Joshua Calvert is a Dawg

The middle child of the talented brothers Calvert has sent in his letter of intent.

Josh, an inside linebacker, was originally assumed to be an easy get for UCLA, as his brother Bo, a freshman in Westwood this season, had been playing there — especially given primary rival USC’s struggles this season with their status as perennial favorites to land highly-coveted southern California kids. And once it became clear he wasn’t a UCLA lock, Michigan State looked to be the favorite until Calvert’s visit to Montlake was followed up with a commitment a few days later.

Calvert is listed at 6’3” and 220 lbs and, while Chris Petersen would certainly like to redshirt him, the abysmal depth at inside linebacker behind next year’s crew of DJ Beavers (if he can stay healthy), Jackson Sirmon, and Brandon Wellington means we could see him playing sooner rather than later.

In his past junior highlights (his Hudl currently doesn’t have anything more recent), he had a tendency to at times approach a play a bit too upright before hitting at a good level, but otherwise there’s not much to criticize there; he’s strong and physical, diagnoses misdirections and screens well, and has good anticipation for where a play is going. Furthermore, he was Oaks Christian’s quarterback as well so presumably, as a linebacker, has a healthy appreciation for an offense’s perspective. However, of his traits as a quarterback, what I believe is most revealing is his speed as a dual-threat — either pulling the ball in a read-option or when escaping the pocket in unplanned emergencies — and his physicality and leverage as a ball-carrier; if you have a linebacker, and he also plays quarterback, and you want to see things that bode well for his linebacking abilities? Those two are high on the list.

Do good things, don’t do bad things, and bow down to Washington.