A Class Review By Positions – No real news coming out of the press conference. Here is the number of players at each position. I may sign off for the day after this, so thanks for sticking around. As always, if something happens we’ll let you know.
QB – 1, RB -1, WR – 3, TE – 1, OL – 3, DL – 4, LB – 4, DB – 4, K – 1, Total – 22
Notes From Sark – One of the points of emphasis was that this class is about quality over quantity in the press conference. This is probably the first time in Sark’s tenure that he could say that.
Lavon Coleman (RB) is now 220 lbs. fitting the bill of a bigger running back.
Length was a point of emphasis for the class, as it has been for the last year or two. The staff likes tall players.
Cameron Van Winkle (K) will enroll early and will participate in Spring practice.
Sark says that he would like to red-shirt more players this year.
Sark says, “We have room to expand” in talking about the class.
We’re Back – I’m awake from my nap and am ready to roll now. Sean Constantine did get his papers in. Jack went to UCLA. Falah signed with USC, in a bit of surprising news. The Huskies weren’t able to swing him but he had been committed to the Trojans all along. The press conference starts soon so I’ll pass along anything that’s really interesting. I’ll leave most of that to the professional writers though. Also, if there’s any more commits I’ll pass that along as well.
Break Time – With that, I’m going to take a bit of a break. If anything significant happens one of us will update the blog but I don’t expect anything out of the ordinary. Constantine will go to U-Dub and Jack will probably go to UCLA. After Constantine, that should put the Huskies at 22 for the day. The press conference is at 2, if you’re wondering.
Kelly’s Officially A Dawg – Jermaine Kelly just sent in his LOI and is now officially a Dawg. I wrote a little snippet about him below so check that out. A good pickup for the Dawgs.
Kelly Announcing Soon – We should hear on Jermaine Kelly any minute and it’s all but confirmed that he’s going to be a Dawg. From what I’ve read, USC had been talking to Kelly for about the last month and offered him a scholarship yesterday. This is big for the Dawgs to hold on to him. He’s a 4-star corner out of California.
11 A.M. Update – Sorry, I had to make Matthew breakfast. He’s so lazy. Anyway, nothing has really happened as of late. Here are a few bits of information. Jamie Bryant will grayshirt next season. It’s unclear if he’ll sign today. Joe Sanders will not be signing with UW, he is signing with a junior college. It sounds like academics played a part. The Bellevue guys (Jack and Constantine) will announce at 1 P.M. but don’t expect any surprises. Jermaine Kelly will announce in about half an hour. I may take a break after Kelly announces and then come back for the press conference. The rest of the announcements will come later this afternoon or early evening. I’ll keep you updated until Kelly announces though. Thanks for following along!
Keyshawn Bierria Is In – Bierria signs with the Huskies, which, again, isn’t a huge surprise. Bierria had Oregon State as his favorite before coming to U-Dub on a visit last weekend. He’s a linebacker from California.
Oops – As Matthew pointed out, Kelly is still expected to sign with the Huskies. I forgot him down below his comment, so three verbals to go plus Bierria. That would put the Huskies at 23 commits if all four of those guys sign.
More on Enewally – Matthew here for a second. Enewally has supposedly secretly committed to UW and UCLA numerous times, and had offers pulled at several schools because of how he handled his recruiting. That said, he’s a talented guy. He’s expected to play safety, so it shouldn’t say anything about Jermaine Kelly. Everyone expects Kelly to UW still, just taking a while.
Two Verbal Commits To Go – Unless I’m missing something, the Huskies only have 2 verbal commitments who haven’t signed their letters of intent. Those two are Sean Constantine (LB) and Jamie Bryant (DT). Constantine is from Bellevue and I’m fairly sure they do some sort of Signing Day celebration. I’m not sure what the hold up is for Bryant but I haven’t heard anything about him not getting in. Of course, it sounded like Bierria will be a Husky. Aside from those three, I don’t really know who to really expect.
