UW Dawg Pound - All PostsAll I Blogged Was Purplehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51197/uw-fav.png2024-03-28T10:43:09-07:00http://www.uwdawgpound.com/rss/current/2024-03-28T10:43:09-07:002024-03-28T10:43:09-07:00Thursday Dots: Proday, press conference, all that jazz, blues, and NPR news
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<img alt="University of Washington Spring Football Press Conference" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/O4sf05O_J2kvZjzObuW2gD1Cj0o=/0x0:6668x4445/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73239378/2118102441.5.jpg" />
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<p>Plus it’s softball game day!</p> <p id="ItWTqJ"></p>
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<a href="http://NFL.com">NFL.com</a> has a mock draft with Mike staying home plus two other Dawgs in the first round.</li>
<li id="iYsiaq">Our other Lucas looks at <a href="https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2024/3/27/24114099/danny-sprinkle-ushers-in-new-era-of-husky-hoops">new MBB coach Danny Sprinkle’s opening thoughts and family history around these parts</a>.</li>
<li id="BnczJC">Andy Yamashita at The Seattle Times on <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-football/lot-of-game-left-in-me-huskies-prepare-for-pro-day-final-nfl-showcase/">how the lower profile UW prospects have to use this pro day</a>.</li>
<li id="vu2qF3">And <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-football/we-love-being-here-jedd-fisch-uw-coordinators-speak-before-spring-practices/">Fisch and the coordinators on their experiences so far here</a>.</li>
<li id="lTWMOB"><a href="https://www.onmontlake.com/p/jedd-fisch-steve-belichick-and-brennan">Christian Caple has his look at their pre-spring ball conference too.</a></li>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">We had Penix at 4.46 hand timed. Even 0.2 lower that’s an incredible time! <a href="https://t.co/QoUP01PKws">pic.twitter.com/QoUP01PKws</a></p>— Ben Glassmire (@BenGlassmireNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenGlassmireNFL/status/1773399270215028905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a>
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<p id="G962xD">Is this good?</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Penix's vertical jump is 94th percentile for QBs per MockDraftable. Not a surprise to anyone who has seen his HS basketball highlight reel. <a href="https://t.co/nSA8nbwZk5">https://t.co/nSA8nbwZk5</a></p>— UW Dawg Pound (@UWonSBN) <a href="https://twitter.com/UWonSBN/status/1773398609712775372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a>
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<p id="5aQ61O">Meanwhile, we have Pat Chun’s introductory press conference happening as we speak and good lord this is relatable and I wish with all my heart I didn’t have to stay on it for work:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">New UW AD Pat Chun: "Just so you know: I've gotten off social media."</p>— Mike Vorel (@mikevorel) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikevorel/status/1773399871556587737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Washington running back Will Nixon has left the program, a school spokesperson confirms.</p>— Christian Caple (@ChristianCaple) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristianCaple/status/1773015851584618940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2024</a>
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<p id="NZIxrV">Drew Fowler put on scholarship, Max’s scholly tracker has some incongruities with what’s been said publically so we’ll see what’s revealed later:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I've got UW at 76 scholarship players right now including those coming in after departures of Jaden Green and Will Nixon so interested to see where those differences are. <a href="https://t.co/yrughdeSdF">https://t.co/yrughdeSdF</a></p>— UW Dawg Pound (@UWonSBN) <a href="https://twitter.com/UWonSBN/status/1773066352254763482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2024</a>
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<p id="EzDQNE">Do good things, don’t do bad things, and bow down to Washington.</p>
https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2024/3/28/24114742/washington-huskies-thursday-dots-proday-press-conference-all-that-jazz-blues-and-npr-newsGabey Lucas2024-03-27T16:43:00-07:002024-03-27T16:43:00-07:00Danny Sprinkle ushers in new era of Husky hoops
