, the 2006 recruiting class was one of the 30 best in college football.

Despite this, they finished the 2006 season 1-7 in the conference and 2-10 overall. While the record did not improve, the play on the field did as the Illini nearly upset top ranked Ohio State in Champaign before losing 17-10. Additionally, the Illini played well against Iowa, Wisconsin, and Penn State (they lost 63-10 the year before; Penn State led 56-3 at halftime) but ended up losing close games (they were down 15-12 at Penn State until Penn State broke open the close game to make it 26-12).

The 2006 recruiting class included Isiah "Juice" Williams of Chicago Vocational High School, considered to be one of the top quarterback recruits in the country. They also signed Arrelious Benn, one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2007 class. More recently, Zook has also won over Simeon High School standout Martez Wilson along with Florida prospect D'Angelo McCray. This class is one of Illinois' best in recent memory, being rated within the top 25 nationally by some experts.

The Chicago area is a high school football hotbed, and there is no reason that the Illini shouldn't have great talent every year, but so much of it bleeds out to Notre Dame and the rest of the Big Ten. Zook is the first Illinois head coach in years that is starting to keep that talent home. Part of the problem at Illinois is that every time they do well they get caught cheating, and that sends the program back into a dark hole for a decade. The same sort of rumors started flowing again during Zooks tenure, but nothing substantial has come out as of this time. Most feel the rumors are sour grapes from South Bend, and Ann Arbor.

Zook's recruiting success finally began to pay dividends during the 2007 season. After losing a close game on neutral turf to a Missouri squad which would go on to be ranked as high as #1, the Illini ran off five straight wins, including back-to-back home wins over Penn State and Wisconsin. Illinois' 5-1 start gave them a #18 ranking in the AP poll. This was Illinois' first ranking in the AP poll since the end of the 2001 season.

However, the ranking would prove to be short lived after consecutive losses to Iowa and Michigan. A homecoming win over Ball State gave the Illini bowl eligibility and a blowout win at Minnesota all but assured Zook's first bowl appearance as coach of the Illini. On November 10th, the then-unranked Illini defeated #1-ranked Ohio State in Columbus, ending the Buckeyes' 28 game home winning streak. The Illini finished the 2007 regular season by defeating Northwestern to finish 9-3 overall, 6-2 in the Big 10.

Because Big Ten champion Ohio State played in the BCS National Championship game, Illinois received a bid to play in the Rose Bowl as the second ranked team in the Big Ten. The Illini's improvement of 7 wins over the 2006 season was the largest such increase of any Division I team.

Washington historically has been much stronger than Illinois on the gridiron despite the fact that the Illini have steady support from a loyal fan base, and a larger local talent base to draw from.

Washington has lacked administrative support, and cohesiveness since the national championship year. Thirteen years under Barbara Hedges were a slow death, and it is actually amazing that the machine held together that long.

President Mark Emmert has stated from the beginning that he is pro athletics, and believes that the football team is the front porch of the University. His first steps were to hire Willingham and Turner whose jobs were to restore respectability, and ethical behavior to the athletic department and football program.

Perhaps both were the right guys at the right time, but Turner was fired last Winter, and Willingham barely escaped the same axe. The problem was simple the team was not winning. Even though the program was clean there was a complete disconnect with fans, boosters, alumni, and media. With over $300 million needing to be raised to rebuild the stadium it became evident that Turner and possibly Willingham were not going to be able to sell it to the state, and the public.

I have always felt that Ty was the guy that would stabilize things over 4-5 years, and whoever took over from him would have some good building blocks to take advantage of if it didn't work out. Going into year four his program is at a crossroad

So here we are headed into year four wondering if Willingham is going to be able to take it to the next level like Ron Zook did at Illinois last season. I think the pieces are in place to win as many as eight games this season even though the schedule is less than kind.

Jake Locker has a year under his belt, and that makes a big difference even though his skill players need to step up to the plate immediately. This team is going to be very young in places, but overall the talent has improved at almost every position. It's time to win at Washington, and it is time to produce an Illinois type turnaround at Montlake in 2008.

