Tag Archives: Austin Seferian-Jenkins

by | September 20, 2011 · 2:36 pm

Huskies at the Quarter Pole

It’s hard to believe, but the Husky season is already at the quarter point.  Our Dawgs’ have the record we all expected them to have after 3 games, 2-1, even if they’ve taken a strange route to get there.

September started with a game against Eastern Washington where the Huskies were outplayed in almost every area of the game.  They got the win, but panic ensued around Husky nation and people were upset.  Next, Hawaii came in and the Dawgs came out on fire.  They jumped to a 21-0 lead and seemed like a team who could compete with the best of the best.  Then they let Hawaii back into it and held on for a victory.  The Huskies were 2-0 for the first time since 2007 but neither victory provided a ton of confidence in the team.

Yesterday, they went into one of the toughest places to play in the country.  They stood toe-to-toe with Nebraska in the first half, and by all accounts would have had the lead going into halftime if it weren’t for a terrible call.  Then, the third quarter started.  A three-and-out, a terrible call on a punt, a touchdown, a fumbled kick-off, a touchdown, a turnover on downs, and a touchdown later the Huskies were down by 24.

It was a terrible stretch to watch and, judging from post-game interviews, was even worse to play in.  Now that I’ve cooled off and watched the rest of the game, I’ve realized that those stretches are one of the many reasons why I love college football.  On any Saturday, a team can be totally swept up in the momentum of the game and anything can happen.  These players are taking calculus and history classes during the week and all of a sudden they’re dealing with poor officiating and bad bounces of the ball and they completely lose their composure.  That happened to us on Saturday and I’m not saying it’s acceptable, it’s not, but that’s college football and it’s part of the reason why it’s so exciting.

Anyway, the Huskies regained their composure and went on to battle back, fighting valiantly to the finish.  It wasn’t the outcome we had hoped for, but it was probably the best game the Huskies have played all season.

I’ll break down each position after the jump.  Continue reading →

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by | March 30, 2011 · 8:17 pm

Spring Football

There’s too much going on and too little time lately.  With all the sporting events to cover over the last few weeks (Husky basketball, the most interesting tournament I can remember, Spring Training, and Husky football) you’d think the Good Guys would be posting up a storm.  Unfortunately, it’s been a busy time and we haven’t got to cover all that we’d like to.

Of course, baseball season starts tomorrow.  To be honest, I didn’t know who played tomorrow night until earlier this evening.  When people asked, I just said that it was the Yankees and the Red Sox.  To my surprise, there are 6 games tomorrow and the Yankees and Red Sox don’t play each other.  There couldn’t be a much better way for the season to start than with a Verlander vs. Sabathia match-up and that’s what we’ll see tomorrow.  I’ll have more on the Mariners tomorrow and hopefully we’ll get some predictions for the season up here soon.

Getting to the actual topic of this post, the Huskies started spring football practice yesterday.  As usual, Bob Condotta has all the information we could hope for over on his blog, but I’ll give you a quick few thoughts on the spring because I get excited for college football of any kind, even if it is just practice.

First for a bit of news:

  • Johri Fogerson was out practicing yesterday with the team.  He had been arrested for being in possession and was suspended indefinitely.  Sark said that he still could be suspended in the Fall for a game, depending on what happens in his trial.  His trial date is set for June.
  • One of the most prized recruits of the 2011 recruiting class, Austin Seferian-Jenkins is now in school and practicing.  He’s expected to compete right away for a starting position at tight end, which was a weak spot for the Huskies last year.  He’s the only true freshman that enrolled early.
  • Chris Polk has lost about 10 pounds and apparently feels faster.  I don’t actually know if this qualifies as news, and is one of those things that is reported because a player is popular and fans are starving for news.  But, hey!  If Chris Polk feels even better, then sweet deal!

