Every single year you end up looking back one more time at some of the kids you missed on. This year was exceptional for the kids we did get and the one's we were still in on come January. It just shows you the type of progress this program has made in a little over a year with Steve Sarkisian at the helm.

QB - Jake Heaps...This one hurts the most because he was the local kid who ended up being rated the top HS QB in the country this past season. In reality Jake was lost way before Steve Sarkisian ever set foot in Seattle. Heaps was not impressed with the program or the players on the current roster. Former coach Ty Willilingham wasn't on him early despite the fact that his son went to the same HS and that was another huge problem. In the end Sark rallied enough to pull Washington into the #2 position but the relationship he built with the staff at BYU over the past three years was impossible to overcome.

Washington did end up with a pretty good QB in Nick Montana. From a national standpoint that verbal garnered more of an impact because his dad after all is Joe Montana. Having that family hanging around Montlake for five years won't be a bad thing. Oh...by the way...Nick outperformed Jake when they played against each other earlier this year. May have been the first time that Husky fans cheered for a California HS program when they were playing a Washington HS program.

RB - Jordon James...He visited early in the season but never really considered Washington. It was down to UCLA and California and he ended up picking the Bruins. UW more than made up for it by signing Cooper and Callier.

WR- Tevin Carter...He committed to Washington early on and his ratings went through the roof this past spring. his parents were uncomfortable with him leaving the state so he changed his commitment to California. UW kept working him but his parents never budged.

WR - Keanon Lowe...He verbaled early when Oregon wasn't recruiting his as a WR. He had a very strong season at Jeshuit HS in Portland and when Oregon struck out on some national recruits they came calling in the last weeks of January. When he decided to visit Oregon the Huskies didn't wait for the outcome...they decided to look elsewhere.

OL - Nick Rowland...He is probably the best lineman in the West this year and UW had a very good shot at him because of a good relationship he had with Dan Cozzetto. UW would have loved to have had Rowland but they more than made up for it with a very strong OL class.

OL - Kody Innes...He visited early but we heard reports that Washinton didn't pursue him very hard which happens. Sometimes you just like other players better. Maybe rather than being a miss he was simply a pass at the time. He ends up being one of two OL recruits in the UCLA class.

DT- Kerifi Taula...This one went back and forth till almost signing day. We all know the story and Kerifi is now a Wildcat. He will be remembered for this one single quote after he verbaled to UW..."I am a man of my word".

DT- Ricky Heimuli...UW had the last visit but Ricky was a student of the depth charts. Chances are he wasn't going to start right away at Washington. He also may have ended up behind Sione Potoae who had a better showing in all star game workouts. He ended up picking Oregon who had more of the immediate need. If you are a Husky you wish he had stayed home at Utah.

DE - Kona Schwenke...This was a strange saga because he never ended up visiting because he simply ran out of time after BYU dropped him for the dalliance with Notre Dame. He wanted to sign after LOI day and visit UW but the Irish told him sign or we will take someone else. He did the smart thing and signed with ND.

LB - Josh Shirley... Everyone held their breath when it came time for him to select the hat on Wednesday. I was pretty surprised that he picked UCLA after word got out that Owa was going there. In the end the desire to stay home was too much to overcome. Neuheisel said he had been a secret commit for a few weeks.

LB - Hayes Pullard...Holt and Sark really wanted this kid but it became apparent early in January that it would come down to USC or UCLA. Like shirley he decided there was no place like home.

CB - Troy Hill...Washington was the early leader but once he saw the facilites at Oregon he became all Duck. Gregory Ducre is a great pick up but UW would have loved to have have had another top rated CB in the class.

CB - Josh Shaw...Josh had an unofficial to Washington if memory serves me correctly but once he became a national recruit he decided between Florida and Ohio State. He is going to be a Gator the next four years.

CB - Demetrius Wright...Another early visitor who was intrigued by Washington because of the coaching staff but decided to stay close to home at USC.

S - Derrick Malone...Washington was all over him but he picked Oregon. In the end that worked out fine because Sean Parker who they didn't have much of a shot at during that early period was a higher rated talent. It did have an impact though because it led to UW losing kicker Alejandro Maldonado to the Ducks.

K- Alejandro Maldonado... Sark wasn't happy at all when he flaked out and switched to Oregon last week. Sark reportedly wasn't shy about expressing his displeasure on the phone with Alejandro. The one saving grace here is Washington doesn't really need a kicker for two more years.