Tidbits

It looks like a couple of recruits are missing the start of the bridge program today. RB Demetrius Bronson could be delayed a couple of days and is meeting with coaches to go over whatever requirements he is missing. Bronson is confident that he will be eligible for Fall since he is picking ups some credits from a BYU extension course.

QB Dominique Blackman is waiting for results on his ACT. His GPA slid a bit since he took his SAT which means he has to raise his score a bit to qualify. Blackman reports that he is down to 240 after playing volleyball this past Spring which means if he makes camp he should be around 235 by the time the season begins.

Both of these kids were expected to redshirt this season, so if it takes a little extra time I guess it is ok, but they do fall behind the rest of the class since the kids that are in school will be going to informal workouts starting on Tuesday with the rest of the team till practice begins in August.

One thing to keep in mind is the kids are always positive up to the minute they don't qualify to get in, so keep your fingers crossed on both of these guys.

Linebackers

Will UW run a 3-4, or a 4-3 the majority of the time in 2008?

The reason we ask is Washington is pretty deep at LB, and very shallow on the defensive line. This Spring from what we could see the Huskies stuck with the 4-3, but that could change a bit if Taamu, and Noble arrive ready to play and become viable candidates at NT. Donatell seems open to running what ever works in the right situations. Look for him to be a breath of fresh air calling the game compared to the very predictable Coach Baer.

Washington has a lot of talent and experience at linebacker going into 2008. Unfortunately the best of the bunch, EJ Savannah may miss the first three games with a broken upper arm he suffered while supposedly arm wrestling. I am sure there is a lot more to the story, but I like the arm wrestling angle, it is very creative.

EJ started off the Spring sharing the doghouse with JR Hasty for missing some Winter workouts. when he returned to the field he showed why he was such a coveted recruit when he led the LB's in tackles during the Spring game. Look for the defense to kick it up a notch when EJ returns, but they could also be 0-3 when that happens. With EJ out look for Sr Chris Stevens, and So Matt Houston to split time at the position.

Don't count out walk ons Jonathan Gage, and Fred Wiggs, both of these kids will play a lot this year on special teams, and Gage was actually starting while EJ was running stairs.

So Mason Foster is going to be a very good player before he leaves. He saw the field immediately last year and worked himself into the starting rotation at the end of the year. Jr Donald Butler returns healthy this season, and when this kid is healthy he is a pretty good player. Backing him up, and playing besides him at times will be Trenton Tuiasosopo who is primed to have a pretty good year after getting back to full strength from a bicycle accident that nearly killed him.

SO Matt Houston, and RS Cort Dennison are going to see the field quite a bit this year along with walk on Jonathan Gage.

The Huskies add Bradley Roussel from Louisiana who had good film, and Kurt Mangum from Arizona who was practicing with the team this Spring.

OLB Savannah Jr
OLB Houston So
OLB Stevens Sr
OLB Wiggs* Jr

ILB Foster So
ILB Dennison Rs
ILB Roussel Fr
ILB Gage* Jr

MLB Butler Jr
MLB Tuiasosopo Sr
MLB Mangum Fr

Consensus

Butler, Foster, Savannah, Tuiasosopo, and Stevens are pretty good building blocks for Ed Donatell to utilize in his first season at Washington. The Huskies have pretty good depth at LB, and it will allow UW to buy some time while a very young defensive line develops.

The injury to Savannah hurts because the kid has the potential to be a difference make when healthy. He will be back early in the season, but the lack of conditioning could be a factor due to loss of upper body strength.

Butler and Tuiasosopo are #1-A, and #1-B in the middle. We haven't seen what Butler is capable of yet, but we all have a good idea what Tui can do. Tui is great against the run, but struggles a bit in pass coverage.

Mason Foster will graduate as one of UW's greatest LB's. The kid has a lot of upside, and will continue to grow in 2008. He is very athletic, and can play sideline to sideline.

The Future

UW graduates two, and that means they will bring in two in 2008 unless someone gets moved here from another position.

Mangum is a big kid, but he needs to work on his speed from what we saw this Spring. Roussel is a kid that would have been a blue chip if he was a couple of inches taller. If he had those extra couple of inches he would be at LSU, not UW.

