Jason Thompson verbally committed to Washington on Friday and we now expect the flow of commits to continue through the rest of the summer. The Huskies already have 17 commits and are expected to take as many as 28. Hopefully the majority of the remainder of the class will be filled up by some local blue chip linemen.
Washington hasn't been this hot on the recruiting trail since the very early days of Rick Neuheisel. The staff has created a definite buzz around the program. One thing that is helping is the probation at USC and the potential of serious probation at Oregon.
Two top athletes from the Oregon area who usually would be a solid lock to become Ducks are seriously looking at Washington. Nobody wants to spend the majority of their college career at a school that is on probation and these two aren't exceptions to the rule.
The athletic department at Oregon continues to send out the public spin that everything is OK and no rules were violated. Former coach and AD Mike Bellotti feels that Oregon will end up being sanctioned by the NCAA once everything is said and done.
"I have talked to Chip, and I feel it's more of a bad business deal than bad choices about how they do business," Bellotti told KXL. "Saying that, Chip feels like he's done nothing wrong, and I believe him in that regard. I don't know what's gone down with Will Lyles and all that. It's a shame because it puts a black eye on everything. But I think Oregon is still, honestly, a program that does it the right way."
California in trouble too?
The Cal football program paid $5000 to Willie Lyles and the NCAA is asking some serious questions about it. Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury gives us a rundown on what we know and what we don't know.
The consensus is that if Cal has its documents in order, it will be difficult for the NCAA to classify Lyles as a Cal booster — the school would have paid for a service that was available to other schools.
The NCAA is also digging into the football program at LSU. That isn't good news for those lovely Tiger fans we met last year in Seattle and will visit in Baton Rouge next season. LSU reportedly also paid Lyles $5000.
Filling out future football schedules
Scott Woodward told Softy over at KJR that he was looking for two big time opponents for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. We currently have arrangements with Nebraska, LSU, Boise State, Illinois, and Wisconsin as major components of current and future schedules. Who would you like to see the Huskies play in the future?
Here are five off the wall games I wouldn't mind seeing scheduled:
Boston College - A great place to watch a game and a fantastic city to visit in the fall. My wife attended BC so I have had the opportunity to check it out. Lobster rolls, clam chowder, and Husky football anyone?
Tennessee - Have you ever been to Knoxville to see a game? Neyland Stadium is a fantastic venue. The Vols don't mind scheduling schools from the Pac 12 either.
Ole Miss - Tailgating at the Grove would be a blast and you could probably chalk this series up as two wins.
Michigan - I have been to the Big House a couple of times and it is a great experience. The Huskies and the Wolverines seem to schedule each other at least once a decade.
Georgia Tech - A trip to Atlanta to take on the Rambling Wreck makes sense to me. Atlanta is a great city and Tech is usually pretty competitive.
Chris Polk Loving it at Montlake
Chris Polk was named to the Doak Walker Award list. The doak Walker is given out to the nations best running back. Husky great Greg Lewis is a former winner of this award. Polk also let it slip in a radio interview that he would like to use all his eligibility before heading off to the NFL. That means he is seriously leaning toward coming back for his senior season in 2012. That being said 2012 is a long way away. Enjoy Chris every minute that he is here.
Neuheisel can feel the energy
In an interview with the LA Times - Rick Neuheisel explains why he was forced to make changes in his coaching staff over the off season and why those changes have been so positive. He acknowledges that he is on the hot seat and needs to go to a bowl game to have a chance at saving his job.
USC's Marc Tyler on TMZ
Marc Tyler may never see the playing field this season after his most reason display of intoxicated behavior went viral on the Internet. If you haven't seen this video from TMZ you need to give it a click.