Behind the Numbers: 2020 Football Recruiting
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Shortly after committing to Washington, Ethan Garbers told Dawg Thoughts Radio host Tysen Allumbaugh that he wanted to win a state championship in football and help Petersen put together a national championship-caliber recruiting class. He delivered on both. His football team went 16-0, won the state championship and his recruiting class is the top-rated class in the Pac-12 conference. The class is headlined by 10 four- or five- star commits.
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The Huskies signed nine players from the state of California. They include:
Myles Murao, No. 1 center in state and No. 1 in the country
Ethan Garbers, No. 5 quarterback in state and 6th in the nation
Mark Redman, No. 1 tight end in state and 8th nationally
Jalen McMillan, No. 3 receiver in state and 11th-best in the country
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Sav'ell Smalls is the crown jewel of the 2020 recruiting haul. He's listed as the top outside linebacker in the country. Washington signed two specialists and eight players total who are listed in the top 10 of their respective positions. Smalls, center Myles Murano and junior-college punter Triston Brown are No. 1 at their positions.
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Petersen refers to concentrating recruiting efforts to be within a "footprint." In years past, he's taken players from up to 11 states but this year it was seven states. The Huskies frequently have gone into Oregon, Utah and Hawaii for some of their top players; however, for the 2020 recruiting cycle, it was slim pickings in those states. With just six 4- or 5-star players combined in those areas, it's easy to see why the Huskies concentrated their efforts elsewhere. Officially, the UW signed kids from eight states when Jordan Lolohea from East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah in the class of 2017, but he deferred his enrollment until this year to allow for a church mission.
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There may have been no more important commit than Corona Del Mar quarterback Ethan Garbers. When the Huskies extended their offer, he was the 532nd-rated player in the country. Once he signed his national letter of intent, he'd risen to the 177nd player in the country and sixth-rated pro-style quarterback in the country.
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Running back signee Sam Adams is the punishing runner that Jimmy Lake likes. Lake said Adams is the type of running back that defenders won't want to tackle in the fourth quarter. At Eastside Catholic, Adams played on both sides of the ball and at various skill positions. While Adams is listed as the fifth-best athlete in the country on 247Sports.com, Lake was emphatic that Adams is the big back he's seeking for his offense.
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There are are four players who are state champions among the UW recruits. Mark Redman and Ethan Garbers went 16-0 at Corona Del Mar High School in California, Sam Adams and his Eastside Catholic Crusaders won the Washington 4A state championship. Cornerback James Smith won a state and a national championship at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California. Myles Murao's Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, finished second nationally.
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According to 247Sports.com, Sav'ell Smalls is the third-highest rated player. On the other end of the spectrum, the Huskies signed two of the highest-rated specialists in the country. Subtracting the specialists, the average player rating is .8975, slightly ahead of Oregon's .8911.
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With punter Joel Whitford and long snapper A.J. Carty graduating, the UW signed replacements for them. Punter Race Porter and long snapper Luke Lane return for the Huskies to compete with the No. 1 1 junior-college punter in Triston Brown and the sixth-rated long snapper Jaden Green.
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When Petersen announced he was stepping down following the Apple Cup, it gave recruits ample time to determine if Washington was the right place for them. Every recruit stuck with his commitment. They helped secure the No. 1 recruiting class in the conference.