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: San Jose State at Utah State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/m5Y8bDOw0rX3_IWN3E-xy8eMtvs=/0x0:3655x2437/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73237598/usa_today_22409231.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>UW’s new MBB coach is right where he belongs. </p> <p id="hLF7lK">Standing amongst beaming lights, media members and both former and current players, freshly minted men’s basketball coach Danny Sprinkle had his introductory press conference this afternoon and said Washington is the place he always wanted to be. Typically those words come from a man looking to secure an early win in his tenure long before he coaches his first game. But things are different with Sprinkle.</p>
<p id="zBtB7T">A native of Pullman, Sprinkle was adamant that he doesn’t claim the city where Cougars roam. The son of former UW football player Bill Sprinkle, the new head coach recalled memories of leaving Montana State and Utah State games to catch Husky football. A man who once coached at his alma mater in Bozeman, Montana, Sprinkle once again assumes a position with a “personal” desire to succeed. </p>
<p id="Ov5RvG">You didn’t need to be in the room to feel the energy radiating off Sprinkle. He carries a level of pride toward Husky basketball as head coach that has long been on the outside looking in. He explained that he looks to restore that pride within Husky nation, which will fill the seats at HecEc and more than likely bring back the strong local recruiting bridge several players have crossed to get to the NBA. His mention of Isaiah Thomas and Brandon Roy is more than merely showing off his knowledge of Husky hoops. </p>
<p id="0xwfp0">It goes hand-in-hand with his desire to get “the best” local kids through recruiting. He’ll also look to utilize other scholarships to execute a global search for players that fit the culture he is looking to build. </p>
<p id="FRHkF9">Of course, building a winner right away is easier said than done, even in the portal era. Sprinkle experienced firsthand what life in the Big Ten could look like when Purdue rocked his Utah State squad in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Though he’s now dealing with a completely different roster, time will tell how he goes about putting together a group of players that can compete in a conference that he described as much different than the Pac-12 due to the slow, grind-it-out-style of play he faced against the Boilermakers. </p>
<p id="5QuDYF">Beyond next season, Sprinkle will look to continue to master roster continuity. He explained that kids don’t typically want to leave the culture his staff creates and if they do, it’s for an opportunity to see more minutes at another program, which he assists them with. To keep a core together in college basketball is both more important and tougher than ever. </p>
<p id="6CyVhh">Evidence of his culture is former Husky RaeQuan Battle, who began his career in Seattle before transferring to Montana State. He then relocated to West Virginia, where he averaged 16.1 points per game this past season. Despite leaving Sprinkle, Battle took a trip to his old stomping grounds to watch his former head coach take over a program he once left to join him. </p>
<p id="3DOiP9">Sprinkle said that he knew he would be successful as a head coach, he just needed a chance. He’s been provided the ultimate one in Seattle. </p>
<h3 id="bk0pAE"><em><strong>Notable quotes: </strong></em></h3>
<p id="9oQeFV">“I love the players that are here, they’re talented, they’re tough, I met with them a couple times, and we’ll have individual leaders too. And I want to make sure that I’m on the same page with them and they’re on the same page as me and my staff on how we want to act, how we want to move, we might be different and sometimes change is hard for kids. So I want to make sure their head and their heart is in the right place and all that entails is that you want to win for that “W.” It’s not about yourself. It’s not about me. It’s about Washington basketball.” </p>
<p id="UnJ0Bz">“I want fans to know we’re playing the right way. We got to take care of the basketball, we gotta defend, we gotta rebound. If there’s a loose ball, there’s got to be five of our jerseys jumping on the floor. We have to play with that edge and that chip on our shoulder because that’s what winning takes.” </p>
https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2024/3/27/24114099/danny-sprinkle-ushers-in-new-era-of-husky-hoopsRaymond Lucas Jr2024-03-27T09:09:00-07:002024-03-27T09:09:00-07:00Weekly Roundtable: Can UW have its best recruiting class ever?