Sonic Reaction

It was really no surprise that the Sonics are moving to Oklahoma and the city accepted a $45 million payoff from Clay Bennett. The court case really was nothing other than posturing, and a waste of more taxpayer money since a similar settlement offer had been on the table previously.

It was pretty obvious in the early going that the poison pill defense was going to work for Bennett because for the most part it was true. The cities plan all along was to bleed the guy with losses if he didn't play ball with them.

A lot of people blame Howard Schultz, and Wally Walker, but who can blame somebody for selling a team for double it's book value? You would have to be crazy to pass that one up when you are losing millions of dollars per year.

The real blame should be put on the politicians in Seattle, and Olympia who never put together a viable solution even though that solution was always within their grasps. The obvious point was that Key Arena was not financially viable anymore for an NBA team even though it was previously remodeled in 1995. The venue was the smallest in the league, and lacked the revenue producing amenities needed to be successful in a changing market.

The previous owner Barry Ackerley almost got it right when he almost built a new arena in the SODO area where Safeco Field now sits. That arena was going to be big enough for hockey, be able to control parking revenue, and have a footprint that could be extended to take care of future needs.

The remodeling of Key Arena was more of a stop gap move designed to give an aging building, city park, and the businesses around it an extra 10-15 years of meaningful life. That model started to fail when Safeco, and Qwest opened because they took away the market for luxury boxes from the Sonics which was a big piece of the economic equation for the franchise, and the building remaining successful.

Key Arena was originally designed as a temporary venue for the 1962 Seattle Worlds Fair. It was never supposed to be around fifty years later even if it was remodeled time and time again.

A 300 million dollar project to remodel it once more is another stop gap measure if the building is unable to host the NHL, and the surrounding campus may be too small to control all the revenue needed to support those franchises in this day of age.

The NBA wrote a nice letter on the way out of town which says the city has 18 months to get it's act together on building a new arena, or remodeling the Key if they want to have a chance at getting an NBA team in the next five years. Spend the money and wait with no guarantees to a city that supported the league for 41 years.

If you are going to build a new arena, or remodel Key Arena you need to make sure that it is going to be able to host an NHL franchise. If you don't, by the time the NBA comes sniffing around again the new arena may be hopelessly out of date and you have to start all over again.

Commisioner Stern is not a friend of Seattle, and he feels he owes the area nothing after Clay Bennett pays the city $45-$75 million over the next five years. There are no guarantee's, no conditional promises, only a cordial letter wrapped with cash, and an empty hope on the way out of town.

Line of the Day

As for the additional $30 million due in 2013 if Bennett hasn't helped get another franchise for Seattle -- please. Bennett being forced to help Seattle scrounge a team is like hiring Yosemite Sam to be an anger-management counselor.

Defensive Backs

Defensive Back has been an Achilles heel for Washington ever since the bombardment by Texas back in the Holiday Bowl when Neuheisel was here. Who will ever forget Chris Massey getting burned all night by the Longhorns? Who thought it would continue for the rest of the decade?

Hard to believe, but things have continued to get worse since that fateful day. The main problem has been recruiting, retention, and development. UW has not recruited enough numbers at the position, and is only now getting back to the point where they have enough athletes back there to at least practice with. Willingham upon his arrival tried to address the problems by bringing in JC's, but that backfired on him when only a few of those guys were able to get in to school.

Washington's biggest problem has simply been running out of guys to put back there. Without much of a rotation guys get tired, and tired guys get burned. Most of the guys they have had have not improved either which points a finger at coaching, development, and talent.

The last two recruiting classes however have fully addressed the need for numbers and talent. Development and experience need to start taking over for the Huskies to take it to the next level.

Cornerback

Washington went young this Spring. RS Quinton Richardson who came in faster than most thought has been moved from Safety to Corner and is slotted to start opposite of Sr Mesphin Forrester who also moved over from Safety. Sr Byron Davenport will challenge Forrester for a starting spot if he can stay healthy. The transfer from UCLA played well last year when healthy, but he suffered from nagging injuries most of the year. Behind those three you have So Matt Mosley, So Vonzell McDowell, who both started a few games last year in their first year of action. RS Marquise Persley also looks like a potential stud to build with in the future.

