Recruiting Roundup: A Look At The Defensive Recruiting Board

The Huskies are in the slow summer months of recruiting with most coaches taking vacation right now before the season kicks off. With not much going on right now and the Huskies only having 1 commit on the defensive side of the ball I figured it would be a good time to look at the defensive recruiting board and where things stand with players:

On the defensive line it sounds like the Huskies will probably not take a true defensive tackle (the Huskies took 4 tackles last year). The Huskies will probably take a defensive end that may move to a 5 technique when rushing the passer. The Huskies have offered and are recruiting 4 star end Xavier Carlton from Juan Diego HS, UT who is looking at schools like USC, UCLA, Cal, and Utah for his services. It sounds like the Huskies are trying to get him on campus the last weekend of July for an official and if they can I would say they have a great shot to land him. Rated as the 12th best defensive end and listed at around 6’7” and 260 pounds Carlton has a huge frame that will allow him to bulk up a little more and possibly slide inside. The Huskies also have offered and are after 3 star Lance Keneley from Mission Viejo HS, CA who also has offers from Utah, Arizona State, Boise State, and Colorado. Keneley is a player who isn’t rated very highly currently but I actually like a lot of his film and I think he could be an excellent player in a few years if the Huskies landed him. Here are some of Keneley’s highlights:

At the rush end/hybrid linebacker position the Huskies are after 4 star Jordan Banks from Narbonne HS, CA who recently cut his list of schools to 4 (Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and UW). It sounds like Alabama and UW are his leaders with Alabama looking at him as an inside linebacker and the Huskies looking at him to be more of an edge player. The Huskies have scheduled Banks to visit UW the weekend of the USC game. If the Huskies can beat out Alabama for Banks they will be done at the rush end position. Banks is a big time player and is rated as a top 150 player in the nation by 247sports. Listed at around 6’1” and 230 pounds I think Banks could also play inside backer (but his speed is excellent which is why the Huskies are looking at him on the edge). Here is a look at some of Banks highlights:

At the inside linebacker position the Huskies already have a commitment from 3 star linebacker Carson Bruener from Redmond HS, WA. It sounds like they want to take one more inside linebacker and they are leading for 3 star linebacker Cooper McDonald from Northwest HS, TX. The Huskies are battling Utah, Colorado, and Baylor for his services but I do feel fairly confident in saying that I believe the Huskies are his leader right now. Listed at 6’3” and around 220 pounds McDonald can play both the inside backer and rush edge position if needed (I originally slotted him at the rush edge position).

At the safety position the Huskies are looking to add at least 1 safety. 3 star safety Makell Esteen from Lawndale HS, CA visited UW in June and has been very quiet in his recruitment after the visit. The Huskies are battling the likes of Oregon, USC for his services. Listed at 6’1” and around 170 pounds, Esteen is rated by 247sports as the 31st best safety in the nation. If the Huskies could land Esteen they would probably be done with their Safety recruiting (they may take a corner that could be a swing player). Here is a look at his highlights:

At cornerback the Huskies are after some good players and me of the most highly conveyed player is 4 star corner Jacobe Covington from Saguaro HS, AZ. The Huskies hosted Covington on an official visit back in early June and most experts believe UW is battling Oklahoma for his services. Listed at 6’1” and around 195 pounds Covington has ideal size for the corner position and 247sports has him rated as the 17th best corner in the nation. The Huskies also hosted 3 star cornerback Elijah Jackson from Lawndale HS, CA (and teammate of Makell Esteen). Jackson, who is listed at around 6’2” and 175 pounds is another fairly tall corner. The Huskies are battling the likes of Utah, Cal, and now UCLA for Jackson. 4 star corner Ayden Hector from Eastside Catholic HS, WA is another player the Huskies have been after for a while. Hector, who is the top corner in the Pacific Northwest, is rated by 247sports as the 13th best corner in the country. Listed at 6’0” and around 200 pounds I see similarities between Elijah Molden and Hector and similar to Molden I believe the Huskies will need to beat Stanford for his services. Lastly, a player flying under the radar, that the Huskies have offered, is 3 star corner James Smith from St John Bosco HS, CA. Smith, who sat behind Husky signee Trent McDuffie last year has received offers from the likes of Oregon, UCLA, and ASU. The Huskies will take at least 2 corners in the class and if I were to put my pick in now I think they will land Covington and Hector. (Note: 3 star corner Trey Paster is committing soon and it is expected that he will choose Cal over UW).

That is all all for now and as always follow me @asieverkropp.