Puyallup O-Line Recruit Pushes Back on UW Comment
Dave Iuli, a 4-star offensive lineman from Puyallup High School in suburban Puyallup, Washington, who decommitted from Oregon on Christmas day, felt the need on Thursday to address University of Washington football coaches and fans and refute a comment attributed to him about the program in the Oregonian newspaper.
In a story about his ongoing recruitment, Iuli was asked whether he was reconsidering the UW, which had been one of his five finalists along with Oklahoma, USC, California and Oregon.
The story indicated that the Huskies and its new coaching staff headed up by Kalen DeBoer had reached out to him again but he wasn't interested and was quoted as saying, “I know I can do better for myself."
Naturally, that didn't go over well with UW football followers, prompting the class of 2022 recruit to post the following, "To the UW fans and coaches. I have received feedback and comments about me saying in a (sic) article that "I can do better for myself instead of going to UW." To clear things, these were never my words and I have been truly grateful and humbled through this whole recruitment process."
What probably happened here is Iuli, a top-rated prospect yet still a teenager, got pressed on a question and made a flip comment. Reporters at the Oregonian don't make up quotes or they don't last long at the newspaper.
Once he felt the intense social-media backlash that comes with something like that, where the return vitriol usually has no bounds, he likely determined damage control was in order, hence his posting that wasn't necessarily an apology.
Either way, it's pretty clear Iuli won't be coming to the UW, no matter who's coaching there. To be certain, Scott Huff previously was the Husky offensive-line coach under Jimmy Lake and was retained by DeBoer.
In the same Oregonian story, the 6-foot-5, 315-pound lineman indicated he's in conversations with Miami, where former Ducks coach Mario Cristobal has relocated, plus USC and Oregon State, and will still consider Oregon.
What hasn't been made clear is why Iuli has had little to no interest in his hometown college-football program, to the point he might even have made a comment he would regret.
There once was a time when all of the Puyallup High standouts, players such as Billy Joe Hobert, Damon Huard, Brock Huard, Tom Gallagher, Dane Looker and Joe Kralik, came to the UW and shared in league and national championships. But no more.
Iuli is rated No. 13 nationally as an offensive lineman, could play defensive line and has unlimited choices.
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