Looking At The 2018 Husky Football Commits

The Huskies currently have 13 commitments in the 2018 class and Scout has the class ranked at #19 as of today. Most experts have projected the class to be around 18-20 so that leaves 5-7 spots left. This is an excellent class so far and there is a lot of top line talent coming in. Here is a breakdown of each player and how he will fit in:

Jacob Sirmon, a 4 star QB out of Bothell HS, WA, chose UW two years ago and now has offers from across the country. He is a 6'4" QB who has a strong arm and participated in the Elite 11 camp but didn't make it to the finals. He is a prototypical NFL QB who need to get better at accuracy and being the leader of his team. After a redshirt year he will compete for the starting QB once Jake Browning is gone.

Colson Yankoff, a 4-star QB out of Coeur d'Alene, ID, was a former Duck commit but after a coaching change he switched his allegiance and chose UW over offers from across the country including Ole Miss, Tennessee, and North Carolina. He is a 6'3" dual-threat QB who rushed for 6 TD's and passed for another 27. He has a strong arm as well (not as strong as Jacob's) and is an accurate passer. After a redshirt year he will also compete with Jacob to be the Husky starting QB.

Marquis Spiker. a 4-star WR out of Murrieta Valley HS, CA, chose UW over offers from USC, Michigan, and Oregon. He is a 6'3" target who has great hands and will be a big-time target for UW. He is not a burner but uses his size to outjump and muscle DBs. He will be capable of playing his freshman year.

Austin Osborne, a 4-star wideout out of Mission Viejo HS, CA who chose UW over offers from among the likes of Tennessee, Miami, Michigan, and UCLA. He is listed as a 6'3" wideout who is an excellent route runner who looks sneaky fast on film. Last year his average yards per reception were 25 which tells you he is a big play waiting to happen. He is another wideout who can probably play his freshman year.

Trey Lowe, a 4-star wideout/running back out of Jesuit HS, OR, committed to UW over the Ducks mainly because of his relationship with Coach Lubick and that he dreamed of playing for the Huskies. He had 34 touchdowns and 1800 yards as a running back but will be used by Husky coaches the same way that they use Chico McClatcher. He is a fast player as well who can make guys miss once he has the ball in his hands. In my opinion he will be competing to take over for Chico after a redshirt year and learning the ins and outs of being a wideout.

Matteo Mele, a 4-star offensive lineman from Sal Pointe HS, AZ, committed to UW over offers from Arizona, ASU, UCLA, Oregon, and Oklahoma. He is a 6'6" tackle who is listed by scouting services as weighing around 280 pounds right now. He is a very raw offensive line tackle prospect who has barely played on the line (he has played primarily tight end) but Scout lists him as their 2nd best offensive lineman in the west for the 2018 class. He may need a year or two in the weight room and to acclimate to being an offensive lineman; however, he has the athleticism that coaches love to see in their tackles.

Devin Culp, a 4-star TE out of Gonzaga Prep HS, WA, committed to UW over Oregon primarily after he had decommitted from Oregon when they fired the previous staff. He is listed as a 6'5" 230-240 pound player who, although maybe not the most polished route runner, is an excellent athlete (he is a good basketball player as well). He will be used as a player who is similar to Darrel Daniels this last year. After a redshirt year I think he will be in the tight end rotation.

Draco Bynum, a 3-star defensive lineman out of Wilsonville HS, OR, committed to UW over offers from UCLA, USC, and Oregon. He was a big pickup for the staff for the 2018 class. He is coming in as a defensive end but could bulk up and also play some tackle as well. He is listed as being 6'5" and around 250 pounds by scouting services and Scout listed him as their 5th best defensive end in the 2018 class. He played a lot of tight end in high school but he impressed at camps when he was playing defensive line with good quickness and strength.

Jackson Sirmon, a 3-star linebacker out of Brentwood Academy, TN and son of former Husky coach Peter Sirmon, chose UW over offers from Wisconsin and Vanderbilt. He is a 6'2" 225-pound linebacker who appears to have good instincts and makes a ton of tackles. He could play his freshman year but I suspect the coaches would redshirt him and let him compete for an inside backer position after his redshirt year.

Victor Curne, a 3-star offensive lineman out of Second Baptist HS, TX, chose UW over offers from TCU, ASU, UCLA, and Missouri. He is projected as a guard and at a listed 6'5" 320 he has the size to play but he will need a couple of years in the weight room to get some more strength to be able to handle big defensive lineman. He was a big pickup out of the state of Texas.

Nicholas Bolton, a 3-star linebacker out of Lone Star HS, TX, chose UW over offers from Mississippi State, Colorado, and Houston. He is listed by scouting services as 5'11" and around 225 pounds. He has 111 tackles last year so he is always around the ball and looks to be a a good pickup who will compete at an inside backer spot after a redshirt year.

Dominique Hampton, the most recent 2018 commit out of Centennial HS, AZ, is rated by scouting services as a 3-star cornerback. He is listed by the scouting services as a 6'2" 180-pound player who camped at the first Rising Stars camp and received his Husky offer. He committed to UW over Arizona, ASU, and Oregon. He is a long rangy corner in the mold of Kevin King. With the depth at the corner position it seems likely he will redshirt. He had two pick-sixes in his first game this season.

M.J. Ale, a 3-star offensive lineman out of Fife, WA, committed to UW over offers from Oregon, UCLA, Utah, and WSU. He is the best offensive lineman in the state this year and he is listed by scouting services as being 6'6" and around 330 pounds. He is fairly new to the offensive line position since he moved from Australia in High School (he played rugby down in Australia). With his size he should be able to compete at the guard position after a redshirt season where he will acclimate to the offensive line and Coach Huff's coaching.

When looking at the class as a whole the thing that stands out is the length and size of this class. Only two commits are listed below 6'2". After the playoff game with Alabama it was said that Coach Pete wanted to add more length to his team and the 2018 class will do just that. Also, with two big-time QB's committed, along with 2019 commit Dylan Morris, the Husky QB position should be set for the next 4-5 years.

Coach Pete is looking to take another 5-7 guys for the 2018 class (depending on attrition). Once the season starts and players start to visit officially there will be more news and commitments coming.

Let me know what your thoughts on the commits and the class as a whole.

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