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<img alt="COLLEGE FOOTBALL: JAN 01 CFP Semifinal - Allstate Sugar Bowl - Texas vs Washington" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2o_9tdWlgXBaDQ_f94kDrwJegds=/0x0:4479x2986/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73236451/1895736976.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A possible blueprint for a purple wave</p> <p id="bqAJSe">Jedd Fisch said during the signing day press conference that he wants the 2025 UW recruiting class to be the best in school history. The best UW has ever finished in the 247 class rankings is 15th in 2019, a class headlined by Puka Nacua, Trent McDuffie, Troy Fautanu, and Laiatu Latu. Is Fisch’s goal attainable, and what will it take to get there?</p>
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<cite>Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="4Ce0Az"><strong>Max Vrooman</strong></p>
<p id="QYZzqP">It’s hard to imagine that it’s attainable for a brand-new coaching staff in the NIL/portal era unless Washington vastly changes their policy on providing NIL deals to high school recruits. That 2019 class had 23 players and 16 of them were 4-star recruits in the 247 Sports Composite. That includes 8 players that were in the top-250 overall. Since Jimmy Lake had his first full recruiting class, Washington has signed just 7 top-250 players in the ensuing 4 years. Fisch is essentially hoping that without a proof-of-concept year to show what he can do at UW that he wants to put together a class that would be better than if he just cherry picked the best recruits from the last 4 cycles.</p>
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<p id="djlMLI">So, I don’t think it’s exactly a realistic goal but we’ll address the “what will it take to get there” question. The answer is to hit on something like a 90% rate of everyone that UW is able to get on campus. Things change but right now the Huskies have 6 top-300 rated players currently scheduled to take official visits including a pair of top-50 targets. In order to even get close to that 2019 class then all of them need to sign with Washington or for each miss there needs to be a similarly rated replacement. Plus, land a few other major targets that haven’t signed up for an OV yet.</p>
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<p id="4XyjmX">I put into the Class Calculator feature on 247 a 20-recruit class made up of essentially our highest rated OVs plus a few other players with UW offers from the west who have been reported to have at least some interest in UW. That class came out at 250.6 using the composite which would’ve been 2 spots below the 2019 class (260.3).</p>
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<p id="xIojtH"><strong>Kirk DeGrasse</strong></p>
<p id="myVC3g">Someone should clarify with Fisch how he defines a recruiting class as “best in school history.” If we go with 247 Composite rankings (a relatively recent construction) that gives him the lowest bar to clear with that 15th ranked class in 2019. Since Scout.com has long-since ceased to be, their recruiting rankings at the turn of the millennium are no longer easily accessible, but Rick Neuheisel’s 2001 class (headlined by Reggie Williams and Charles Frederick) was ranked #6, the high-water mark for Washington football of the “internet era” of recruiting. Prior to that, in the old days of niche magazines that covered recruiting, the Huskies in 1992 brought in a class under Don James ranked #4 by SuperPrep.</p>
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<img alt="Reggie Williams catches a touchdown pass" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dr6Me7YIQFj6TnV7cwKMdoEdDRA=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25349632/2701485.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="07wnSQ">Of course, those rankings are all projections - it’s probably more instructive to look at retrospective recruiting rankings to see how those classes actually performed. This was an area where Chris Petersen’s classes shined as his first four classes were all deemed top-10 in retrospective evaluations by The Athletic (#5, #7, #10 and #6 from 2014-2017). Of note, as Petersen’s classes improved in 247 Composite rankings, in hindsight they didn’t fare as well with his 2018 class re-ranked at #32 and his 2019 class re-ranked at #16 [Editor’s Note: The decline may have something to do with who developed those classes]. And of course, if we did a rigorous re-ranking of recruiting classes in the late 1980’s, there’s no doubt multiple UW classes would rank top-5 as that 1991 National Championship team can attest.</p>