True Frosh Justin Glenn, Anthony Gobern, and Adam Long arrive this Summer, and all will get a shot at getting into the rotation if they are ready. Long is a guy the coaches will take a particularly long look at, no pun intended, because he may just be the fastest kid on the team when he gets here.

CB Forrester Sr
CB Richardson RS
CB Davenport Sr
CB McDowell So
CB Mosley So
CB Persely RS
CB Long Fr
CB Gobern Fr
CB Glenn Fr

Safety

While we have lots of questions at CB, the Safety position looks pretty good going into Summer. Sr Jason Wells returns after suffering an ACL injury early last year. Wells is a player, and when he went out the level of the defense fell a couple of notches.

So Nate Williams, and So Victor Aiyewa were that starters this past Spring. Both are beginning to remind me of the Husky Safeties of old such as Tim Peoples, Lawyer Milloy...etc... . Both of these kids can run, and lay some lumber.

Sr Darin Harris returns for his final campaign, and he has played a lot during his career starting, and backing up. He may not be the most talented Safety we have ever had, but the kid gives a solid effort every time he hits the field. Also in the depth you have Jr Tripper Johnson who walked on after ending his baseball career. Tripper had a good Spring and rose to second string on the depth chart.

The Huskies also bring in three new true Frosh Safeties in Johri Fogerson, Greg Walker, and Vince Taylor. All three are very good athletes, and Fogerson will most likely get a good look at RB before moving over to DB. Walker was a LB in HS, and Taylor could play WR, or DB. Vince has the potential to develop into a specimen.

S Wells Sr
S Williams So
S Aieywa So
S Johnson Jr
S Harris Sr
S Fogerson Fr
S Taylor Fr
S Walker Fr

Consensus

Ed Donatell's background is as a DB coach, and he will change the look of this unit this season with the help of Coach Williams. As a group I think play will improve dramatically due to better teaching, schemes, and play calling. Coach Baer looked brain dead most of the time, don't expect the same performance from Donatell who is an excellent coach. Enjoy Ed the one year he is at UW because chances are he will rejoin Jim Mora when he takes over as coach of the Seahawks next season.

Overall I love our potential at safety, but CB frightens me a little. Our two top corners are converted safeties which means we should be able to attack the run better, but will these kids be able to provide adequate pass coverage in a throwing league like the Pac Ten?

I thought they played well this Spring, but that was against our young, and inexperienced WR corp. The Oregon game will test this group right out of the gates. We will know what we have by halftime.

The Future

The future looks pretty good since UW now sports a young and talented group with lots of talent and depth. Look for the next recruiting class to include 2-3 more DB's to keep building depth. Experience is what will make this young group better, and they are going to get a lot of it this season playing the nations toughest schedule.

Pac Ten Alley

We shift to basketball to open this week and say a fond farewell to Joel Smith who is moving on with a season of eligibility still remaining. Smith was supposed to be the next Bobby Jones, and looked the part early in his career until an injury slowed him down. Smith was never quite the same after that, and even though Romar would love to have him on the roster another year there simply wasn't room. You hate to see a kid with a great attitude move on with eligibility left, but that is how the game is often played with the small numbers involved in college basketball.

Observers who have been watching Isaiah Thomas in open gym on the UW campus are coming away very impressed. The kid has put on some muscle and looks ready to assume the role of the next Nate Robinson. By the way, he shoots a lot better than Nate did at this point of his career.

Venoy Overton has been working on improving his shooting touch, and seems to be doing pretty well hitting three's. With Appleby moving on Thomas, and Overton are going to need to pick up the slack from the outside.

Bridge Program

Bob Condotta is hearing that the entire football recruiting class is going to qualify and be on campus by July 7th which is very good news. Scott, and Chris over at DM are saying not so fast, they still think there are a couple of kids that are going to be cutting it very close. No exact word on who those players are, but it won't be Lakes HS Kavario Middleton who is now fully qualified. It is very tough to figure out what is happening ahead of time because of the Purple Shroud of silence.

