Jamaal Kearse will be a Husky
by John Berkowitz on Apr 7, 2009 8:43 PM PDT
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PrintA big day for Husky fans with two more of the states top recruits committing to Washington.
Lakes WR Jamaal Kearse is one of the best WR's on the West coast and his HS coach thinks he has NFL potential just like his older brother Jermaine who is a sophomore to be at Washington.
O'Dea OT Ben Riva from O'Dea has great size speed, and quickness. He is exactly the type of guy Washington needs to recruit to help rebuild an offensive line that has been sub par for most of the decade.
The addition of Kearse and Riva means the Huskies have commitments from six in state recruits for 2010. Expect Washington to sign 10-12 kids from Washington this season.
The big lure so far for recruits has been the excitement created by a young and enthusiastic coaching staff. The open practices haven't hurt either. The recruits can tell the current players are having fun and all so far have been impressed by the way the coaches go about business.
Finding the right balance of discipline, excitement, teaching and making it fun is a rare art the new Husky coaches seem to have down pat. Those are the hallmarks of the mighty USC program under Pete Carroll and it looks like Sarkisian has done a good job of implementing it at UW.
Skyline QB Jake Heaps, Redmond OT Colin Porter, and Bellevue DT Julious Moore are all leaning UW's way at this point and I wouldn't be surprised to see the three of them make commitments before the Spring is over.
Putting a fence around the state early allows the staff to concentrate on filling the class out with the elite from California this fall. Sark and company are off to a good start and I wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't end up being a top ten recruiting class.
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Lakes High School...
is doing it’s part to make the Huskies a regional (soon to be conference) power house. I’m thrilled with what Sark and his staff are doing at the U. Can’t wait for tomorrows practice.
"Anytime, Anyplace"
"Life is hard, it's harder if you're stupid." - John Wayne
Yeah I've got a direct line...
…to the school since I’m an alum. No need to thank me though, it’s still by far the best school in the Northwest. Just kidding of course!
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
I'm loving getting these commitments early like this
It fosters a lot of hope for the future of the program. I’m not gonna be able to attend many games next year but I’ll hopefully be back in town the year after and I’m excited for what will be in place.
Coach Sark seems to be doing a great job so far and it seems it’ll only get better in time.
"I call the big one Bitey."-Homer J. Simpson
by Willie Mays Haze on Apr 7, 2009 9:48 PM PDT reply actions
I'm just glad he finally got an OL
And it’d be nice to get at least 5 or 6 more considering the lack of OLs in the 2009 class.
Things are looking so good for the 2010 class that it’s the one thing I feel people aren’t deluding themselves over when they talk about how great it is. Of course, the one drawback to so many early commits is that it’s almost a certainty some will not remain committed for the next 10 months. That is Sarkisian’s greatest test. It seems like it’s becoming increasingly popular nationwide for players to commit really early. It’s also becoming increasingly popular to renege on that commitment. I can’t remember a year that had as many guys changing their minds as this last one.
Speaking of the Oline...
…did you guys see where Habben was the offensive player of practice #4? I’d say that’s a good sign, we need the Oline to be vastly improved this year and he is one of our most experienced lineman. Maybe I’m too focused on that oregon game last year but that kid needs to make a major shift and improve bigtime.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
How to keep recruits
The best thing this staff can do to keep recruits: WIN!
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Cali JCs
I wonder if we’ll continue to mine that area? By the way when do we get an update on the progress of the JC kids from our last class?
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
Practices
I know we’ve been talking about how wonderful the open practices are but do you guys/gals ever worry that they may be too open? I guess it’s another issue where you have to trust the coaches to know when to pull things back in for game preparation.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
Too Open?
I think nothing is too open during Spring and Fall camp. You might see some restrictions during the season. USC rarely closes practice.
I wouldnt be surprised if after the Spring game we get commitments from
Heaps, Porter, Joshua Shaw (CB) and Troy Hill (CB). Hill and Shaw are CA kids who are tall and fast.
