Recruiting: It’s Lonely at the Bottom, too
Written by playerpress.com, Wednesday April 29 2009
Steve Sarkisian left the USC Trojans Rose Bowl celebration to take over a University of Washington football program that is at its all time worse. While it will be difficult to do worse than 2008’s winless season the new head coach probably understands that improvement is the key to job security. That is why he is trying to bring about major change while not labeling the effort a rebuilding process. After all, everyone knows that rebuilding translates to losing and Husky fans have witnessed enough losing efforts to last a lifetime.
So, Sarkisian must instill a winning attitude in the players that remain and those coming aboard. Stepped up practices and spring scrimmages that are open to the public have been the motivation for the returning players. Having them intensify the basics that escaped them along with a sole victory is essential to making them better players and allowing the public to view their progression both serves as a further wake up to the young men and allows a disconnected fan base to feel they are part of the process.
While that addresses the tenured players, the coach has an even tougher task ahead of him in terms of recruiting. The Pac 10 has lost its luster as a football conference, although the Jets coveting of Mark Sanchez may cause some high school kids to consider life by the Pacific, and the Huskies are the worse of a bunch that are considered weak. That equates to Sarkisian’s recruiting job to be as easy as selling stock in GM, membership in the Republican Party, or tickets for those really expensive seats at Yankee Stadium.
However, home is where the heart is and Sarkisian scored some major points on the home front in April. Sarkisian has nabbed seven committed players who are willing to don Northwest Blue for the Huskies. Nothing is in stone until February when the letters of intent are signed, sealed, delivered and the players are yours, but UW is leading the Pac 10 in committed players. Since six of the seven are Washington natives Sarkisian didn’t even have to hit the school for travel expenses.
UW has gotten the interest of three of the four top rated players in the state in WR Jamal Kearse, Lakes High, DT Sione Potoae, Lakes High and S Chris Young, Auburn. The Huskies are chasing the #1 rated QB Jake Heaps, Skyline, but he is playing hard to get. Another player who has expressed interest in learning under Sarkisian’s system is OL, Ben Riva, O’Dea.
While Heaps has yet to say where his interest lays he and Kearse both attended the Huskies open practices this month and liked what they saw. Kearse was excited by the level of intensity and cheered when his older brother Jermaine, already a member of the Huskies, caught a Jake Locker pass for a TD. Riva, who has attended the open practices also found the level of scrimmage exciting and feels the team is bound to be better than it has in the last several seasons.
Sarkisian’s policy of open practices may have opened the door to building a strong recruiting class that will help him get the Huskies out of the Pac 10 cellar and bowl bound.
Photo Credit: Stephen Brashear / Icon SMI
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