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<p id="6b6EhR">OK, that bit of wonkery aside, Fisch needs to hope that most of his targets and commits move up in the rankings between now and February, 2025. That’s not out of the question - under both Petersen and Kalen DeBoer we saw numerous UW recruits move up (sometimes way up) in the rankings. But we don’t yet have enough data to determine if this coaching staff has a similar knack for identifying high-quality recruits quicker than the recruiting sites. As of right now, most of the targets of this coaching staff are of the high 3-star type; kids with 247 ratings in the 84-88 area. You can certainly build a really good recruiting class with those players if you’ve evaluated well, develop well and they prove to be better than 247, Rivals, On3 & ESPN thought they were. But if Fisch’s goal is to land a class ranked the highest in the 247 Composite in school history, he’s got a lot of work to do. And personally, I care less about whether Fisch can hit that metric and more about whether he and his staff are excellent evaluators and coaches. You can land highly-ranked classes and flop, and you can land modestly-ranked classes and play in NY6 bowls. Ideally you land highly-ranked classes and succeed, but that means not just landing kids that impress the internet folks but also landing the right kids among that group that you can develop and who will excel in your system.</p>
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<p id="ocEV3h"><strong>Andrew Berg</strong></p>
<p id="eCla34">These are interesting and fair points. I definitely agree with what Kirk said about scouting and player development being as important or more important than pure salesmanship. Nonetheless, it’s always fun to get involved in the big recruiting battles and have a real chance to win.</p>
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<p id="7b3jhS">It’s crazy that there are still players on the roster form that 2019 recruiting class, and yet the recruiting landscape looks almost nothing like what it did at the time. Fisch and his staff seem agile and intelligent, which should help them adapt to the rapid changes in recruitment. A few key things that come to mind that are drastically different from when Coach Pete pulled the highest-rated class in 2019:</p>
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<strong>NIL</strong>. This is obviously at the top of the list. My best guess is that Coach Pete’s staff was not paying players in the 2019 class (or funneling money from boosters) and at least a fair share of competitors were. Whether the UW collective will be more open to paying HS recruits remains to be seen, but that change would be a significant factor in whether Fisch can recruit a better HS class.</li></ul>
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<strong>Conference alignment.</strong> UW going to the B1G and the associated moves have at least two major implications. One is that some of the teams UW recruited against in 2019 will be at a serious disadvantage. We were already beating WSU and OSU in most head-to-head recruiting battles, but schools like Stanford, Utah, and Arizona State will likely have a harder time against UW in lesser conferences. Also, with fewer teams in the “Power 2,” we might see more consolidation of talent in the top few teams. That could mean that it’s easier to get into the top 15 nationally, but the teams around you in the rankings are also better than they were before, and that the top 5-10 become even more juggernaut-like. </li></ul>
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<strong>Transfer Portal</strong>. Kalen Deboer liked to take transfers at least as much as he liked to bring in high school recruits. If a critical mass of top programs concentrate their time, money, and scholarships on transfer recruiting, might that make it easier for HS recruiting-focused programs more highly to get to the top of the rankings? Of course, that might mean that having a top HS recruiting class means less in terms of on-field success.</li></ul>
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<p id="txznyS">So, I give you this as a follow-up question. If UW is going to build itself into a perennial top-20 high school recruiting program, what are the structural changes to recruiting that UW must make?</p>
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<p id="HP7BxX"><strong>Aaron Siever-Kropp</strong></p>
<p id="dwDVdy">Good question- good scouting will always be important, but to land a top15 recruiting class at UW year in and out will take the following changes/tweaks: more willingness to invest NIL into 4- and 5-star prospects versus transfer portal players. At the same time, we need to grow the Montlake Future funding through large donors to compete with schools we will be going to head-to-head with.</p>
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<p id="la3kH3">Conversely, we also need to take bigger recruiting classes from a numbers perspective to land a top 15 class year in and out. The majority of top 15 classes are at or over the traditional 25-man class (that used to be the limit). Historically UW has been reluctant to push kids out of the program/attrition and we have seen smaller classes which will also impact the ranking.</p>