Article about Troy Hill...
http://washington.scout.com/a.z?s=147&p=2&c=854492
Only two offers but is getting good looks from some other big programs and is rated #17 CB by Scouts. Could be a great pick up at 5’11 to play CB. I really like Josh Shaw even if he isnt as highly recruited because he is 6’2 and could play either DB position.
I like the diversity of this class so far…1 RB, 1 FB, 1 WR, 1 OL (need more though), 1 DL (more needed), 1 LB, and 1 Safety (though both Waters and Young could play LB or Safety depending on need).
Way to go Sark!
I’m impressed, so far he’s doing everything you could ask of him. If he’s a good gameday coach, we could be in for a lot of fun!
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Keep 'em coming, Sark!
Finally, good news on an almost daily basis.
A day at the ballpark is better than a day at the therapist
It appears to me we are over our scholarship limit for 2009 by 5 or 6 and the way we are getting commits and offering for 2010 we are going to be way over the limit for 2010 also. Does anyone known where we are on scholarships for 2009 and if we are over how we are going to correct it? And for 2010 how many scholarships will we have available?
I believe we had 10 scholarships available for 2010.
Could be off but I think that is about right.
You have to remember that there will be attrition on this team during the summer and some kids will probably not make it because of academics, etc.
Ther was actually an article a couple weeks back in SI or ESPN about coaches over recruiting. The big name was Saban and Butch Davis but there were a lot of coaches that did it, mainly the SEC. They all answered the same way…“we will make it work.” And so will Sark.
Neuheisel
Rick always did this and it always worked out. Ty didn’t do this and we always had 5-10 scholarships that weren’t being used or were given to a walk ons while our team lacked substancial depth. Sark is doing it the right way.
Romar always dose this also and it always pans out.
Recruiting Numbers
It’s just like the airliners, if you want a full airplane you MUST over book. It’s a guarantee that somebody isn’t going to show up.
As a new coach I think it’s a very smart move to “over recruit”. Not only does it bring in his own players, but it also puts pressure on the current players to give 100% or risk losing their spot on the team.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Bingo! Snap!
You got it Lear. I’m way with you on this one. Again. (really, it’s not a crush. i’m mucho-macho. it’s a symbiotic thing more like)
Comer4tide to Nico2.0: "How come I've never heard of any of your random songs?"
Todd to Comer: "Because if you had, he wouldn't listen to it. BOOM. Roasted."
Nico to Todd: "Shouldn't you be off voguing somewhere?"
by BixBeiderbecke on Apr 8, 2009 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions
I agree with all of the above
Sometimes the airplane leaves with empty seats (Ty) despite being sold out, and sometimes there are some angry people left at the gate, but the airplane still leaves. In BB, we all know that Joe W isn’t coming back next year. Its not as obvious on the FB team, and the coaches may not know who yet, but there are guys on the team that won’t be there next year or the year after. Some will choose not to come back, and others will be shown the door ala EJ last year.
Seniorgate 2?
Just for fun (no wagering!), here’s a list of guys who will be redshirt juniors this year. In other words, guys who are going into their fourth year on scholarship but who would have a year of eligibility left after the 2009 season. It’s possible I missed someone; I just read through the roster once. And I’m not no much as suggesting any of these guys would get cut; just identifying the list of players who would have had to “earn” their fifth year under Coach What’s-His-Name.
DT Cameron Elisara
WR D’Andre Goodwin
OT Cody Habben
LB Matt Houston
QB Jake Locker
DL De’Shon Matthews
CB Matt Mosley
OL Matt Sedillo
OL Ryan Tolar
Now that I’ve compiled the list, there’s not a lot of guys on there (if any) you’d want to let go. Like I said, just for fun.
There are 2, maybe 3 guys on that list that really haven’t contributed much yet and/or appear to be bypassed in the depth under the current staff. Now granted, it’s waaaaay early to be making judgments given we’re only 4 practices into Spring, but I do see the possibility of a guy or two being encouraged to move on after the year is done.
I think it’s more likely you’ll see some attrition from the next class down given how large it is. Some guys are going to find themselves buried on the depth chart early in their careers, and the staff will look at the numbers crunch for the incoming class and the 2010 class and “encourage” some of them to reconsider their options.
