The big news from the shores of Montlake over the last two weeks has been the deluge of early commits pledging their services to the University of Washington football program. The quantity is definitely there with a total of eleven verbal commits. The casual fan on the boards is asking if the quality is truly there.
Most of us who follow recruiting judge the talents of the recruits based on the star system that is used by the various scouting services. The Huskies currently have two four star recruits, two three star, and six two stars which has sent off a few alarms among the populace.
The key thing to remember concerning the two star recruits is that they haven't been evaluated by the scouting services yet. The services actually seem to be behind in evaluations this year. The camps and combines are happening right now across the West.
WR Kendyl Taylor is a great example of a player who is extremely underrated at this point despite having offers from UW, Notre Dame, Arizona, Arizona State,Michigan State, and Stanford he only has two stars. How long will it take for that rating to move up?
I guess what I am saying is have faith in the coaches. They targeted the kids they wanted early and they are being very aggressive in bringing them into the fold. They are creating a sense of urgency around this class which sends a clear message to PSA's to commit and get on board or there likely won't be a spot left open for you.
Look for Washington to continue to close hard in state. WR Michael Rector figured it out and gave his pledge last Tuesday. Will a Caleb Smith do the same thing or is he going to take his chances? I found Smith's interview to be refreshing. He wants to take his visits and decide after the season is completed.
Blue chip In state recruits like Garnett, Banner, Russell, and Dozier can take all the time they want but the message the coaches sent Smith is that he may not have that luxury. It will be interesting to see how this plays out now that Colorado and UCLA have offered.
Smith will be camping at Washington next week during the UW Rising Stars camp. Expect more commitments immediately after that camp is concluded.
Seattle U. headed for the WAC
Seattle University received great news last week when they were invited to join the Western Athletic Conference in 2012. The Redhawks will compete in 17 different sports. The revised conference features Denver (non-football), Utah State, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Texas State, and University of Texas-San Antonio. The move comes nearly a year after Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, and Hawaii rocked the WAC by announcing their intentions to join the Mountain West.
The WAC would like to add 2-3 more football playing members. Cal Poly, Sacramento State, Montana, Montana State, Lamar, Sam Houston State, North Texas and Louisiana-Lafayette are among the candidates the conference will be looking at in the near future.