Recruiting thoughts
Malamute, 7 December 2006

Scout.com says that the current UW recruiting class is ranked thirty-fourth in the nation, with an average star ranking of 2.69.

Does that mean that Coach Willingham gets a B-minus from the department of recruiting thus far?

Or does it mean that Tyrone has a better handle on recruiting sleepers than do the other 118 coaches in Division IA football?

Put in perspective, UW is losing 26 seniors, mostly out of its 2002 and 2003 classes, classes that scout.com ranked twenty-third and eighteenth in the nation respectively. Washington's 2004, 2005 and 2006 classes were ranked twenty-second, fifty-fifth, and thirty-fifth. Two four-star recruits out of the 2004 class never played a down -- Matt Tuiasosopo and Keauntea Bankhead – their loss certainly worsening its relative high ranking if computed again.

These facts champion the notion that UW certainly had talent last season ... but not enough. The rankings explain the 5-7 record and those close games it lost when it ran out of gas. Support for the two deeps was missing for the most part. Support for the starters on the OL, which, as a unit, wore down in October, turned into vaporware.

On paper, considering the mediocre recruiting that has taken place in recent years and the tough schedule next season, the coach and UW appear to be in deep yogurt. (See the Table below).

Willingham has three years left on his contract. I doubt if it will be extended after next season's play, which means he'll have just two years to go.

All we need is another coaching carousel at UW.

Adage: Not recruiting playmakers means you'll end up with prayer-makers, as in Hail Mary.

I hope I’m putting too much credence on rankings, but I keep thinking of the nation’s elite and how they recruit each year, e.g., Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, USC. They all bring in top-ten-to-top-twenty classes annually. Are their classes just artifacts of their success on the gridiron and not germane to being a football powerhouse, with coaching, conditioning, motivation and, perhaps, a weak schedule being the prime ingredients?  A good percentage of five-star recruits end up playing on Sunday, though.

Someone told me that 2-3 star running backs out of Washington State were under-rated compared to those from California.                     

As far as that goes, the names DeShaun Foster and Paul Arnold, who were both available to Rick Neuheisel when he came to UW in December 1999, come to mind. Dawgman posters told me that Arnold was better than Foster back then.. I know that Paul had a congenital back defect, but still he was no Foster before his back acted up.

And who was that disgruntled UW athlete from California who talked to Danny Robbins and Elliott Almond? Anyway, he said that “Washington wouldn't be s*** without its California players.” See “Bitter Roses.”

As far as Donald Bulter goes, every team has a Donald Butler, a kid who flew under the radar.

If I had my druthers, UW would stick with “Ty Willie,” as he is affectionately called, for the next 10 years. Playing golf as well as he does makes him a better recruiter, in my mind. Enjoy it coach, for it won't last forever, not that I had any links savvy to last me.

(Editor's note. The above was written before Tyrone's recent recruiting spurt; I think Mal has softened a bit).

Tyrone’s recent finds, Kalani Aldrich (3 stars) and Brandon Johnson (4 stars), have silenced my critique. I have hope for this class finishing in the top twenty, not that that will save next season, but it would put the program back on track.

Does Danny Te’o -Nesheim bear a likeness (a facial resemblance) to Herman Wedemeyer (left, Saint Mary’s; Hawaii Five-O's Duke Lukela)? (Te'o-Nesheim pictured above).

It’s nice to see the Hawaiian pipeline flowing, which reminds me of an old Hawaiian recruiting adage, one that rumor says is written on a placard that hangs in Mike Bellotti’s office.

“Wailea today when you can Kaanapali to Maui.”

Which means:

Why lie today when you can con a Polynesian tomorrow. ;-)

Is that why Aldrich chose UW over Whoregon? ;-)

Table. UW recruiting over the past 6 years (Data taken from scout.com).

 

Year	Division IA Rank
2002	23
2003	18
2004	22
2005	55
2006	35
2007	34