The thing is there are...
always a few kids who can greyshirt.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
Booing practice
We need to have a practice, for example this Saturday, where everyone comes in and boos everything. Get players used to an away atmosphere. I’ve long thought that the Romarville should support the opposing team for our out-of-conference cupcakes to help prep our players for hostile environments on the road.
Not like the Utah Jazz... it's about REAL jazz. Go Dawgs, Go Blazers!
In-State Recruiting
While it is important for us to win in-state guys like Kearse, it is my belief that to be a true powerhouse we need to go into California and get some of those kids who might otherwise go to USC or UCLA. Its not that there aren’t good players in Washington, it s just that there aren’t as many. That said we need to win over the in-state recruits and keep them from gouig to WSU or Oregon. Thats what Don James did to win and its what Sark should do.
by subliminalnirvanaist on Apr 8, 2009 2:56 PM PDT reply actions
I think the big thing is make sure the UW always gets the best players in state. That won’t always happen – there are frequently 1 or 2 guys that are high level players that grow up in Spokane or somewhere in the far Eastern part of the state that may gravitate towards WSU, and there will be the occasional exceptional bright prospect that will pick Stanford, but the UW needs to keep USC, Oregon and non-Pac-10 schools from coming in state and poaching the top level kids.
Beyond that, I also think the UW needs to prioritize in-state kids over Cal kids. All other things being equal, you go after the in-state kid harder. Obviously when there is superior talent in Cal (and Hawai’i and other Western states) you go after them, but if two guys are otherwise about even as prospects, you prioritize the in-state guy.
Why? A number of reasons – the in-state guys are less likely to get homesick and leave; they are more likely to be under the radar and thus presumably hungrier; as local kids, they have a better understanding of Husky football and traditions; and by targeting local kids, you improve the relationship with local H.S. coaches and make that recruiting pipeline that much easier in-state. Ideally at the UW you take the best in-state guys and then go out of state to fill in the remainder of that year’s needs.
Ya
Even DJ lost kids to Stanford and Notre Dame.
Like you say their are kids who feel more comfortable at WSU.
The important things is not to lose them to other schools in the Pac 10.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 8, 2009 5:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Very few feel more comfortable at WSU...
…but there are a few who would rather go there. Usually they have strong ties to wsu and/or live on the eastside of the mountains. Athough there are a lot of eastside folks who can’t stand Pullman
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
I think you'll start to see that...
…the staff right now has a lot more contact with the local kids and they have offers out. Right now it’s the targeted local kids who are securing their spots.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
I love that Sark has gotten so many of the top local guys to commit already – it’s early April fer cryin’ out loud! The more of these local studs you get committed early, the more momentum you build in recruiting, and the more the staff can really focus on filling needs and narrowing their target list.
Let’s hope they get Heaps on board after the Spring Game, then work on hosses like Porter, Moore & Iona. I suspect their chances of getting high level Cali guys is still going to depend in large part on how the season goes, but it won’t hurt that they’ve got so many good local players already on board. Kids like being a part of a stud recruiting class, especially in a situation like this where the program is rebuilding and they can all feel like they’re a big part of returning the Huskies to the top of the conference.
Yeah I think...
…it’s a huge advantage. The staff can then narrow their focus on out of state priorities. I’m not saying they’re giving up on other in state or regional athletes, just that it doesn allow them more flexibility. This staff is going to keep guys in the fold. Most verbals these days seem to hold up. Just something I’ve noticed recently.
Washington Husky Football-1991 National Champions
You certainly don’t ignore verbals, because nothing is written in stone until that LOI comes across the fax machine. But it’s easier to maintain a guy that’s already said “yes” to your program than to get someone to say “yes” in the first place. So yeah, getting a lot of verbals early can only help this staff with filling out the rest of the class.
I think the in state guys are a pretty safe bet.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 8, 2009 9:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Sark vs. Wulff
I find it comforting to see Sark kicking Wulff’s butt in the current recruiting battles, Wulff even had a one year head start. I’m very glad to see that the “world” is coming back into alignment.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
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