Then There Were Seven

Bob Condotta takes a close look at the 2005 class which was Willingham's first at Washington. When that class came in most of us gave Ty a mulligan, but with hindsight being 20/20 it seems his lack of immediate urgency may end up costing him his job.

Most critics of Willingham point to his first two classes as being very sub par. I am reserving judgement on the second class, but the first one was a program killer. You can put a lot of the blame on Gilbertson who closed down recruiting in September of that year, but Ty didn't hit the road the day he was hired, he chose to wait till after the dead period, and that was a major contributing factor. Jonathan Stewart was the prize of that class, and Ty did make an effort to recruit him, but when he headed to Oregon the fate of this small class was sealed.

UW had major holes at DB which were never filled because the transfers didn't make it in. Same thing happened the following year. Only now is Washington back to the numbers they need to be productive in the defensive backfield.

The departure of running back J.R. Hasty further depletes Washington's Class of 2005, which was generally considered to be the worst in the schools history in decades and is living up to that, uh, hype.

Pac Ten Alley

It's time to take a walk down the coast to see what the neighbors are up to. A lot of the blogs are still in hibernation but we fill in with interesting bits and pieces from the newspapers.

Have you ever seen a copy of the Oregon recruiting comic book? Pretty darn creative, and this week we have a link to the one they put together to recruit Jonathan Stewart.

Back in 2005, Oregon coaches enlisted students to design custom comic books for the Ducks' top 20 recruiting targets. Each comic portrayed the recruit as a hero who leads the Ducks to a national title. Oregon sent each prospect one page per week during the recruiting period. Here is the entire comic made for running back Jonathan Stewart, one of the nation's top recruits at the time.

Stanford has a bridge program of their own.

Padric Scott is one of 14 Stanford freshmen football players - out of a class of 18 - enrolled in summer classes that started last week. He's living in university housing, three months before the start of the fall quarter and what used to be considered the beginning of life as a college student-athlete.

Bowl game needed to save Mike Stoops job? People need to remember that Stoops took over from Mackovick who ran the program into the ground. The situation was even worse than the one at Washington when he arrived. That being said you still need to win, and you certainly need to win by your fifth year.

Mike Stoops' job security and a more explosive offense should be the top story lines for the Arizona football team. At least that's what the college football preseason magazines are saying.
Stoops, entering his fifth year with the program, has a 17-29 overall record and has yet to reach a bowl game.

It was year to remember at Arizona State, and they are just getting started.

Try to think of a single moment that captures Arizona State's year in sports. You can't. There are too many.The Sun Devils just concluded their best season of the Pac-10 era, with contributions stemming from nearly all teams.

Mike Montgomery is finalizing his contract at Cal.

Winning might not be everything, but it's becoming much more important at Cal. The university is about to sign another large long-term athletic contract, this one with new basketball coach Michael Montgomery, who will take in at least $1.7 million annually over the next six years. That's 61 percent more than his predecessor, Ben Braun, received last year. And it follows the seven-year contract renewal UC Berkeley inked with football coach Jeff Tedford that paid $2.8 million last year.

OSU picks up a QB that Washington was looking at.

Stockton, Calif. QB Cody Vaz (6-1, 200) had a great camp in Corvallis and quickly said "I do'' when offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf offered him a scholarship. ... Vaz was first-team all-State as a junior, throwing for 3,265 yards and 33 TDs.

Whe you put Norm Chow and Rick Neuheisel together you are going to be able to attract some pretty talented QB's. If UCLA has a current Achilles Heal it is at QB.

Quarterbacks Richard Brehaut of Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos and Josh Nunes of Upland are throwing passes with so much power and accuracy this summer that some UCLA and Tennessee fans probably wish they'd skip their senior years and enroll immediately at their future colleges.

The Cougar Blog takes a look at Hawaii.

In what is looking like a potential vacation for many, Cougar fans will head to the warm November weather of Hawaii after the 101st Apple Cup is in the books this year. Will it be a welcome change to dreary northwest weather on 11/29? Will the Cougs have anything left in the tank? Can they get up for one last game, playing a regular-season game after the Apple Cup for just the third time since '88?

