Inside The Huskies

Huskies Try to Keep Hot Recruiting Streak Going with SoCal Back

UW running-backs coach Scottie Graham visits with Brian Bonner in California.
Dan Raley|
UW running-backs coach Scottie Graham paid a visit to one of SoCal's top runners, Brian Bonner.
UW running-backs coach Scottie Graham paid a visit to one of SoCal's top runners, Brian Bonner. | Bonner

Ever folksy Scottie Graham likes to say, "That's just lunch money," whenever someone has the upper hand and continues to succeed in some endeavor, such as University of Washington football recruiting as of late.

So a day after the Huskies landed a commitment from their third consecutive high-profile recruit, they were back in pursuit of a fourth -- running back Brian Bonner -- with Graham on Monday serving as the point person.

For the UW running-backs coach, that 4-star player represents lunch money to him.

A commitment from the 6-foot, 185-pound Bonner from Valencia High School in a city by the same name that's located north of Los Angeles would be a bonus after the Huskies have landed, in order, defensive lineman Derek Colman-Brusa, offensive tackle Kodi Greene and quarterback Derek Zammit, all 4- or 5-star prospects.

Bonner posted a photo of himself and Graham standing in a school courtyard between classrooms as the dance continues between 1,493-yard rusher and a UW program trying to make itself much more relevant in the Big Ten.

The recruit was just in Montlake a week ago on an official visit, getting the total treatment of putting on a purple uniform and sitting on a gold-colored throne with a Space Needle replica in the background.

To land Bonner, Graham and the Huskies will have to be more persuasive than Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn State and UCLA. others in running for him.

The Huskies can point out to Bonner how they flipped the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Greene, a 5-star player, from Oregon to block for him someday and how they have a firm pledge from the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Zammit, a 4-star, to either hand him the ball or throw it to him.

For good measure, the UW can mention how it has received a commitment from someone reputable enough to build their future defense around in the 6-foot-5, 267-pound Colman-Brusa, yet another 4-star player.

Graham can then share with Bonner how a commitment from him, on top of the others, would be Husky lunch money.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Huskies Get Kodi Green, 5-star Offensive Lineman, to Flip from Oregon

UW Finds Two Colman-Brusa Brothers Is Better Than One

Rainey-Sale Does Best Clark Kent Impersonation

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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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