WATCH: Is UW Football Recruiting Experiencing a Big Dip?
In the coaching transition from Chris Petersen to Jimmy Lake, people have questioned whether University of Washington football recruiting fell off. They look at fewer stars, lower rankings.
Husky Maven's Kaila Olin and Mike Martin discuss how, on the surface, it might appear that way. But in looking at the big picture, the Class of 2021 mirrors some of Petersen's earlier years at the UW.
Washington signed 15 players in the most recent recruiting cycle. With the most starters returning in the Pac-12 Conference, the Huskies didn't need to bring in a bigger class.
Looking beyond the bells and whistles, SI All-American, the media outlet's recruiting arm, currently rates the Washington class at 17th nationally, so not everyone thinks the Huskies have missed with this group.
Further tempering the alarm, the following are the last eight Husky recruiting classes as rated by 247Sports.com, with the cumulative player quality ratings showing Petersen's efforts coming in much lower and increasing nearly every year thereafter.
- 2021 .8793
- 2020 .8876
- 2019 .9010
- 2018 .9021
- 2017 .8845
- 2016 .8742
- 2015 .8577
- 2014 .8434
After California and Washington state conduct their spring football seasons, the final ratings likely will have several big risers among the players who are signed by Washington. They could include tight end Caden Jumper, offensive tackle Robert Wyrsch, defensive back Dyson McCutcheon and defensive linemen Maurice Heims and Siaosi Finau.
With the departures of UW senior defensive tackle Josiah Bronson, senior wide receiver Ty Jones and freshman tight end Jack Yary, the Huskies might add a couple more players to the 2021 class to boost the ratings.
For the entire conversation on Husky recruiting, watch the video above.