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Washington Husky Recruiting Extends Offer To Legacy Jaxson Kirkland Decommits from UCLA

By Bret Stuter

Dec 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen speaks at a press conference after the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2016 CFP Semifinal at the Georgia Dome. Alabama defeated Washington 24-7. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen speaks at a press conference after the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2016 CFP Semifinal at the Georgia Dome. Alabama defeated Washington 24-7. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen speaks at a press conference after the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2016 CFP Semifinal at the Georgia Dome. Alabama defeated Washington 24-7. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen speaks at a press conference after the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2016 CFP Semifinal at the Georgia Dome. Alabama defeated Washington 24-7. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports /

Washington Husky Recruiting Extends offer to legacy Jaxson Kirkland, who decommits from UCLA

On January 23, 2017, the University of Washington extended a scholarship offer to join the Washington Husky recruiting class of 2017 to offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland. The move was a curious one, because Kirkland had committed to UCLA in the summer of 2016.

Legacy

Kirkland’s father, Dean, is a former Husky offensive guard drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1991.  In fact, he was co-captain of the 1990 co-Pac-10 championship squad, and left his son with a deep-rooted Huskies fandom early in life.  Knowing that, it’s a sure bet to assume his son is already pretty familiar with the history of the Husky football program.  And Jaxson Kirkland has been on the radar for some time.  He visited the University of Washington in April 2016, and talked about his visit with Scott Eklund, from www.scout.com afterwards:

"“I loved it,” Kirkland said. “It was an amazing visit. I got the chance to talk to coach (Chris) Petersen and coach (Chris) Strausser and got to know them better and I really felt like I clicked with them really well.They said they really like me a lot,” Kirkland noted. “(Strausser) said he liked the way I move for a big guy and my feet especially. “They said they wanted to keep evaluating me and wait until I take the SAT (in June) and then they will pull the trigger (on an offer).”"

The offer took its time in coming. In fact, it didn’t happen until 9 days before National Signing Day. But now that the offer has arrived, the dominoes are beginning to topple.

Decisions Decisions!

The decision to decommit comes as a partial surprise.  But that now places his path at a fork in the road. Will he choose the University of Washington, or Oregon?

Both UW and Oregon have ramped up their interest in Kirkland.  That interest comes for good reason. Kirkland is a 3-star Offensive Tackle recruit  from Portland Oregon and out of Jesuit High School standing 6-foot-7 and weighing in at 314 pounds. Graded 78 by ESPN, he’s been moving up on boards due to his strength and agility.

Kirkland visited with the Oregon Ducks on Tuesday, January 24th. Since that visit, he was absent from social media until his announcement of decommiting from UCLA.

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Jaxson Kirkland would be a huge coup for the Huskies. Alongside Henry Bainivalu and Cole Norgaard, the Huskies offensive line would be set for several years to compete with the NCAA’s finest.

This is a very important decision for a young man.  Here’s hoping he knows that whereever he chooses, we will always wish him the best.

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