The Washington Football Team Needs Defensive Tackles. Will any commit soon? Where there is a will, there is a way
The 2017 Washington Football recruiting class of 2017 took a major hit when the team lost 5-star recruit defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu to the USC Trojans. That blow placed the defensive line future on it’s heels. Temporarily.
The team responded by securing a commitment from a huge mountain of a man in Ali Gaye. At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, he is a fine addition to the team. Gaye fills in for Philadelphia Eagles Elijah Qualls.
Defensive end turned Buck linebacker Joe Tryon will also debut with the team this year. Tryon fills the void left by pass rush specialist and now Houston Texan JoJo Mathis. Tryon stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 235 pounds.
They incoming pair of freshmen join a solid front seven spearheaded by nose tackle Vita Vea. Projected starters include defensive tackle Greg Gaines and defensive end Jaylen Johnson. Thanks to the recruiting style, the team always seems to be prepared with plenty of depth. And this year, that depth And that depth will be put to the test as the team prepares to defend the PAC-12 Title.
But the team needs help in 2018. There is not much hope of persuading Vea to return to the team in 2018. And the roster boasts three additional juniors. Any player showing upside will be a flight risk when facing that 2018 NFL Draft. So defensive tackle is a recruiting priority this year.
Recruits Warming To Washington
But the coaching staff has been working hard to fill the needs for the team. And they have some results for their tireless efforts. Per Washington.247Sports.com, the team has made seven offers, to prospects as far away as Texas, through Utah, California, and Idaho. One prospect has committed to USC already. Tuli Letuligasenoa, a 6-foot-2 295 pound defensive tackle is happy to play behind nine players on the USC roster. And after the Trojans poached Tuipolotu last season, he may not see playing time for several years.
The Washington Huskies have opportunities for the right players to get playing time. Soon. And still so far, no commits.
But the team is not flustered. In fact, the resolve is stiffening. At some point, some prospects will look up and see that their football career needs great coaching, playing minutes, and national attention. And those factors all max out with the opportunity with the Washington Football Team
The team is making inroads with two defensive tackles per Washington.247Sports.com. They are Tommy Togiai and Jackson Cravens.
Tommy Togiai
On one hand, the Washington Huskies are in the running for Tommy Togiai. In fact, literally. He announced his top eight football programs in April 2017. And that is a very competitive field. Teams include in no particular order: USC, Wisconsin, Penn State, TCU, Ohio State, Michigan, Utah, and of course, Washington.
Beyond Blessed to announce my top 8!!!🙏🏽🏈 pic.twitter.com/LhixaPqQ9B
— Tommy Togiai (@Big_Tom72) April 14, 2017
Togiai is a highly coveted prospect who drew scholarship offers from 16 schools. You see, he has a rare combination of power and agility. Both are key for a successful defensive linemen. Now, he only needs to improve his techniques. And that means he’ll need playing time.
Unfortunately, that time is not apparent with all schools in his top eight. In fact, several have already gotten commitments of higher priority prospects. Of the finalist schools, USC, Utah, and Ohio State already have a defensive tackle commitment. And of those schools, Washington has the smallest number on the roster.
That point appears to be made on Togiai, as 247Sports.com prediction graph shows Washington’s chances increasing rapidly.
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In short, Togiai will have incredible opportunity to showcase his talents on the Washington Football team.
Jackson Cravens
On the other hand, the Washington Football Team is in the running for defensive tackle Jackson Cravens as well. Once more, the team faces competition from other college football programs, twelve to be exact. Other offers include such schools as Boise State, Utah, Fresno State, and Oregon State, as well as others.
Cravens is a typical Coach Petersen type of recruit. His flash may not catch the eye of all pundits, but he has tremendous no-bones-about-it production.
Raving About Cravens’ Production
Last season, Cravens racked up 160 tackles, 20 of those tackles for losses, and added 13 sacks. The offer from the Huskies was a year in the making, and Cravens was happy to talk about it to Scout.com’s Blair Angulo:
"“I feel really good about the offer because I’ve been talking to Washington for about a year now. I went through the process and they finally offered, so I’m really excited because I’ve been wanting that one. They’ve told me they like me at 3 technique along their line. They think I’m athletic enough to rush, but also can stop the run from that spot. Of course, they’re on the come up and last year was just a start of what they’re going to do. Coach (Ikaika) Malloe seems like he’s there for the players and wants nothing but the best for his guys. I like how he takes his time to explain things and where they’d use me. I don’t know yet when, but I’m definitely planing to go on a visit there.”"
That visit may mark the date of a commitment.
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And the great news is? There is plenty of playing time for both players.