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<p id="JhcjcU">There is a lot more tactically that we could discuss and it would be good for a podcast (the way your recruit 4- and 5-star players can be different- a lot of times it’s the long game and getting on kids early and often).</p>
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https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2024/3/27/24108631/weekly-roundtable-can-uw-have-its-best-recruiting-class-ever-washington-huskiesandrewberg7AaronsieverkroppKirk DeGrasseMax Vrooman2024-03-27T06:30:00-07:002024-03-27T06:30:00-07:00Wednesday Dots: The Carousel Spins
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<p>An athletic director poached, and more for your Wednesday.</p> <p id="oEoTsF">Hello! Welcome to the Dots on this Wednesday morning! It was a busy day in Husky world so let’s get right to the Dots!</p>
<p id="TG0F0H"><strong>Football Dots</strong></p>
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<li id="qOttYc">As most of you have probably heard, former WSU AD Pat Chun is coming to Montlake to serve in the same role at Washington. UWDP’s article on the hire is <a href="https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2024/3/26/24112740/breaking-washington-hires-wsu-ad-pat-chun-uw-huskies-wsu-cougars-athletic-director">here</a> and UW’s official statement is <a href="https://www.washington.edu/news/2024/03/26/university-of-washington-appoints-pat-chun-as-director-of-athletics/">here</a>. In addition to his time at WSU, Chun has spent time at Ohio State and FAU, where he hired Lane Kiffin to lead the Owl football program.</li>
<li id="XeTW09">Andy Yamashita has <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-football/report-pat-chun-leaving-wsu-to-become-new-athletic-director-at-washington/">more </a>on Chun. Notably, Chun and the Cougars have fundraised more than $31 million per year on average. We’ll see if he can carry that over to Seattle.</li>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mission Viejo (Calif.) WR Phillip Bell has a very ambitious spring/summer visit schedule coming up with 10 trips planned including five official trip dates now locked in <a href="https://t.co/qIYt7rLAzA">https://t.co/qIYt7rLAzA</a> <a href="https://t.co/pyayUsVlFX">pic.twitter.com/pyayUsVlFX</a></p>— Greg Biggins (@GregBiggins) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregBiggins/status/1772467610837254525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a>
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<h3 id="B6cPox"><strong>Basketball Dots</strong></h3>
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<li id="6YxJte">Matt Calkins <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/why-uw-did-it-right-in-hiring-mens-basketball-coach-danny-sprinkle/">looks</a> at Coach Sprinkle’s resume, and why UW did it right with this hire. We’ll see if this translates into more wins or at least a more entertaining team.</li>
<li id="UF6cE1">Former Dawg and Montana State Bobcat (and current West Virginia Mountaineer) Raequan Battle gives Sprinkle his approval:</li>
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<p lang="qme" dir="ltr"> <a href="https://t.co/EJSM70EvQX">pic.twitter.com/EJSM70EvQX</a></p>— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/UW_MBB/status/1772412648304369767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2024</a>
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<p id="0w2XDc"><strong>Athletics Dots</strong></p>
<ul><li id="kduUjk">Gym Dawg Skylar Killough-Wilhelm was named First Team All PAC 12 for the All-Around in the conference’s final season in gymnastics.</li></ul>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Give her all the flowers <a href="https://twitter.com/SkylarKillough?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SkylarKillough</a> has been named to the First Team All-Pac-12 All-Around in the final Pac-12 season <br><br>>> <a href="https://t.co/yKzV5nPyTc">https://t.co/yKzV5nPyTc</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoHuskies?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoHuskies</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinWithin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinWithin</a> <a href="https://t.co/j9HVGpU3Il">pic.twitter.com/j9HVGpU3Il</a></p>— Washington Gymnastics (@UWGymnastics) <a href="https://twitter.com/UWGymnastics/status/1772686524972171538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a>
