Washington enjoys recruiting momentum

In Seattle, 2008 seems so long ago.

On Dec. 6 that year, the University of Washington closed out a winless season by dropping its season finale to UCLA 48-7 and ended Tyrone Willingham's unsuccessful tenure. Three days later, Washington announced that Steve Sarkisian would be the Huskies' next football coach.

Beginning at that moment, the Huskies began a football culture transformation that has led them near the top of the Pac-10.

Their recruiting has been both a cause and effect of this rejuvenation. Excitement about the program has helped land some key recruits, which has generated an even greater Husky hysteria.



"I think the biggest thing is that they're creating alot of buzz," said Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) head coach Mat Taylor. "They're creating a lot of excitement."

Taylor coaches recent Washington verbal commit Kasen Williams. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound receiver, ranked No. 1 in the country according to Tom Lemming, announced his intention to play for Washington on Friday night.

"I wasn't expecting them to get that crazy," Williams, referencing the crowd, told the Seattle Times. "I knew what a lot of people were expecting and I saw a lot of kids come down and put up the dubs and everything."

Sarkisian's recruiting has steadily improved since he took over and really stood out in 2010, when he reeled in several big names from near and far to Seattle.

Sarkisian landed key instate recruits Chris Young, Sione Potoae, and Jamaal Kearse. He also secured several important pieces from his old stomping grounds, Southern California, in the form of Nick Montana, Eric Kohler, and Deontae Cooper.

While the Golden State will continue to be a productive recruiting zone for Sarkisian, his first order of business has and will continue to be locking up local stars.



"They're recruiting very hard," said Taylor. "They're out on the road and making themselves seen."

Sarkisian's boldest recruiting stand to date has been securing a commitment from Gig Harbor (Wash.) tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who flirted heavily with the idea of playing at Texas.

"Coach Sark, the players there...there's going to be a national championship soon. I want to be a part of that," Seferian-Jenkins said in a press conference after his announcement. "I want to be that hometown guy, that local guy, to help bring it back up."

While Williams, a Washington legacy, was nearly gift-wrapped to the Huskies, Seferian-Jenkins didn't come without a fight.

Washington will need to continue to maintain its borders for what is shaping up to be a very talented 2012 recruiting class.

The Huskies may be able to pull off one of the nation's top offensive lines if they can convince Zach Banner, Josh Garnett, and Walker Williams to don the purple and gold.



Quarterback Max Browne, a teammate of Kasen Williams at Skyline, could emerge as a top 2013 prospect to watch, according to Taylor.

"He's definitely somebody you'll be talking to in the next couple months."

Matt Stuart, a 6-4, 215-pound quarterback from Lindbergh (Renton, Wash.) showed great promise as a freshman in 2009. If he can improve his accuracy, he could be able to develop into another 2013 top target for Washington.

Of course, there's probably nothing that can help the Huskies' recruiting efforts in 2011 and beyond more than success on the field in 2010. But the cyclical pattern stops there. There is simply no amount of recruiting for the class of 2011 that can have any impact on the Huskies' 2010 performance.