Lavon Coleman signs – The Huskies get their running back as Lavon Coleman signs from Lompoc, California. Coleman is 6’0, 210 lbs. and I’ve heard him described as a poor man’s Chris Polk. Coleman is the only running back who verbally committed to U-Dub, so the Dawgs are probably done at that spot.
18 and Counting… The Dawgs are up to 18 signed players counting Williams and Walker. I’d guess there’s about 7 more to go. I’ve been saying 22-25 today, but at this point I’m thinking it will be 25.
More Surprises to come? – It sounds as if that won’t be the only surprise today. It looks like the Dawgs may be trying to fill the spots they left open for the Robinson twins and Hall.
Patrick Enewally is the surprise – Enewally had a very strange recruitment but has decided to sign with the Huskies. I hope this doesn’t mean anything bad on the Jermaine Kelly status. Enewally is a corner from California who is 6’1 and played safety in high school. He’s ranked as a 3-star recruit by Scout.
Connor O’Brien Is In – O’Brien is from the same school as Crane so no surprise that these came at the same time. This also isn’t the ‘surprise’. Connor is a linebacker who is 6’3, 205 lbs. He did play safety in high school but it looks like he’ll be a linebacker. Scout ranks him as a 3-star recruit. UPDATE: The school website lists O’Brien as 230 lbs. That’s a big discrepancy between Scout and the school so we’ll see. He could be a rush end type player at that weight.
Dane Crane Signs – This isn’t the surprise. Dane Crane was ranked the number 3 center in the country by Scout. He’s from California and is a very good pickup. Crane might be the best of the offensive linemen the Huskies have so far. He is the highest rated, at least. Crane has been fun to follow throughout the process as he seems very excited to be a Husky.
“A Surprise Is Coming In a Few” – The Husky chat just said these words. I don’t know what this means and it might not be anything different from what we’ve already said. But, stay tuned.
Kevin King Pushes It To 15 – We have our first defensive back of the day (if you don’t count Trevor Walker). Kevin King has signed with the Huskies. He’s a cornerback out of Oakland, California. He is 6’2 and was ranked as a 3-star by Scout.
Notre Dame Saying “That Was A Mistake” – So, I guess Vanderdoes isn’t supposed to be on that list. Either that’s a rule infraction or he has sent in his papers to Notre Dame and they accidentally let it slip before his conference at 5 P.M.
Vanderdoes to Notre Dame? – It sounds as if Notre Dame just released that Vanderdoes has sent in papers to them. That takes out some of the intrigue if it’s true. Not many thought he would sign with the Huskies so this isn’t really a loss or anything and it’s nice that he didn’t sign inside the conference in that case.
We’re Up To 14 – If you include Troy Williams and Trevor Walker, who are enrolled, the Huskies are up to 14 guys who are in. The Dawgs won’t take more than 25 (unless all the big names decide to pick him) and probably won’t take less than 22.
Oregon Up, USC Down – Oregon has picked up some good prospects today and it seems like USC is losing a guy about every hour or so. Oregon could be ranked pretty closely to U-Dub at the end of the day but that was somewhat expected.
Kevin Shelton to Idaho – Kevin Shelton, who is a tight end from Auburn, was thought to be a preferred walk-on for the Huskies but it looks like he took a scholarship at Idaho. It’s hard to blame a guy for taking a scholarship, so good for him.
Andrew Basham signs – The Dawgs break the dry spell with a big boy from Lynnwood. Basham is a defensive tackle who is 6’4, 305 lbs. Apparently he’s really good at shot-put, as well. Basham is ranked as a 3-star recruit by Scout. It’s possible that he will be switched to the offensive line.
Slowing Down – For whatever reason, things seem to be slowing down. The Huskies have about 10 guys left to sign and they will trickle through here at some point. We’ve gone about 20 minutes without a new letter in though.
UW’s Overall Class – I think it’s easy to get caught up with the ceremony and decisions on Signing Day and forget about the overall class. So, while losing Daeshon Hall is bad, the overall class still looks very good. It’s a top-15 class and top-3 in the conference. Most of the verbal commits will sign with the Huskies. So, don’t get caught up if a guy has a Husky hat on the table but picks up a different one. Most of the groundwork for this class was laid a long time ago.