Here’s a few things that I’ll be looking for over the course of spring practice:

  • Price vs. Montana – Of course, this is on the top of any Husky fan’s watch list.  Keith Price will be dueling with Nick Montana for the starting quarterback spot over the course of this Spring (and probably into Fall camp as well).  There’s no clear front-runner and if there is someone ahead in Sark’s mind, us fans sure won’t know.  I’ll be getting a feel for each of these guys games.  Montana is more of a drop-back passer, while Price is more of an athlete who will use his feet more.
  • The Tight-End Position – With ASJ now in school and Michael Hartvigson returning from injury, we should expect to see a giant upgrade at tight end.  These guys are both freshmen, but they’ve come into school highly rated and provide a huge talent upgrade.  It’ll be interesting to see what Sark does to utilize the tight end position this Spring.
  • The RS Freshmen Offensive Linemen – Last year, the Huskies red-shirted 5 offensive linemen and then named them all scout team players of the year.  I’m thinking at least one or two of them will emerge and challenge for a starting job.  Keep an eye on Ben Riva, he was reportedly working with the starters in the first practice.  This could mean nothing at all or he may be a step ahead in the coaches eyes.
  • Linebackers – The Huskies have to fill in two spots at the linebacker position with the graduation of Mason Foster and Victor Aiyewa.  These are giant shoes to fill and may be even harder to fill than Jake Locker’s gap.  There are a few injuries here during the Spring, so we won’t have a clear picture until Fall but keep an eye on JC transfer Thomas Tutogi who looks to fill Mason Foster’s role.

That’s all for now.  I’ll be hoping to make it to a few practices and will have recaps from those.  Also of note, it was UW Pro Day today at Dempsey and Jake Locker had a very good day.  It looks like his draft stock keeps improving and let’s hope so.

Thanks for reading!  Tomorrow is baseball!  Go baseball!

Andrew

 

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by | February 2, 2011 · 7:40 am

National Signing Day Thread

NEMBOT TO COLORADO — The last piece the Huskies could have potentially added was Stephan Nembot, but he picked Colorado instead.  That leaves this class at 23 guys.

NICE RECAP — This is a nice little round-up of every player that has signed so far, via gohuskies.com.

PAUL WULFF — Here’s a Paul Wulff chat with some Cougar fans earlier today.  I know it’s hard to reflect excitement through typing, but he sure doesn’t try.  This seems like the opposite of Sark.

SURPRISE! — While I was away, taking a test, the Huskies announced that they signed a JC player named Antavius Sims.  I know nothing about him other than he will either play quarterback or safety.  He will be a junior.  Here’s his bio.  As far as names go, this is about as good as it gets.  I’ve always wanted to cheer on a player named Antavius.

I’ll have more notes after I watch Sark’s press conference. (12:40)

SLOWING DOWN — The news has stopped for a while and so I’m going to slow down on the blog for a while.  Sark’s press conference is at noon, and I’ll be back with some thoughts from that this afternoon along with any news that comes out.  Go Dawgs!

NUMBERS BY POSITION UPDATE —

QB – 1
RB – 1
FB – 1
WR – 4
TE – 1
OL – 2
DL – 3
LB – 6
CB – 1
S – 2

Just a few observations on those numbers:  Obviously, the thing that jumps out at you is the number of linemen.  There’s only 5 linemen so far.  That’s a small number but this was considered a very weak class of lineman on the west coast.  Last year was far better, and the Dawgs signed 5 offensive linemen last year.  Next year is also supposed to be better.  Hopefully, Nembot commits but I wouldn’t worry too much about the numbers there.

The coaches did a good job of loading up at linebacker, where the Huskies lost the most last year.

The Huskies only lost one cornerback from last year, so only signing one there isn’t a problem.

Also, the running back position is pretty loaded, so only signing one isn’t a surprise at all.  Dezden Petty isn’t necessarily just a fullback either.  Some people envision him as a Lendale White type of guy (the USC version).

VAN ACKEREN GONE — Bellevue high senior, Kendrick Van Ackeren,  has signed with Hawaii.  I thought he’d be offered late by the Huskies with Jackson ending up at Cal but it might have been too late if that happened.

