Recruiting continues to be very strong for Washington this season. The Huskies picked up their 19th and 20th commits of the season last night according to our friends over at Dawgman.
Number 19 is Taz Stevenson from Mililani, Hawaii. The Huskies envision the 6'2 200 Stevenson as a safety and have been on him ever since Sark arrived at Washington. Chris Fetters from Dawgman says he has just stood out from the pack since the first time he saw him as a sophomore. Stevenson runs really well and has the type of body that can easily carry a thumping 220 pounds and still keep the 4.5 speed. Make no mistake about it. There are bigger names still left at safety on the board but Washington has always had this kid near the top of thier list.
Number 20 is RB Jesse Callier from Downey, California. He is 5'11 186 and runs a 4.5. He can play on either side of the ball. The Huskies like him at RB but they also think he can be a pretty good Pac 10 corner. A huge plus for Callier is that he is on schedule to graduate from HS early. That means if he arrives by Spring he would count against last years class.
He is currently unrated by Scout because he has not been fully evaluated yet but insiders say he will end up with a strong three star rating when the next set of rankings come out. What is impressive about Callier is the numbers he has put up against very strong competition. He had 249 yards on 33 carries and scored three touchdowns against Dominguez last Saturday. If you know anything about SOCAL HS football you know that the Domingues program is not slouch.
Playing the Numbers
Washington currently has 20 known commitments and they can only fit in 25 in the same class. Deontae Cooper and Jesse Callier have both made it known that they will be here this spring. That means they would count against the 2009 class.
Washington would also like to bring in some JC recruits to help bolster the offensive line, defensive line, and secondary. The prerequisite requirement is they have to qualify to get into UW by winter or spring quarter. There probably won't be room for JC's in the fall. If UW brings in a JC they have to have them count against the 2009 class.
Washington will bring in a full class of freshman this year in addition to whatever JC help they are able to pick up. With Cooper and Callier coming in early that means they now have room for 27 true frosh.
WR/S John Timu from Jordan HS in LA who committed earlier this year blew out his knee and that makes him a possible gray shirt candidate. Princeton Fuimaono who also goes to Jordan HS could also end up being asked to gray shirt since he is battling a shoulder injury this season.
What about Jordon James? That is the question that floated around the Dawgman chat room last night. There is plenty of room for James and probably even another RB. Melvin Davis from Narbonne who committed early this year is not a clinch to qualify. He needs to hit the books for the rest of the year if he wants to avoid going the JC route.
How many players will Washington bring in this year? From what we are hearing they are going to try to bring in at least thirty which would include 3-4 JC players if they can find the kids they like who can qualify.
What that means is there will be some serious changes in the overall roster between the end of the season and next fall. Washington does not have room enough for thirty new players unless there is attrition. I don't want to name names on attrition candidates either.
Every year a few kids don't make grades, decide they don't like school, or go off on their own seeking a level where they can get more playing time. You also have to factor in the ugly spectre of career ending injuries. Just for example OG Craig Noble had to retire because of a congenital heart condition. Attirion happens every year at every program and sometimes the kids that leave aren't the ones you want to leave.
Whatever the case is expect Washington to have at least 30 new faces on the roster next season and a full roster of 85 on scholarship for the first time in years.
Guess Whose Coming to Dinner?
The Huskies will host at least five PSA's this weekend according to Scout.
DE Andrew Hudson
C Colin Tanigawa
CB Shaquille Richardson
OL Michael Criste
OL Niu Sale
Hudson and Tanigawa have listed the Huskies as favorites for quite some time so it wouldn't be surprising to see them commit this weekend. Sale doesn't have an offer yet and he goes to the same school as Richardson. Criste's only offer currently is from UW but other schools such as USC have him high n their lists. He isn't one of the top rated recruits like a Rowland or a Hatchie but he will end up being offered by half a dozen Pac 10 schools once the top guys shake out.