Huskies Go to Hollywood to Offer Young Linebacker
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Jimmy Lake used to say how much he liked the linebacker recruit who doubled up as a running back. That meant the guy had a certain level of speed, plus the savvy to know what one position was trying to do to the other.
Kalen DeBoer's new University of Washington staff apparently feels the same way as the departed Husky coach.
On Tuesday, the UW offered a scholarship to Kamar Mothudi, a two-way player from Campbell Hall School in North Hollywood, California, and a member of the Class of 2024.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Mothudi received his Husky offer after participating in a Redlands football camp in Southern California and interacting and posing for photos with William Inge, DeBoer's co-defensive coordinator and linebacker coach.
Most people go to Hollywood to get discovered. Mothudi is trying use the neighborhood to get noticed and go someplace else. This big kid holds scholarship offers from Colorado State, Fresno State and the UW as his recruitment begins.
Mothudi spent much of last season as a sophomore linebacker who lined up in the middle of the defense or came flying off the edge. Either way, he exhibited enough mobility to chalk up 45 tackles, including 8 for lost yardage and 2 for sacks.
By making physical play after play, Mothudi stood out on defense for a Campbell Hall Vikings team that won its first 10 games before losing to Santa Barbara 36-20 in the playoffs. As a 10th-grader, he was named second-team All-Gold Coast League.
Yet Mothudi showed he could help out on offense, too. He rushed 28 times for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns, averaging 9.4 yards per carry.
On one particular play, the rangy looking back broke four tackles and changed direction while snapping off an impressive 45-yard scoring run for Campbell Hall.
A year and a half ago, Lake spoke glowingly about the dual backer/back role when discussing Will Latu, a 4-star player from suburban Tacoma's Bethel High School. Latu had signed with the Huskies after holding offers from USC, Michigan, Nebraska, Tennessee and others.
Typical of the UW program disconnect back then, the 6-foot-2, 221-pound Latu suffered a concussion that forced him to sit out the year and he grew at odds with the previous Husky coaching staff and moved on. He still has not resurfaced with another college program.
Mothudi, although his recruitment is bound to take off in the coming year and give him a lot more options when others see his size and speed, possibly could be that Latu replacement, that swift and versatile linebacker type.
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