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<ul><li id="gQYpoI">The GymDawgs are going to Regionals:</li></ul>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The GymDawgs are REGIONALS BOUND!<br><br>Washington will compete in the California Regional in Berkeley, along with Denver, UCLA and Arizona State <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoHuskies?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoHuskies</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinWithin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinWithin</a> <a href="https://t.co/b8ODDRILf7">pic.twitter.com/b8ODDRILf7</a></p>— Washington Gymnastics (@UWGymnastics) <a href="https://twitter.com/UWGymnastics/status/1772301698402296279?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2024</a>
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<p id="gr4IVn">That’s all for today, so thank you for making dots a part of your morning and as always, Go Dawgs!</p>
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https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2024/3/27/24112773/wednesday-dots-the-carousel-spins-pat-chun-uw-footballMarkSchafer832024-03-26T17:29:23-07:002024-03-26T17:29:23-07:00All We Hear Is Purple: Chun and Done
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<img alt="NCAA Football: UCLA at Washington State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Su2n9PjHMYep1hyc980IlWiMqfk=/80x0:3481x2267/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73235283/usa_today_13405577.0.jpg" />
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<p>The AD Carousel Spins and a Devin Culp Interview!</p> <p id="jw5Xp6">Hello and welcome to All We Hear Is Purple!</p>
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<p id="Uui2TE">On this episode, Andrew Berg is joined by Mark Schafer and new AWHIP panelist Raymond Lucas Jr. They discuss the sudden departure of Troy Dannen as UW’s Athletic Director and whether it tells us anything about the health of athletics at UW. </p>
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<p id="pxchB3">With news breaking just minutes before recording, they also give their initial thoughts on Pat Chun as UW’s new AD and why sleeping with the enemy might be the right choice in this situation. </p>
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<p id="ymUlct">The hiring news does not stop there. Danny Sprinkle is UW’s new Men’s Basketball Coach. Ray followed his ascent from the standpoint of a conference rival and gives some insight on Coach Sprinkle’s approach. </p>
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<p id="iOpI92">In the main event, Mark interviews Devin Culp about coming to UW, some of his best memories and the program, and his preparation for the NFL Draft. </p>
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<p id="IxPuk3">It’s a loaded episode, so thanks for listening and Go Dawgs. </p>
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https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2024/3/26/24112897/all-we-hear-is-purple-podcast-chun-and-done-washington-huskies-football-basketballandrewberg7MarkSchafer83Raymond Lucas JrCollinOM2024-03-26T11:54:17-07:002024-03-26T11:54:17-07:00Breaking: UW Hires WSU AD Pat Chun
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Colorado State at Washington State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/J-8qB8EhSusNIifACEkXkGWSWfg=/4x0:4204x2800/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73234505/usa_today_19095280.0.jpg" />
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<p>The Huskies fill their AD vacancy by adding further fuel to the rivalry</p> <p id="Y0sLrM">Last week the Huskies were the victim of losing their Athletic Director to a member of their future conference when Troy Dannen departed for Nebraska. Today, the Dawgs replace him by bringing in the AD from their past conference mates and in-state rivals as Pat Chun has been hired to a 6-year deal at Washington. ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the news.</p>
<p id="Uc2As8">Chun has extensive experience in the Big Ten as an alum of <a href="https://www.landgrantholyland.com">Ohio State</a> where he later worked in the athletics department for 15 years. There was an expectation that Chun would be a prime candidate for Ohio State when they filled their AD vacancy but instead the Buckeyes went with <a href="https://www.goodbullhunting.com">Texas A&M</a> AD Ross Bjork. That began the cascade of AD movement which saw Chun leave Pullman anyways.</p>
<p id="2Qd4ME">After rising to the level of executive associate AD at Ohio State, Chun left to take the AD job at Florida Atlantic where he oversaw the hiring of football coach Lane Kiffin. After 5+ years in Florida he made the move to the opposite side of the contiguous United States by accepting the job at <a href="https://www.cougcenter.com">Washington State</a> which made him the first Asian-American power conference AD in the country. He had been signed to a contract through 2026 with a salary of $700,000. Troy Dannen was set to earn a $1 million salary from Washington before he left to Nebraska behind a substantial raise.</p>
