Recruiting season is in full swing. Washington had a big visitor's list last weekened, and while there were no new commitments out of that group, there was a lot of good momentum established. Where do things currently stand?
- The first thing to note is the commitment they did get this past weekend in LB prospect Azeem Victor out of Pomona, CA. He's a good-looking athlete who got lost in the shuffle a little bit when he transferred schools prior to his Sr. season, but he's seen his recruitment expand significantly. He originally committed to San Diego State, but thanks to the efforts of Johnny Nansen & Peter Sirmon, the Huskies were able to flip him by being very specific about how they plan to use him (MLB) and having his position coach (Sirmon) run point. Oregon is still coming after him hard, but his H.S. coach says it will be a tall task to sway him. I have to share a terrific quote from his father regarding the fact that Victor hasn't yet visited Seattle, and whether that's a concern:
Let me tell you something…only a degenerate fool would think Seattle is not dope. And that's the truth. I've been up there several times, and I know.
- Washington has also made up significant ground quickly with OL prospect Nico Falah. While he says he's still committed to USC, he says the UW is where he'd go if he doesn't end up with the Trojans. He clearly had a terrific time this past weekend and has indicated he may come up again unofficially with his parents. Having followed recruiting for a long time, there's a few ways to interpret his claim he's still committed to USC: a) He really does still favor USC, but the UW has closed a lot of ground; b) He actually favors the Huskies now, but he's not yet willing to tell USC coaches he's decommitting; c) USC is in a numbers crunch and the coaches are OK with him looking around. Regardless, the UW has great momentum right now with Falah. He's slated to officially visit Oklahoma this weekend.
- While we don't know exactly what went down with CB prospect Daquawn Brown, he came into the weekend a guy that many figured would commit to the Huskies on his visit, but ended up instead committing to WSU the following Monday. Sometimes kids and coaches just don't mesh, and sometimes unexpected things happen on visits.
- A guy who some think may pop soon is a S prospect out of Texas named Trevor Walker. Walker was originally committed to WSU but opened up his recruitment this fall, and the buzz is that he could be a Husky soon. He graduates from H.S. this month and will enroll early, so he could be on campus again soon.
- While he hasn't yet publicly committed, things look good for DL prospect JoJo Mathis. He's planning to make his announcement at the Army All-America game on January 5th. He's officially visited Utah and the UW, and his only other official before he announces is to Hawaii. Now, he could delay his announcement, or he could flip in between the announcement and Signing Day, but right now things look very good for the Huskies to land him.
- The visits for the rest of the guys went well too. The UW has made up ground for CB prospect Jalen Ramsey and OL prospect Na'Ty Rodgers, and they remain high on the list for WR prospect John Ross.
Looking ahead, the visitor's list for this weekend is still a bit in flux - there could be more guys that end up visiting, though it's possible not all of them will be publicly known. Coaches sometimes like to bring in guys quietly so as not to tip off other schools, either because they are committed elsewhere or because they want to keep them off the radar. Right now there are three prospects and one current commit:
- The biggest name on the list is monster DL prospect Eddie Vanderdoes. While no prospect is ever 100% a "sure thing", this guy is a beast on film and in camps. He'd be a huge coup if the Huskies can land him. He's currently committed to USC and will be hard to pry away, but the UW has already done well in securing one of his 5 official visits. Anything can happen on a visit, so while it's a longshot right now to get him, they're still in it and they might really wow him. Keep your fingers crossed.
- The other really big name is OL prospect Brayden Kearsley. He's an LDS kid out of Beaverton, OR who had originally committed to BYU but recently re-opened his recruitment. He's considered Oregon State's to lose, but the Huskies have a shot this weekend to make him reconsider. He's a mauler, and while he's probably better suited for the interior, he could probably play outside too.
- The third uncommitted player is DB prospect Patrick Enewally. He's long had the UW high on list along with Boise State (he visited them last weekend), but is also currently planning to trip to Arizona, UCLA and possibly Vanderbilt. The Huskies are hoping his connection to former H.S. teammates Josh Perkins and Dwayne Washington pay off.
- Helping to sell these guys will be UW's QB commit Troy Williams who will be up here again, this time on his official visit. He's on-track to graduate this month and will be enrolling for classes in January, so while UCLA has been making a late push for him, it appears to be too little, too late.
Again, it wouldn't surprise me if the visit list grows - Vanderdoes was added today - so check that link again tomorrow and Saturday. As always, I'll be keeping tabs this weekend, and if there's any news I'll pass it along.