Carroll steals one away from Neuheisel, and you will see this scenario played out many times over the next couple of years.

Byron Moore, a wide receiver/safety from Narbonne High School in Harbor City, changed his verbal commitment from UCLA to USC, according to his father. Moore (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) committed to UCLA in April but switched to the Trojans on Sunday night. One of the reasons for the switch was because Moore grew up a USC fan. "He's been going to their camps since he was in the seventh grade. There was something in his heart that said he wanted to go there," said his father, Byron Moore Sr. "At the end of the day, he felt in his heart he wanted to be at USC."

If you look at the top talent in the Northwest part of the country this year you will find quite a bit of it in Utah this year. This may be the top year ever for Division One talent in Utah.

A blurb on a Web site advertising coach Kyle Whittingham's Utah summer football camp for high school-age players pretty much says it all: "Last year, 15 camp attendees are now members of the Utah football team." Not to be outdone, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall told The Tribune last week, "If you don't come to a team's camp - and there are exceptions, but in general - you are going to have a very hard time being recruited or being offered [a scholarship] there." Get the point? If you have any desire to play for the Utes, Aggies or Cougars - unless you are a rare, blue-chip recruit - you better get yourself to one of their camps.

Boys will always be boys at Oklahoma.

There has been no official release on this and I really wouldn’t expect one until the week of August 30th if at all but look for offensive lineman Phil Loadholt to receive a suspension for last weekend’s DUI arrest. I’ve heard from a source that "Big Phil" is going to be suspended for the first two games of the season. Honestly, they could suspend the entire offensive line for the Chattanooga game and be alright but the Sooners could feel his absence against Cincinnati.

When we were talking about potential DC's last Winter the name of Georgia Tech DC Jon Tenuta kept coming up, but he ended up finding a home at Notre Dame. The words outspoken, and Ty Willingham don't really go together.

Jon Tenuta, Notre Dame's newest coaching addition on defense, recently spoke at a Notre Dame golf outing this past Friday. What did the famously out-spoken coach have to say for himself, as well as the program?

Rakes of Mallow also has a preview Jake Lockner in the "Profiles in Fear" section.

If Washington was a few games better in the win column last year, the Jake Locker Phenomenon would have been an even bigger deal. He was Tim Tebow West, the Great White Hope of the Pacific Northwest, a savior to a Washington program under the merciless golf gloved thumb of Ty Willingham. The 85th ranked recruit on Scout and 68th on Rivals, Locker was behind only Tim Tebow, our old friend Demetrius Jones and Jevan Snead as a "dual-threat" QB.

Running Backs

Washington actually had a thousand yard running back for the first time in over a decade in 2007. Louis Rankin had a decent year despite the fact that he still danced around too much at times. Louis is gone now, and the Huskies will replace him with young group of largely untested young tailbacks.

Brandon Johnson seems to be the heir apparent after winning the back up job as a true frosh in 2007. Brandon even came in and rushed for over 100 yards in the second half against California. Johnson isn't as fast, and shifty as Rankin, but he is a better inside runner with good speed. It was tough to get a good read on Johnson this Spring because he was dinged up the last week of practice, and during the Spring game.

Lining up behind him are RS Willie Griffin, and RS Brandon Yakaboski. Griffin is a good looking inside runner who reminds many of Willie Hurst. Yakaboski is a kid who loves contact, but hasn't stayed real healthy since he arrived at UW. Yak has good hands, and the coaches like the way he catches the ball out of the backfield.

Sophomore Curtis Shaw, and Fr Chris Polk are listed as slotbacks, but you could see both of these kids lining up at TB, SB, and WR. Polk had extended time in the Spring game at TB. Both of these kids are multi talented utility players that can be inserted where needed, if Johnson gets dinged they are a great insurance policy at TB.