What We’re Missing – The Huskies are waiting on about 12 more guys to sign. None of the DB’s have signed. Jermaine Kelly was offered by USC last night, so that’s a guy to keep an eye on (although he seems pretty firm to U-Dub). The Dawgs are also missing 3 linebackers and 3 defensive linemen. So, most of the offense is filled up (missing C Dane Crane and RB Lavon Coleman) but the defense still has quite a few guys to add.
Bob Condotta on KJR – Condotta is on KJR right now if you’re by a radio.
UW’s Gained and Lost – So, the Huskies have lost out on some big fish so far. The Robinson didn’t switch and stayed at Oregon. Daeshon Hall chose A&M. The Huskies do appear to be picking up Keishawn Bierria and Joe Sanders though. Those aren’t quite as big of names but are still solid pickups.
Damore’ea Stringfellow signs – The Huskies appear to have all of their wide receivers locked up for the day. Stringfellow is probably my favorite wide receiver of the group, but they all are ranked highly. Stringfellow is 6’3, 215 so another big, outside guy. 11 guys have signed.
10 Letters In – As of 8:08 A.M. there are 10 Letters of Intent in. So, we probably have 12 to 15 to go.
Joe Mathis signs – Joe Mathis is a defensive end out of California. He’s 6’4, 255 and is ranked a 4-star recruit by Scout. Mathis is a really good player and also helps soften the blow of Hall.
More on Bierria – I’m guessing that Bierria took the scholarship that they were holding for Myles Jack as Jack sounds like he’ll be going to UCLA. I doubt there’s much chance that Jack is going elsewhere, although he hasn’t signed as of 8:05.
Coleman Shelton signs – OL Coleman Shelton, who committed this weekend has now signed with the Huskies as we’re about an hour into the day. Shelton is the second offensive linemen in the fold, and we’re only waiting for Dane Crane now. Of course, the Dawgs could add another guy later, hopefully Falah.
Hall to A&M – Daeshon Hall just announced that he is going to Texas A&M. That’s the first real bad news of the day. This will hurt the Dawgs in the recruiting standings but if Bierria and Sanders sign (as well as Falah) then it will soften the blow. Nonetheless, bad news for the Dawgs.
Keishawn Bierria to U-Dub – The Huskies pick up a commitment from California linebacker Keishawn Bierria. This isn’t really a surprise but he had yet to commit. His LOI isn’t in yet but it sounds like it’s only a matter of time.
Van Winkle Stats – The Husky website is reporting that K Cameron Van Winkle made at least 6 kicks from 42 yards or farther. His long is 49 yards.
Spring Practice Update – The Go Huskies chat says that the Huskies will announce the spring practice dates in the next week or so. They don’t know where the spring game will be yet but will soon.
8 Players Have Signed – Victor, Qualls, Kirkland, Daniels, Farria, Ross, Ajamu, and Van Winkle have signed. So, not counting Walker and Williams the Dawgs have 8 in.
Cameron Van Winkle Signs – The Huskies have their kicker as Mt. Si’s Cameron Van Winkle signs with the Dawgs. He is a good kicking recruit and has range to about 55 yards from what I have read. I had heard that he’d be enrolling early but I’m guessing that this won’t happen.
More on Daniels – Via the school’s live chat, Daniels is 6-4 and ran a 10.74 100 meter. No real news there but that’s the time and sizes the coaches have on him.
David Ajamu signs – Ajamu is a TE from Washington who had been committed to Oregon State before flipping a few months ago. He gives the Huskies some depth at TE and will probably red-shirt this year. Ajamu is 6-4, 255.
Hall to Texas A&M – Lots of rumors out there that Daeshon Hall is headed to Texas A&M. This would obviously be a big loss but we’ll wait and see. Official news should come any minute.
Darrell Daniels is in – Daniels is another 4-star receiver. This is a class that should keep the U-Dub receiver group strong for the next 4 years. Daniels is a bigger guy than Ross and is more likely to play on the outside while Ross is more of a slot guy.