IS THIS IT? — The Huskies have received 21 LOI today (22 if you count Tutogi) and everyone who was expected to sign has.  Now, we’re waiting on Stephan Nembot and Pauley Asiata to officially announce.  The Dawgs seem to have a much better chance with Nembot than Asiata.  Anyone else who signs with the Huskies would be a surprise. (9:27)

ANNOUNCEMENT TIMES — Stephan Nembot, an offensive lineman, is set to announce whether he’s going to Colorado or UW at 2:00 today.  Because of the lack of lineman in this class, this is a pretty important player to pick up.  Jacoby Brisset, who is a long shot to pick UW, is set to pick his school on Friday.  (9:21)

BIO’S — I haven’t been linking many bio’s lately because I’m usually posting before they update.  They are on this page, just scroll down a little bit.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…. —- In baseball news, Chris Jakubauskas has signed with the Orioles.  Bummer.  (This is a joke)

WOODWARD ON KJR — Scott Woodward, UW’s athletic director, will be on KJR in just a couple of minutes.

5 TIMES’ BLUE CHIPPERS IN — All 5 of the Seattle Times’ Washington state blue chip recruits have now signed with Washington.  Condotta reported that this is the first time that’s ever happened.  Those 5 players are ASJ, Kasen Williams, Danny Shelton, Bishop Sankey, and Taniela Tupou. (9:09)

DANNY SHELTON IN — Another highly rated guy from Washington is in and that is Danny Shelton.  The Huskies won the battle for Shelton’s services with Oregon.  He’s a defensive lineman.  (9:05)

JAMES SAMPLE IN — S James Sample is in.  He’s a highly rated S out of California.  He’s expected to compete with Taz Stevenson and Sean Parker in future years at the SS position.  That area has really become a strength of the team.  (9:00)

UP TO TWENTY — I think that puts this class at 20.  Things will probably slow down now.  There haven’t been any surprises so far, aside from Jackson to California.  Condotta is doing an interview on KJR right now.  He has pretty good insight into some things.

MARCUS PETERS IN — The first cornerback of the class has now signed, Marcus Peters.  He’s also from California.  (8:55)

FEENEY AND TUFUNGA IN — Travis Feeney who is either a safety or linebacker has just signed.  Also, Siosifa Tufunga, an OL from California, is now in.  He’s just the second offensive lineman to sign as of right now.  (8:52)

LINKS — Here’s a link to the live chat they have going on at gohuskies.com.  Here’s another link to Bob Condotta’s Husky blog.  Everyone’s reporting pretty much the same thing, but they’re probably doing a little bit better job of it than me.

LYON’S IN — Matthew Lyon’s, a linebacker out of California, has now signed with Washington.  ROAR!  (8:47)

SANKEY IN — G00d news, as Bishop Sankey has signed his LOI now.  He’s the only, true running back in this class and is one of the highest rated backs on the west coast. (8:39) Here’s his bio

Continue reading →

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by | January 8, 2011 · 11:50 am

A New Husky

The Huskies picked up a new commitment this morning from safety James Sample out of California.  He announced during today’s Army All-American Bowl and is a pretty big pick-up.  He’s long been rumored to be coming to UW, but it’s good to hear him make it official.  Sample is a big hitter who could challenge for playing time immediately.  While a different type of safety, he’s comparable in rating and potential impact to Sean Parker in last year’s class, and that could be a great combo in a couple of years.

Sample makes three future Huskies in the game, joining previous commits Kasen Williams and Austin Seferian-Jenkins.  Unfortunately, the game is fairly unwatchable, as the teams throw like crazy but have had little time to build up any kind of rhythm.  Williams had a short catch and Sample made a nice tackle, but otherwise there hasn’t been much to see, halfway through the third.  Still, it’s good to see this many future Dawgs in this big of a game.

-Matthew

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by | January 8, 2011 · 11:35 am

UW Recruiting- Offensive Line

After taking a huge class of seven offensive linemen last year, this year’s class is lagging behind with only two current commitments.  Expect that number to grow before signing day, but it just isn’t as good of a year for offensive linemen, it appears.

