Lance Holtzclaw is a Husky!

After initially choosing to delay his signing until February to get to know the new coaching staff, Holtzclaw announced last evening he would in fact be signing today. A win for the coaching staff who were able to win him over quickly.

Lance Holtzclaw (EDGE, 6’4” 200, Desert Ridge HS, AZ)

Holtzclaw does not have quite the recruiting acclaim as some of the other players signing today, but make no mistake he is a high ceiling player who had offers from Michigan and Iowa State (I know not the same class of offer as Michigan, but Iowa State’s been good, they have an eye for talent, and we did want their coach.) The Huskies were his second to last offer, coming in just before Boise State, but were able to secure one of his five official visits. He visited the Washington campus on June 25th and two weeks later was verbally committed to the Dawgs.

When you watch his film his athleticism is readily apparent, both when he’s bursting off the edge on defense, or catching passes as a wide receiver. He’s got good length and body control and shows his speed both going around tackles or chasing down plays from behind. He is a high potential player with a lot of enticing attributes. If there’s one part of his game he could improve, it would be his arsenal of pass rush moves. But, that is typical for high school players who rely on their physical traits more than technique before they get to the next level.

Physically, his one draw back is his weight, clocking in at 200 pounds exactly. While he projects as a Bralen Trice / Joe Tryon-ish type, he’s about 30 pounds lighter than those two were coming in. He has a lot of weight and strength to put on before he can be realistically expected to make an impact, but he was always going to be a project.

The talented edge prospect becomes the second player in this class to sign from the state of Arizona. Welcome to Montlake, Lance!