Inside The Huskies

To No Surprise, UW's Bookie Radley-Hiles Turns to NFL Draft

The Oklahoma transfer played just 11 games for a disappointing Husky team.
Dan Raley|
To No Surprise, UW's Bookie Radley-Hiles Turns to NFL Draft
To No Surprise, UW's Bookie Radley-Hiles Turns to NFL Draft

Consider him a closed book.

Defensive back Bernard "Bookie" Radley-Hiles' brief stay at the University of Washington came to an end on Tuesday with his social-media announcement, none too surprising, that he will enter the upcoming NFL draft.

The Oklahoma transfer will pass up his remaining eligibility, same as cornerback Trent McDuffie, with fellow cornerback Kyler Gordon expected to offer a similar pronouncement fairly soon. 

Thus one of the nation's better secondaries will disassemble for the most part, seemingly wasted in a 4-8 season that cost the Huskies a coaching staff and sent several players to the draft or the transfer portal. As a testament to their talent, each of these three coverage defensive backs received first-team All-Pac-12 accolades from some media outlet. 

From Inglewood, California, the 5-foot-9, 180-pound Radley-Hiles was one of the more unique players to pull on a Husky uniform in recent seasons. UW teammates gravitated to him at practice while media members found him interesting to listen to with his thoughtful answers in the group interview sessions.

After starting for three seasons with the Sooners, he carried himself with a noticeable swagger. Almost professorial in approach, he explained how he came to the UW because it had a reputation for preparing defensive backs for pro football careers.

Radley-Hiles started 9 of the 11 games he played for the Huskies. He finished with 46 tackles, including 5 for lost yardage and 2 sacks, intercepted a pass, broke up 4, had 3 quarterback hits and a forced fumble.

While the Huskies welcome this veteran Oklahoma player with open arms, there was the prevailing feeling that they greatly squandered their good fortune by failing to win with him. 

Radley-Hiles effectively replaced NFL-bound Elijah Molden as the UW nickelback and wasn't afraid to hit anyone. He sat out the Oregon State game after getting banged up. 

He was such a highly thought of player when he arrived the UW sought and received permission for him to wear No. 44, which is one of three retired football numbers.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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