Offensive Line

Commits

Dexter Charles  6’5″ 270 lbs.  Stanwood HS (WA)

Siosifa Tufunga  6’3″ 288  Jordan HS (Long Beach, CA)

Possibilities

Paulay Asiata  6’5″ 290 lbs.  St. Louis HS (Hawaii)

Akeem Gonzales  6’4″ 250 lbs.  Bishop Alameny HS (CA)

Cyrus Hobbi  6’3″ 285 lbs.  Saguaro HS (AZ)

According to Scout.com, these are the only three uncommitted players at the position currently holding offers from UW.  Hobbi is the highest rated player, but also sounds like the least likely to be a Husky.  The rumors are that Asiata is leaning toward UW, which would be pretty big.  Getting the best lineman in Hawaii is usually a good way to go.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see someone else get offered late.  I imagine the Huskies would like to take at least four linemen in this class.  I would expect at least one more commit for sure, hopefully Asiata. Continue reading →

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by | January 3, 2011 · 12:19 pm

UW Recruiting- Wide Receiver & Tight End

Outside of Jermaine Kearse, the receiving positions lacked playmakers for the 2010 Huskies.  Luckily for the Dawgs, each position has an elite talent in this recruiting class, as the two highest rated players in the class are Kasen Williams and Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

Wide Receiver

Commits

Kasen Williams  6′ 3″ 215 lbs. Skyline HS (WA)

Josh Perkins  6′ 3″ 200 lbs. Gahr HS (Cal.)

Jamaal Jones  6’2″ 180 lbs. Graham-Kapowsin HS (WA)

Possibilities

The Huskies have a number of other offers out, but few of them seem likely to be Dawgs.  The possible exception is Marvin Hall, QB recruit Joseph Gray’s top target at Dorsey H.S.  Hall is a smaller receiver who might be a nice complement to the big guys already committed.  He’s slated to visit UW at the end of January and is planning to decide on or near signing day.

Overview

Williams is the big name here.  It’s no stretch to call him one of the greatest high school players in Washington state history.  He’s big, physical, a good route runner and tough to tackle.  Reportedly, he lacks elite speed but seems to fit that old Jerry Rice profile of never being caught from behind.  He’s probably the highest rated recruit UW has had since Reggie Williams, and definitely the most talented receiver since Reggie.  If he doesn’t receive a good chunk of playing time next year, it will be a surprise.  I don’t know much about the other two commits, but they fit the mold of big, athletic receivers that USC favored while Sarkisian was there.  This is a good group that should go a long way toward replacing Kearse and Aguilar when they graduate after next year. Continue reading →

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by | October 16, 2010 · 8:28 am

UW and the Elusive 5-Star Recruit

Fans are throwing out a lot of reasons and blame for the Huskies’ losing ways, some justified, some ridiculous.  While there are certainly lots of factors, in my mind the only one that’s really significant is the talent level of the current players.  Coaching is a vital part of college sports, the ability to make players better as they spend time in your program.  The previous coaching staff failed miserably at that task.  It remains to be seen how this staff does in that regard.  Just as important, though, is recruiting.  It’s a lot easier to coach those players into impact players when they’re entering at an already high level.

Unfortunately for the Huskies, far too many potential impact players have turned UW down in recent years.  Even in bad years, UW gets their share of good players, probably always will.  But going back to the class of 2002 (as far back as Scout.com’s database shows) and excluding the 2011 class that has yet to sign, the Huskies have only gotten two high school recruits who were listed as 5-star prospects.  Jon Lyon was also a 5-star guy, but he was a junior college recruit and those rankings always seem a little fuzzy to me, so I’m only going to talk about high school here.

Recruiting stars aren’t always accurate, or predictors of success.  The Huskies best defender, Mason Foster, was a 2-star player.  Jake Locker was a 4-star.  People scout players differently, and the players are high schoolers, meaning they have a ton of growing left to do, both physically and mentally.  Again, college coaching plays a major role as well, which is what really killed the Huskies the past decade.  Regardless, the Huskies are struggling right now because of a lack of impact players, particularly on defense.  They don’t have a Vontaze Burfict or Akeem Ayers or Rahim Moore or Shayne Skov, a freak of nature of whom the offense is always aware.  Continue reading →

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by | August 4, 2010 · 7:53 pm

Countdown to Camp: Recruiting

5 days until camp!  Today, we’ll look at some of the 2011 recruits who have committed and might commit to play football at Washington.  Sark and staff have had a great start to this class and it has potential to get a way better.  Let’s take a look at some players.

