Washington Huskies 2013 Recruiting Roundup: Wide Receiver
By Evan Webeck
Players signed: Damore’ea Stringfellow (Rancho Verde HS/Moreno Valley, Calif.), Darrell Daniels (Freedom HS/Oakley, Calif.) & John Ross (David Starr Jordan HS/Long Beach, Calif.)
Stringfellow’s ratings: Rivals – 4 stars, Scout – 4 stars, ESPN – 4 stars
Daniels’s ratings: Rivals – 4 stars, Scout – 4 stars, ESPN – 4 stars
Ross’s ratings: Rivals – 4 stars, Scout – 3 stars, ESPN – 4 stars
Wide receiver is where the Steve Sarkisian capitalized on the recruiting trail. There was talent to be had and he got it. By signing three four-star receivers, the Huskies brought in one of the best wide receiver classes in the nation. Adding Stringfellow, Daniels and Ross to what Washington already has in Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Kasen Williams and Kevin Smith (to name a few) should give the Huskies one of the best receiving corps in the conference. With all the added targets for Keith Price, he should be able to rebound from last season as well.
Stringfellow is the true star of the class, but that’s not to take anything away from Ross or Daniels. Even as a freshman, Stringfellow has the ability to step in and be the No. 3 option for Price behind Williams and ASJ. He is so talented, and yet has immense room to improve during his time at UW.
Daniels is similar to Stringfellow, in that he possesses elite size and speed for a receiver. In the future, he and Stringfellow can line up opposite each other with Ross in the slot to create a dynamic trio of weapons for whoever is under center.
Unlike Stringfellow and Daniels, Ross is well undersized as a receiver, so much so that durability concerns come with him. At just 5’9″ and 170 pounds, there’s a chance Ross will switch sides of the ball and play cornerback, but with his skill at receiver, I don’t think that is likely. Even so, he does have experience at corner in high school and some schools saw him as such.
There is no debating the impact this class of receivers can make. It’s almost like Sark game planned this class to give himself two elite wideouts and a quality slot receiver. Each can make an impact this year in both the offense and on special teams. But whatever they do this year won’t compare to what the trio can do in the future.