Andrew Kirkland signs – The first offensive lineman of the day signs. Kirkland is out of Portland, Oregon. He is listed as an offensive tackle by the school so that may or may not be telling. He is a 3-star commit.
John Ross Signs – John Ross, one of the 3 4-star wide receiver commits, has sent in his LOI. John Ross is supposedly the fastest of the receivers and is a little smaller than Daniels or Stringfellow.
A Surprise? – Rumors are swirling that Joe Sanders, who visited when Reuben Foster, is going to sign with Washington. This is a big surprise if it does happen. I don’t know if this bodes well for Hall signing but you take all the good players you can get. Sanders is a 3-star defensive end from Georgia. Here’s his Scout profile. If he is signing with U-Dub, a tornado drill is holding up the process. That’s a new one.
Robinson Twins Going To Oregon – I can’t say I’m really surprised, but the Tyrell and Tyree Robinson showed up to their signing wearing all Oregon gear so it looks like they’re headed there. It’s too bad but it’s not really a loss since the Huskies never had them.
Azeem Victor Is In – Azeem Victor, a linebacker from California, has signed his letter and is in the fold. Lots of letters starting to come in now.
Elijah Qualls Signs – The big 6’4, 280 DT/FB is the second guy to get his fax in. He is one of my favorite players in the class. He hits people really hard and is athletic for his size. He is a 4-star recruit and a very solid new player for the Dawgs.
Robinson Twins Going To Oregon? – There was a tweet just sent out that makes it sound as if the Robinson’s are headed to Oregon. Nothing official but I’m guessing that it’s correct.
Hall Announcing at 7:30 – It sounds as if Hall will announce at 7:30 so we should know soon on him.
More Farria – Farria is ranked as a 3-star commit by both big recruiting services. He may have gone up in those rankings but didn’t attend many summer camps. He seems to have some upside. Here is his scout profile.
7:05 A.M. – Now seems like an appropriate time to remember that S Trevor Walker and QB Troy Williams have already enrolled in school. They still have to send in papers today, but their isn’t much drama there.
7:00 A.M. – And we’re off as Marcus Farria is the first to get his letter in. Farria is a defensive end out of Arizona. One of those long, lean guys that the Huskies have recruited in recent years. He’s about 6’4, 220 and will look to add weight when he comes into school. He’s a part of a very strong defensive line class.
6:54 A.M. – I just realized this is my 300th post at the blog. It’s fitting that it comes today on one of my favorite events to cover. Thanks for everyone who has followed along over the last few years!
6:40 A.M. – Good morning, Dawg fans. We’re up and running now at just past 6:30 for one of the more interesting sports days of the year. Today, the Huskies, and about 120 other teams will add around 25 players to their roster. In no other sport does that happen and that’s why this day is interesting. Sure, people over-hype players but it’s somewhat ignorant to say that it doesn’t matter where these kids sign. These ‘kids’ will be a teams core in 4 years and, while coaching is probably the most important aspect of college football, you can’t teach a player true talent.
Anyway, throughout the day I’ll be posting updates here about the NLI’s that come in. They should start rolling in here any minute. The Robinson twins are supposed to announce anytime although they just sent out a tweet that said, “Would that b crazy if I don’t sign today. That’s how I’m feeling.” So, who knows what will happen there. Daeshon Hall is supposed to announce at 8:30. Eddie Vanderdoes is announcing at 5 P.M. today so we’ll have to wait a while for that one, although it doesn’t sound like the Dawgs will get the big man. Others will decide throughout the day, although I don’t think the Huskies will get more than 1 or 2 surprises. We’ll keep you updated here and hopefully everyone will decide early so that way I can take a nap.
There’s plenty of other places to catch the information today. Bob Condotta always does a great job covering whatever comes his way. The school website has some cool formats and information on the new players. UW Dawgpound has some player profiles that are well done. I’ll pass along more links throughout the day. So, here we go!
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