With the close of spring practice, the Husky coaches move into a more relaxed phase of the year: the start of May evaluation period. Sarkisian, as with all head coaches, must remain home; however, all assistants are spending time on the road evaluating future Huskies.
This is also the time for a little fun as the annual coaches tour is underway across the State of Washington. If presented the opportunity, never pass on participating in one of these outings. It is a great way to get to know the participating Husky coaches.
As all functions put on by the Alumni Club, this one really stands out when the coaches get into it. With guys like Nick Holt participating, the results should be AWESOME for fans.
Back in the days before early verbals, this was also the time decisions were made on who a school was going to recruit. That timetable has been moved a bit. Washington--for example--already has seven prospects who have committed, a new record.
Based on the existing roster, Washington has room for only twelve recruits in the 2010 class. The coaches want to take at least twenty, so something has to give. Natural attrition already opened up enough room for the entire 2009 class, but the attrition may not be so "natural" next spring.
All eyes are on Skyline QB Jake Heaps, who may make his decision later this month. Insiders believe his decision boils down to UW and BYU. While many believe Heaps will stay home, having a sister on the BYU campus is also a big draw for Jake.
Should Jake choose BYU, the Washington staff have several other highly rated QB's near the top of their list. Jesse Scroggins from Lakewood, CA (whom Bob Condotta wrote a bit about today) is considered a near-equal prospect. Nick Montana is another name that has been mentioned in similar light.
Both Scroggins and Montana would be huge pick-ups. However, if you want regional bang for your buck, Heaps is the must have recruit from the State of Washington. The goal of every coaching staff is to keep the best home; Jake Heaps is clearly the best the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
Bellevue HS DT Julious Moore and Redmond HS OT Colin Porter are also a couple of local stars to keep watch. While I believe both are close to committing, neither are an absolute lock for Washington.
Porter is the son of a former Husky, so one might believe this could be a deciding factor. Moore seemed ready to pull the trigger earlier this year, but he is also getting attention from other Pac 10 schools.
Washington is at--or near--the top of the list for many of the West's best players. One hurdle the Huskies must clear is the team's on-field performance. The Huskies are far from a finished product at this point, though I expect them to play far better in 2009.
Should Sarkisian coax this team close to .500 this season, he may end up with the finest recruiting class Washington has ever seen on paper. It is then a reasonable assumption it won't take Sarkisian long to get this program turned around.