Recruiting Washington Huskies: 5 Bold Predictions For June

The Washington Huskies Football Recruiting Class keeps getting better. With eight commitments so far,the team has a great start. But Here are five bold predictions for June 2017 that will improve the future even more

The Washington Huskies future seems very bright.  Perhaps its the wave of record breaking performances from the Washington Huskies athletes so far.  On one  hand, perhaps its the recent wave of finishing in the top five schools from both outside linebacker Jack Lamb and weakside defensive end Cameron Latu. On the other hand, it may simply be the fact that the Washington Huskies Football Recruiting class of 2018 is rather impressive already.

Whatever the case, the mood of optimism as we ease into June 2017 is pretty amp’d right now. So in the hopes of self-fulfilling prophecy, here are my five BOLD predictions for the month of June 2017.

Five Bold June Predictions

First Prediction: The Washington Huskies will get a commitment from an offensive lineman.
Second Prediction: The Huskies will extend two more offers
Third Prediction: A tight end will commit.
Fourth Prediction: The Defense will get commitments from 1 to 3 players
Fifth Prediction: THe Huskies 2018 recruiting class will be ranked as high as 7th nationally.

June is a good month for the team to circle the wagons and refocus on prospects at needed positions to persuade a verbal commitment.  On top of that, Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen has done a masterful job of pulling talent from new areas, all the while ensuring that the talent fits the overall team scheme.

Prediction 1: The Washington Huskies will get a commitment from an offensive lineman

The Washington Huskies have pulled plenty of skilled talent to the team. Now the team has some need for the offensive trenches.

The team will likely be filling the void of graduating senior Andrew Kirkland and teammate Trey Adams.  In an early 2018 NFL Draft mockup, ESPN’s Mel Kiper projects Adams as a first round projection.

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That will create two openings on the left side of the offensive line.  While the Huskies are already grooming players to fill the starting lineup, the team will need to replenish the ranks in 2018.

Positive News

Some unexpected but very welcome news has already addressed the offensive line when offensive lineman Chase Skuza declared he is joining the team as a walk-on redshirt.  Skuza arrives at the right time to the right team, as his 6-foot-6 300 pound frame is the perfect framework to anchor the line.

A perfect compliment to the future of the offensive line would be a prospect like M.J. Ale out of Tacoma Washington.  Ale is 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 330 pounds and is a great fit for the Washington Huskies. He currently has six schools to choose from, including the April 5, 2017 offer from the Huskies.

Guarded Response

The Huskies have their sights set on the interior line as well.  In fact, they have some offers to two promising offensive guards in Sam Vakalahi and Steven Jones.

Sam Vakalahi is a 6-foot-2 280 pound offensive guard out of Salt Lake City, Utah. The offer to Vakalahi was his first, extended in May 2016.  Since that time, he has attracted more offers, 11 more offers to be exact.   However, the Washington Huskies are optimistic.  Vakalahi has been a prospect with the Washington Huskies for some time. As such, you can bet he is a priority for the team right now.

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Mr. Jones

Steven Jones is a 6-foot-5 340 pound offensive guard out of Temecula, California. He also landed an offer from the Washington Huskies in the spring of 2016.  Once more, in the time since, he has attracted offers from twelve other schools.  Jones is another long-term relationship with the Washington Huskies, and that keeps him high on the priority list.

While the timing of any commitment is a very personal decision, June 2017 feels like a good time for one player to commit.

Prediction 2: The Huskies will extend two more offers

As the month of June progresses, look for Coach Petersen to continue to scour the lands for new talent. He is a strategist, a long-term planner who prefers to be more proactive than reactive. That translates into more than considering his needs and priorities, but the actions of other teams and their needs as well.

The team has made 69 offers for the class of 2018 so far.  Of that number, eight have committed to the team, while 14 have committed to other programs.

Hodgepodge

Still, in 2017, the team extended 105 offers. So there is some room for more, and this month will begin to ramp up the search. For a recent update, check out this video from May 2nd, 2017 featuring Mark Rogers discussing Aaron Sieverkropp

One way the team continues to remain highly visible is the very successful summer camp programs.  The 2017 camp dates for Top Dawg Quarterback run from Thursday June 15 through Saturday June 17.

The program also offers Rising Star camps on June 16 and July 14.

Prediction 3: A tight end will commit

The Washington Huskies offense is rounding out nicely.  The team has quarterbacks, wide receivers, and a running back  committed to the class of 2018.  Now all the team needs is a tight end for the full house.

Is that being too greedy?

Not in the modern era of NCAA football.  The most successful teams leave no chink in the armor when it comes to assembling a winning team roster.  Right now, the Washington Huskies plan to be successful and relevant in the NCAA for the foreseeable future.

Tight Bonds Tight End

That means a tight end.

Thankfully, the team is warming up to two tight end prospects: Camren McDonald and Jake Peters.

Camren McDonald is a 6-foot-4 205 pound tight end who hails from Long Beach California.

Jake Peters comes in at 6-foot-5 225 pounds and is from Rancho Santa Margarita, California. Ideally, both are well suited for the 2018 Washington Huskies.

I look for one to commit in June 2017.

Prediction 4: The Defense will get commitments from 1 to 3 players

As the future class begins to round out, the coaches will begin to turn their attention away from skill players and towards defense.  And the defense has plenty of opportunity for the right candidates.

The team has commitments from two defensive players.  June 2017 will improve on that. The team is making inroads with any number of solid defensive players.

Dawg Days Of Summer

Right now, Washington.247Sports.com has the team rated “warm” on 12 defensive players with offers from the Washington Huskies.  As the month progresses, one to three of those players will determine the time is right to commit to UW.

Look for an inside linebacker, defensive tackle, and/or cornerback to take the leap up to the Washington Huskies.  Or look for all three.   While more is better, I’m of the opinion at least one joins the recruiting class of 2018.

Prediction 5: the Huskies 2018 recruiting class will be ranked as high as 7th nationally

On June 1st, 2017, the Wahington Huskies 2018 recruiting class is ranked 12th nationally per 247sports.com. In June 2017, that ranking will rise to seventh nationally. The national ranking is in constant flux.  At one point (as portrayed in the video previously) the Washington Huskies ranked as high as eighth nationally.  Now the team has slipped.

Autzen Zoo

That fall is due to other team securing commitments.  At eight commitments, the Huskies are getting great quality, but less quantity, than other football programs so far.  In fact, the top ten nationally ranked programs have no fewer than 10 commits.

Two Important Factors

So June 2017 depends on two things. Can the Washington Huskies attract talent to commit? And conversely, with teams ranked ahead of the Huskies find slower going in attacting new commits?

As a matter of fact, I think that answer is yes.  As a rule, most teams try to fill the recruiting class at or near 20 players per class. Teams with more than 10 committed players are more than halfway there, and must now focus on fewer and fewer positions. Focus intensifies, opportunity wanes.

Meanwhile, the Washington Huskies have remained a steady and confident staff.  Thank Coach Petersen for setting the tone.  Each year, the team finds more ways to win. That attracts more NFL attention. And that, after all, attracts more recruits to the University of Washington.

Next: Cameron Latu Selects Washington Huskies Among Top 5

June 2017 is an important keystone to that elevation of the team.  And with recent success stories all over campus in both athletics and academics, there has never been a better time to become a Washington Huskies football player. Yes, I’m optimistic.  We should all be.