Verbal Commits (as  reported by Scout.com):

Jarett Finau- TE (Offered by Arizona, BYU, Hawaii, Utah State, and WSU)
Scott Lawyer- OLB
Josh Perkins- WR (Offered by Minnesota, New Mexico St., San Diego St., San Jose St.)
Jamaal Jones- WR (Offered by Idaho and WSU)
Connor Cree- DE (Offered by ASU, Boise St., Colorado St., Uconn, Idaho, WSU, Wyoming)
Matthew Lyons- OLB
Dexter Charles- OT (Offered by Arizona and WSU)
Taniela Tupou- DE (Offered by BYU and WSU)
Kameron Jackson- CB (Offered by Boise St. and WSU)
Aubrey Coleman- DE (Offered by ASU)
Maataua Brown- DT
Elijhaa Penny- FB (Offered by UNLV)
Evan Zeger- S (Offered by ASU, BYU, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, UCLA, UNLV, WSU)

Note: Some offers don’t get recorded by Scout.  Some people might have more offers that are not on here.  These recruits will also be getting more offers as the year goes on.

There’s not a ton to say about these guys, as many of them haven’t been scouted by the big sites (rivals and scout).  One of the best things about this list is the group of guys that are from Washington.  There are 5 guys from Washington as Sark continues to put the so-called ‘fence around the state.’  It’s also good to see the amount of defensive lineman on that list.  That is a serious need for the Dawgs.

The Big Three (Plus a few more):

Brett Hundley- QB
Hundley is one of the highest ranked quarterbacks in the nation.  He hails from Arizona and is down to two schools, UW and UCLA.  Hundley has great size (6-4, 217) and good mobility (4.65 40-time).  UCLA has received a committment from a quarterback a few weeks ago so that could be a good sign for us.  This is one of the first times Neuheisel and Sark have gone toe-to-toe for a great recruit.  Except for Josh Shirley.  Hmm… That’s weird.  I have a good feeling about our chances with Hundley.

Kasen Williams- WR
Kasen is rated as the best receiver recruit on the west coast by most sources.  He has narrowed his list to UW, Cal, Notre Dame, LSU, and Florida.  That is a big-time list.  Williams goes to Skyline and both his parents went to U-Dub.  My guess is that he ends up a Husky.  Here’s to hoping!

Austin Seferian-Jenkins- TE
Jenkins might be the most coveted of these three and he might be the hardest to get.  Jenkins if from Gig Harbor and is down to Texas and Washington (although he’s said Florida and Alabama are in the mix also).  He’s visiting Texas this week and we’ll know his decision on August 16th.  Condotta thinks he’s a UW lean and he usually knows best when it comes to all things Husky.  I’m not so sure this time but I hope so!

Brendon Bigelow- RB
Bigelow is one of the best running backs on the west coast and is actually listed as a commit to UW.  Unfortunately, he’s going to continue to look around.  Washington was the first school to offer, he jumped on that chance and now is having second thoughts, more or less.  He has spent a ton of time at California lately and I would not be surprised to see him end up there.  This whole situation reminds of Keanon Lowe with Oregon last year.  That’s not good news.

DeAnthony Thomas- CB
Here’s a quote by scout Scott Kennedy about Thomas, “The only player I’ve ever said that could legitimately be 5-Stars at four different positions, RB, S, CB, WR. The only thing that keeps Thomas from being the #1 prospect in the country is that he’s on the small side. But his combination of raw speed, change of direction, balance, and natural athleticism is at the top of the heap. His long-term future may best be served at corner where his size isn’t a liability.”  Unfortunately, Thomas is a soft commit to USC (like Bigelow is to us) and looks to be headed there.  He is visiting for the Nebraska game and that gives us a little hope.  

It’d be awesome if 3 of these 5 guys committed.  If 4 of 5 did then the Dawgs might have a top 5 class in the nation.  This class is off to a great start and if a few things break the right way this could be something special.  Go get ’em Sark!

Andrew

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