Huskies Go Looking for Another Wattenberg, Offer Tackle from His High School
After making a roster spot available to Luke Wattenberg for six seasons, the University of Washington football program has turned to his Southern California high school seeking another long-term, offensive-line solution.
However, the Huskies will have to wait another three years before they can bring Jake Flores, JSerra Catholic High School's next promising blocker, to Seattle, should they be able to land him.
On Thursday, the UW offered a scholarship to Flores, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound offensive tackle, a Class of 2025 prospect coming off his freshman season for this school in San Juan Capistrano.
Flores also holds offers from Arizona, Florida State, Louisville, Ole Miss and Oregon.
Wattenberg was a 2016 JSerra Catholic graduate who proceeded to become a versatile 48-game starter for the Huskies at left tackle, left guard and center, opening games in parts or all of five seasons.
After twice earning All-Pac-12 honorable mention at center, Wattenberg entered the NFL draft this past April and went to the Denver Broncos as a fifth-round pick and the 171st player taken overall.
As a ninth-grader, Flores, with his long and lean frame, shuttled between the JSerra varsity, junior varsity and freshman football teams as he began his high school career, according to his recruiting profile online.
While he naturally needs to put on a lot more weight to be ready-to-go collegiate player, the tackle displayed an ability to move people off the ball and open holes in his highlight footage.
Flores apparently knows all about Wattenberg's football exploits, too. He was one of the first to congratulate him on his NFL draft selection with a retweet.
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