Washington Huskies Football: UW Wide Receivers Ranked No. 2
By Evan Webeck
It seems to be that time of year, where all across the nation, rankings are popping up for every possible category. Yesterday, we saw our first power rankings from ESPN. Today, Bleacher Report released its rankings of wide receiving corps in the Pac-12. Apparently, having the best tight end in the nation and one of the top-two receivers in the conference makes for a pretty solid base, as Lisa Horne ranked the Huskies second, behind Marquise Lee and USC. Here are her full rankings:
Sept 1, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Kasen Williams (2) makes a reception against the San Diego State Aztecs during the third quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
"1. USC2. Washington3. Oregon4. Washington State5. Oregon State6. UCLA7. Utah8. Stanford9. Arizona10. Arizona State11. California12. Colorado"
Here is what she wrote about the Huskies:
"Austin Seferian-Jenkins may be a Heisman finalist dark horse. He is that good. Last season Seferian-Jenkins had 69 receptions for 852 yards and seven touchdowns. More please.Kasen Williams was the league’s seventh-leading receiver with 77 catches, 878 yards and six touchdowns.Quarterback Keith Price wasn’t very consistent last season but the offensive line’s woes didn’t help. Still, Price’s passing game mostly consisted of the five-yard dink.That may change with the addition of these incoming freshmen 4-star receivers: Darrell Daniels, John Ross and Damore’ea Stringfellow.It’s a little early to call this corps the best in the Pac-12 but it has serious potential."
Like ESPN yesterday, Horne gives the Huskies some serious props, but this time, they rank No. 2, rather than No. 5.
The biggest discrepancies between the wide receiver rankings and the power rankings are Washington State, Stanford and Arizona State. Horne says the Cougars have the fourth-best wide receivers, while still being the second-worst team. Stanford was No. 1 in ESPN’s rankings, but only No. 8 in Horne’s and ASU ranked fourth in ESPN’s, but third-to-last in Horne’s.
With the departure of Keenan Allen, Cal dropped significantly and rank just ahead of the lowly Buffaloes. New head coach Sonny Dikes will have his hands full his first season.
USC also lost a major contributor in Robert Woods, but still having Marquise Lee, they stuck in the first slot. Their major problem will be the man throwing the ball to the wideouts.
The Huskies kept their core of Kasen Williams and Austin Seferian-Jenkins, but lost a key role player in Cody Bruns. The additions of Darrell Daniels, John Ross and Damore’ea Stringfellow more than make up for Bruns, however. If they perform up to expectations, there is no doubt that the Huskies will compete to have the best wide receivers in the conference, if not the country.