<p id="XBu4Im">It has obviously been an incredibly trying last 9 months for the Cougars and Chun for which Chun’s new school has largely been blamed by the WSU fanbase. USC and UCLA’s decision to leave for the Big Ten began the destabilization of the Pac-12 that only continued when George Kliavkoff failed to come up with a suitable media deal for the conference. Oregon and Washington’s move to also join the Big Ten at a reduced share caused the rest of the conference members to jump ship leaving just <a href="https://www.buildingthedam.com">Oregon State</a> and Washington State behind. The Cougars will compete in football with a scheduling agreement with the <a href="https://www.mwcconnection.com">Mountain West</a> conference and in other sports in the WCC while attempting to rebuild the Pac-12. The original members of the Pac-12 announced a settlement detail between both sides yesterday which likely paved the way to make this agreement possible.</p>
<p id="q2Itki">Just 7 days ago Washington was left in a mad scramble as they had a vacancy for their Men’s Basketball head coach and AD at the same time. Yesterday, the Huskies announced the hire of Danny Sprinkle for basketball and today Chun was announced as the AD. The Cougars now find themselves in the same predicament after Kyle Smith left this weekend to take the Stanford job and Chun moves west to Seattle.</p>
<p id="pfNnTh">There was a strong desire by many Husky fans to hire a candidate with deep ties to the University of Washington to try to prevent another defection after both Jen Cohen and Troy Dannen left in the span of 6 months. The hire of Chun is at least someone with ties to a University in Washington. Is that the same?</p>
<p id="lRbMc4">The “dream” school for Chun would be the Ohio State job and it seems clear that he would leave for that job 100 times out of 100 if offered. But the Buckeyes just had the chance to hire Chun and chose not to do so. They hired their AD within the same year as Washington and so if they were to come after Chun it would likely mean either we are 5+ years into the future or Ohio State’s athletics department has become a disaster at the same time UW is entering their conference.</p>
<p id="OOJDbe">We’ll update this story with full contract details as they become available.</p>
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https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2024/3/26/24112740/breaking-washington-hires-wsu-ad-pat-chun-uw-huskies-wsu-cougars-athletic-directorMax Vrooman2024-03-26T08:59:59-07:002024-03-26T08:59:59-07:00Tuesday Dots: New Husky Head Man
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<p>New basketball coach details, and some football recruiting updates.</p> <p id="FLCavR">Football spring practice starts next week, Tuesday April 7th. In the meantime we’ve got you covered with Dots.</p>
<h3 id="lTRF1L"><strong>Basketball Dots</strong></h3>
<ul><li id="0w5Fzf">Danny Sprinkle did a remarkable job at both Montana State and his lone season at Utah State. Let’s hope he can bring that magic to Montlake:</li></ul>
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<p lang="art" dir="ltr"> <a href="https://t.co/fu3BEsADnb">https://t.co/fu3BEsADnb</a></p>— Danny Sprinkle (@UWCoachSprinks) <a href="https://twitter.com/UWCoachSprinks/status/1772475544417730910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a>
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<ul><li id="1lkkV9">Coach Sprinkle’s contract details, courtesy of Christian Caple:</li></ul>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Danny Sprinkle signed a six-year deal worth $22.1 million, per a copy of his MOU. Annual pay starts at $3.2 million and gradually increases until $4.2 mil in Year 6. <a href="https://t.co/NTKmiMqdNC">pic.twitter.com/NTKmiMqdNC</a></p>— Christian Caple (@ChristianCaple) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristianCaple/status/1772340915258147051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2024</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">If the school terminates without cause, Sprinkle would be owed 85% of his remaining guaranteed compensation. Sprinkle's buyout to UW, should he leave, starts at $6 million and decreases by $1 million each year after.</p>— Christian Caple (@ChristianCaple) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristianCaple/status/1772341221895323811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2024</a>
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<ul><li id="86JY4B">Seattle Sports writes an <a href="https://sports.mynorthwest.com/1774108/who-is-new-uw-huskies-sprinkle-basketball-coach/">“insider view” of new UW Basketball Coach Danny Sprinkle.</a>
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<h3 id="EIqEmO"><strong>Football Dots</strong></h3>