The Huskies are bringing in 3-4 kids in the freshman class who could possibly see some time this year if they impress this summer. Demetrius Bronson, David Freeman, Johri Fogerson, and Terrance Dailey will all start off at TB. Dailey could be a future FB, and Fogerson's future could be on defense. Freeman has a lot of moves, and speed and was coached by Husky great Charles Mincy. I could see him returning kicks in the future.

TB Johnson So
TB Griffin RS
TB Yakaboski RS
TB Dailey Fr
TB Bronson Fr
TB Freeman Fr
TB Fogerson Fr

SB Polk Fr
SB Shaw So

Fullback

The Huskies are blessed with three excellent Fullbacks who I would love to see get the ball more in 2008. Jr Paul Homer is a throwback blood, and guts type of player that would fit in with any Husky team in any era. He has great size, adequate speed, and is a good blocker. Sr Kravitz is the backup, but has been troubled by injuries the last couple of years. he has good hands out of the backfield and is starter 1-B. So Austin Sylvester is in the same mold as the previous two and is the FB in waiting after starting out at MLB.

Homer is efficient in short yardage situations, he is rarely knocked backwards and always seems to pick up needed yardage.

I would love to see Lappano utilize these guys more as receivers out of the backfield. With an extremely young group of receivers coming in the FB's could help Locker quite a bit by becoming a viable receiving option in 2008.

FB Homer
FB Kravitz
FB Sylvester

Consensus

Is Brandon Johnson a better TB than Louis Rankin?

That is what it all comes down to for UW since most of the same cast of characters return this year to clear the way for Washington running backs.

Brandon Johnson has a solid hold on the position going into the Fall, but he isn't exactly coming off a stellar Spring because of injury. If Johnson is going to be the go to guy he is going to have to prove his durability during the first three brutal games of the season.

Willie Griffin was the star of the Spring game, but if Johnson falters look for the Huskies to turn to Fr Chris Polk who may be the most exciting player to wear a UW uniform since Napoleon Kauffman. Polk has been compared favorably to former USC star Reggie Bush, and UW was able to take the highly coveted player away from USC last Winter.

I think the coaches would rather plug Polk in as a SB, WR, and occasional TB till he gains some muscle to withstand the pounding you can take carrying the ball 30 times per game. That is the advantage Johnson has, good size, adequate speed, and he rarely fumbles. What Polk brings to the game is what Johnson lacks, and that is break away speed, and moves which is something Rankin brought to the table last season.

Fullback is very solid with Homer, Kravitz, and Sylvester. The Huskies have rebuilt the position with some nice depth and are contemplating adding the change up of Terrance Dailey to the position this Fall. At first glance Dailey seems to be too small to be a FB, but the coaches feel he will bulk up enough, and still retain speed to become a hybrid weapon back there.

Will there be a 1000 yard RB at Washington in 2008?

The chance is there because most of the UW offensive line is returning, and they have another year of experience under Denbrock which means they should be improved. Rankin picked up a lot of yards on big plays last season, the knock on him was he wasn't a pounder who picked up the third and two you needed to keep a drive alive at the end of the game. Perhaps that attribute will be more important in the backfield in 2008 if Johnson can provide it. Controlling drives, and keeping the heat off of Jake Locker when everyone expects him to run it will be Johnson's main goal in 2008.

The Future

Always look for UW to take at least a couple of RB's each year. Like shortstops in baseball these kids are usually the best athletes on their HS teams and can be moved around the roster to plug holes, and add speed.

Freeman, Dailey, Bronson, and Fogerson are the newcomers this year, and all four of these kids could end up being moved around with Freeman being the most likely to stick at TB.

Fogerson to me looks like he has the makeup of a dominating Safety. The kid has the ability to knock the snot out of people, and has the necessary nasty you like to see on that side of the ball.

Bronson was the elite back in state last season, and he will get his first shot at TB, but he is another kid that could move to defense. His brother was a LB at Penn State.

As I said earlier Dailey may end up at FB which leaves David Freeman. I loved the film I saw on Freeman and I think the kid has a chance to contribute early returning kicks if needed.

The consensus though is all four will RS this season if they remain at RB, Fogerson has the ability to play early if he moves to Safety, but don't discount this kid as a RB, he was dominating in the state championship game.