Washington Football Recruiting: Top Remaining Targets

With the season in full swing, recruiting normally takes a back seat for many fans, at least for a while. For the coaching staff, it’s the other way around. Between hosting recruits and visiting their games and families, recruiting is far from the back of Steve Sarkisian’s mind.

Compared to the rest of the country, the Huskies are off to a bit of a slow start for the Class of 2014, but that’s mainly because the majority of their top targets are still uncommitted. They currently have eight commitments, including three four-stars recruits. Here’s a quick recap of some of UW’s priority recruits that are still left on the board.

1. DB Budda Baker (Bellevue HS/Bellevue, Wash.)

Baker was one of the 30-plus recruits that took unofficial visits to Washington’s opener versus Boise State. He, like most, came away impressed with not only the Huskies play, but the new Husky Stadium and its facilities. He announced that his recruitment is down to three schools – Washington, UCLA and Oregon.

2. RB Demario Richard (Palmdale HS/Palmdale, Calif.)

When UW was left off fellow 2014 RB Joe Mixon’s top-five, Richard instantly became a priority for the Huskies. Not that he wasn’t already being heavily recruited, but he’s now the highest-rated running back left for UW in 2014. He also visited, and enjoyed, Washington for the Boise State game. He reportedly will commit in December.

3. DB John Plattenburg (Lamar HS/Houston, Texas)

The Huskies were one of the first teams to offer Plattenburg, who now has over 20 offers. He took part in the Nike’s The Opening, along with a few other UW targets and commitments earlier this year. The Huskies are said to be in good standing with him, but he moved back to Texas for his senior year. Remember, UW had a verbal from Daeshon Hall last year before he moved back to Texas and committed to Texas A&M.

4. OL/DE Kaleb McGary (Fife HS/Fife, Wash.)

McGary is a rare talent who has the talent to compete either on the defensive or offensive line in college. Standing 6’8″, he would be a massive defensive end. Most schools see him as an offensive tackle first, but could be a candidate to switch positions if needed to. He visited Washington a couple weeks before Boise State, saying it was just part of the recruiting process.

5. OL Drew Clarkson (Camas HS/Camas, Wash.)

Clarkson is the second-highest rated offensive lineman from the state of Washington. He hasn’t drawn nearly as much interest as McGary – Scout lists him having seven offers (two from D-II), while McGary has 12 (all D-I). Clarkson, like nearly every in-state target, visited during Week 1 versus Boise State.