<ul><li id="ULYR3m">The big news this morning was the commitment of 2025 Running Back Julian McMahon, a 6-2, 225 pound back from Monte Vista HS in Danville, California:</li></ul>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">COMMITTED. GO DAWGS! ☔️ <a href="https://t.co/lOuOXJmyuT">pic.twitter.com/lOuOXJmyuT</a></p>— Julian McMahan (@julianmcmahannn) <a href="https://twitter.com/julianmcmahannn/status/1772639652819730464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a>
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<ul><li id="d8Udwz">Here are McMahan’s junior year highlights:</li></ul>
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<ul><li id="NQWcaN">Another piece of recruiting news, Phillip Bell locked in his official visit to UW. He’s one of the coaches top 2025 targets:</li></ul>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mission Viejo (Calif.) WR Phillip Bell has a very ambitious spring/summer visit schedule coming up with 10 trips planned including five official trip dates now locked in <a href="https://t.co/qIYt7rLAzA">https://t.co/qIYt7rLAzA</a> <a href="https://t.co/pyayUsVlFX">pic.twitter.com/pyayUsVlFX</a></p>— Greg Biggins (@GregBiggins) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregBiggins/status/1772467610837254525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a>
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<ul><li id="hA62W5">2026 athlete Ansu Sanoe visited Washington over the weekend and <a href="https://247sports.com/college/washington/Article/washington-huskies-football-recruiting-top-2026-athlete-ansu-sanoe-talks-montlake-visit-when-he-plans-to-return-229363222/">caught up with Scott Ecklund to talk UW and his relationship with RB coach Scottie Graham.</a>
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<ul><li id="SHagIp">It’s the DC’s birthday:</li></ul>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Happy birthday, Coach Belichick‼️ <a href="https://t.co/Bb7Hf8uRs8">pic.twitter.com/Bb7Hf8uRs8</a></p>— Washington Football (@UW_Football) <a href="https://twitter.com/UW_Football/status/1772394025032581477?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2024</a>
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https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2024/3/26/24112534/tuesday-dots-washington-football-basketball-recruiting-huskies-athleticsJeff Gorman2024-03-26T08:21:17-07:002024-03-26T08:21:17-07:00#Woof: Washington Adds 2025 RB Commit
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<figcaption>John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Huskies pick up a piece for their future backfield</p> <p id="1EYwBe">Washington received some unexpected good news this morning when 2025 Running Back Julian McMahan announced his verbal commitment to the Huskies.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">COMMITTED. GO DAWGS! ☔️ <a href="https://t.co/lOuOXJmyuT">pic.twitter.com/lOuOXJmyuT</a></p>— Julian McMahan (@julianmcmahannn) <a href="https://twitter.com/julianmcmahannn/status/1772639652819730464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a>
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<p id="t3VrlV">McMahan comes from Monte Vista HS in Danville, California and had an official visit scheduled to Washington on June 21st. It would’ve made sense if he waited until that visit to pull the trigger but instead the announcement comes on a Tuesday morning before the start of Spring ball.</p>
<p id="sDbTGB">At 6’2 and 195 pounds, McMahan is definitely a taller back than the Huskies have had the last few seasons. He is listed as the 50th best RB in the country by the 247 Sports Composite with a three-star 0.8726 rating. He had offers from several former Pac-12 schools including Arizona (of course), California, <a href="https://www.buildingthedam.com">Oregon State</a>, and <a href="https://www.cougcenter.com">Washington State</a>.</p>
<p id="tPinXo">There is still a chance that Washington’s roster at the running back position ends up in further flux during the spring portal period. But as things currently stand there should be at least 2 openings as Cam Davis and Daniyel Ngata are in their final years of eligibility. Arizona transfer Jonah Coleman is a candidate to be an early entry into the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft">NFL Draft</a>. That would mean the Huskies could easily add another back in the 2025 class or just supplement the roster through the portal.</p>
<p id="pgVMMr">McMahan is the 3rd verbal commitment in the class of 2025 so far joining QB Dash Beierly and OL Jake Flores.</p>
<p id="RDm2Ej">Here are his junior year highlights.</p>
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https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2024/3/26/24112505/woof-washington-adds-2025-rb-commit-uw-huskies-football-recruiting-julian-mcmahonMax Vrooman