Midweek Debate: Biggest Recruiting Need

In recruiting, obviously you want balance across every position group in every class, but sometimes you can identify areas where a team is going to need to put a bit more emphasis than they might in other years. In the 2010 class the focus was the offensive line, 2011 added some big time offensive skill players, 2012's class centered around it's QB's and secondary, while 2013 went heavy at WR and the defensive line.

So after a bit of analysis of the spring roster combined with the incoming recruits in the fall, where do you see the biggest area of need for 2014? Here are the candidates:

QB: 4 scholarship players are slated to return, but will there be attrition that could leave a hole in the roster?

RB: Bishop Sankey and Jesse Callier are both getting toward the end of their careers, and though there are a lot of bodies at the position, is the tailback of the future currently on the roster?

WR: There's an elite group arriving in the fall, but it's conceivable that the potential top three players from this season (Kasen Williams, Kevin Smith and James Johnson) could all be gone when 2014 rolls around.

TE: The only players with experience at this position are all juniors. David Ajamu is coming in and Josh Perkins is coming along, but we know that the offense wants to use multiple tight ends at times. More bodies will be needed in the future.

OL: There are no seniors on the roster, but it's hard to ever have too many widebodies. With the depth of the position better than it's been in over a decade, is this the year they need to get a top flight recruit or two?

DL: One of the country's best classes in 2013 will supplement a group that has a lot of experience, but with eligibility concerns for the guys coming in, is another big class needed to truly get back to "Washington Defense?"

LB: The strength of the defense at the moment, how long will Shaquille Thompson be around, and who will replace him? Aside from Shaq, the 2012 class has nothing else going for it at linebacker any longer, and right now the depth behind Travis Feeney and John Timu looks pretty thin down the road.

DB: There are a lot of young guys with potential, but also a number of experienced players who will graduate after 2013 (Will Shamburger, Gregory Ducre and Tre Watson), and those young players are by no means a sure thing.

The thing that is immediately noticeably different about this roster as compared to years past is that this is a difficult decision. There seems to be good depth and talent across the board, with fewer holes than the program has seen in a long, long time. But where will the coaches be putting in the most effort?