Filling some holes
by John Berkowitz on Sep 8, 2008 1:33 PM PDT
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PrintThe verbal of Andrew Pulu reminds me that we haven't talked much about recruiting since camp opened. The Huskies are going to bring in a class of 17-20 HS athletes this spring.
Where exactly are the most extreme needs?
Linebacker ( 2 )
On defense I think the biggest need is at linebacker. Mason Foster is developing into a star but we really need some more studs with speed in this unit that are capable of taking over a game.
UW will take two and it would be great if we could land a kid like Manti Teo from Punahou. He is around 6'4 220 and is the nation's highest rated LB. His coach has a great relationship with Willingham and Washington. Teo is likely headed to USC, or BYU, but the Huskies will probably get a visit out of him.
Tight End ( 2 )
UW graduates Walt Winter, and Mike Gottleib. That leaves Middleton, Izbicki, and Savant who is a walk on. UW needs to pick up two premium TE's this winter and I think it is their most pressing need on offense. UW is in on some of the top TE's in the West but they need to start winning some games if they are going to pick a couple of them up. Spanish Fork, Utah's Richard Wilson, and Corona, California's Marlion Barnett are the high profile targets, but Gonzaga's Travis Long will get a late offer.
Punter ( 1 )
Jared Ballman graduates which means we need a new punter. Hopefully we can find someone currently on the squad that can take over. It would save a scholarship.
Quarterback ( 1 )
Locker and Fouch are solid so there isn't an immediate need, but behind them you only have Luther Leonard. I wouldn't count on Dominique Blackman getting in this winter. I think Keith Price was a very important pick up, and it would be nice if he could enroll by spring.
Defensive Line ( 4 - 5 )
Washington brought in a bumper crop in 2008. In 2009 they started off with commitments from DT Deandre Coleman, and DE/LB Andrew Pulu. UW needs 3-4 more players to round off this class depending on where they decide to play Pulu.
Defensive Back ( 4 )
The Huskies have three early verbals defensive backs. WR/CB Aaron Grymes, S Nathan Fellner, and CB Keith Pinkard. UW could use another safety candidate to round off the class. The Huskies should have some good experienced depth at the positions in 2009.
The Huskies would love to land Pinkard's teammate S Kevin Brent who is one of the most coveted safeties in the country. Desmond Trufant from Tacoma is still on the board and has great bloodlines.
Offensive Line ( 3-4 )
We are developing good depth on the OL. Denbrock has put together a nice pipeling of players to work with. I think UW takes 3-4 this year depending on what is available. Grant Enger from O'Dea is looking at UW, Stanford, and Oregon State.
Wide Receiver ( 1-2 )
UW has so much youth at WR that they really could skip a year if they don't find the athlete they want. Look for UW to take 1-2. Gino Simone spurned UW to go to WSU. Kirby Moore from Prosser is still interested. Don't forget that Curtis Shaw could return later this year.
Running Back ( 1 )
The Huskies have a nice stable of young running backs. UW can afford to be pretty picky about who they bring in. Dalton Hilliard from Punahou, and Dasarte Yarnway from San Francisco are the two top guys UW is in on.
Current Verbals ( 6 )
QB Keith Price
Price is exactly what the doctor ordered at QB for the UW offense. Price is a Dennis Dixon type clone that can run and throw.
LB Andrew Pulu
Washington needs a big upgrade at linebacker. Pulu is a guy that could play inside or be shifted over to DE if he puts on 30 pounds. He runs well with a 4.7 40.
DT Deandre Coleman
Coleman is the top recruit in the state and it is pretty doubtful that he will qualify. UW may have to wait for him to get his AA degree.
CB Keith Pinkard
Pinkard comes from Dallas and we don't really know a lot about him yet. It was reported that he dinged up his knee in the first game. He is friends with Kevin Brent one of the top recruits in the nation.
CB/WR Aaron Grymes
Aaron was the star of the Husky camp and realized his life long dream of playing for Washington. He was under the radar at West Seattle HS but he has the ability of being an exciting player in the Jarzynka mold. He has a lot of speed and long hair.
S Nathan Fellner
Fellner is a nice pick up from Fresno who has Husky bloodlines. He is one of the better safties in California this year.
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Recruiting
Hey John,
Curious what you know about Dominiue Blackman, and specifically, why we shouldn’t count on seeing him anytime soon?
Along the recruiting lines, do you know anything about Craig Noble’s progress? If he fails the CA exit exam, what are his options as far as NEXT year goes? Can he only go the JC route? And at what point does UW lose his commitment if he fails the exam?
Finally, I noticed that you recommended that the UW recruits a Middle LB to have in the pipeline when Foster is gone. Isn’t that Mangum? I haven’t heard his name at all, although I had expected to hear a lot about him after he enrolled early and was here for spring ball.
~ Adam
Adam – I think Blackman will have a hard time qualifying even with the extra time.
No word on Noble other than that his test scores have been delayed. That never sounds good. He can keep taking the test. He is ok with his SAT and GPA.
We graduate Tui this year so you need another MLB. Stevens also graduates and that opens up a spot outside. I guess they could take three if Savannah doesn’t come back. FYI…UW recruits three deep at LB.
This is somewhat incidental...
…but I’m fairly convinced that Chris Stevens isn’t really a linebacker. He comes in as a rush end in the nickel package, and he’s one of the gunners on punt coverage, as well as other special teams (kickoff coverage, punt return). He’s listed as the backup at OLB to Mason Foster, but when Foster took a few plays off (cramping), I’m fairly certain it was Matt Houston replacing him in the lineup.
Does anyone remember Stevens actually lining up as a linebacker? It might have happened late in the Oregon game, but I don’t recall.
Hey John
What do you say to idea that our present linemen are the wrong build for running the spread or is the design of it that Lappano and Denbrook have in place in need some tweaking?
Thanks….Jack
Offensive Line
Jack – The best game our OL had last year was against Cal when we played power football most of the day. We never went back to that.
Take a look at the Oregon offensive line up close some time standing on the sideline. Those guys are physical specimens with incredible lower bodies. If you lined them up side by side with Washington’s offensive line you would immediately see the difference. Are they developed better over time or just genetically superior?
The answer is both!
It takes 4-5 years to develop lineman and Oregon has simply done a better job recruiting, conditioning and strengthening than Washington has.
How many coaches did White-Frisbee, Garcia, and Bulyca have? How many guys that were recruited with them quit the team?
I think Willingham and Denbrock have a pretty good pipeline going right now. When they came to UW it was a huge mess. I think the younger guys like Tolar, Ikehara, Habben…etc.. are going to be pretty good.
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