Inside The Huskies

Since January, Vegas Safety's Recruitment Has Been Like Night and Day

Gavin Day has gone from one Power 4 offer to several, including the UW, in a short amount of time.
Dan Raley|
Gavin Day from Las Vegas will visit the UW this weekend.
Gavin Day from Las Vegas will visit the UW this weekend. | Day

Gavin Day, a 4-star safety from Las Vegas, is a prime example of how the recruiting process can dramatically change in just a few months.

In late January, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound prospect Faith Lutheran High School and the Class of 2026 stood in a deserted and chilly Ross-Ade Stadium at Purdue on an unofficial visit, all bundled up in a heavy coat and hoodie sweatshirt while the grass football field lay under a protective tarp.

The Boilermakers, coming off a 1-11 season and a coaching change from Ryan Walters to Barry Odom, were the first Power 4 school to offer Day.

This weekend, he'll tour the University of Washington, with temperatures expected to be in the 70s and Husky linebackers coach Brian Odom, Barry's brother, and Walters among those likely to greet him.

Day comes to Montlake with Arizona, Iowa, Texas A&M, USC, Utah and the Huskies reportedly at the top of his list of nearly 20 offers.

He originally came out with a visit list on social media that had him traveling to Minnesota this week, but obviously things changed. The Gophers don't appear to be in the running any longer.

Gavin Day is shown on a visit to Purdue.
Gavin Day is shown on a visit to Purdue. | Purdue

What everyone is interested in is a physical player coming off a junior season in which he piled up 110 tackles, 90 of which were solo. He also collected 16 tackles for loss, a sack, 6 pass break-ups, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and a blocked punt for an 11-1 team.

“I think I have a very unique skill set,” Day told his hometown Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper. “When I’m trying to figure out the schools I go to, what system I fit into is the biggest thing I consider.”

Day's Faith Lutheran head coach was Mike Sanford Sr., who retired once the season ended. Sanford, 70, previously was a USC quarterback, the UNLV and Indiana State head coach, and an assistant coach for teams such as Notre Dame, Purdue, Stanford, Louisville and the former San Diego Chargers.

Even with that kind of coaching star power in his locker room, Day still has found his recruiting process, again ever changing, to be eye-opening.

"It’s been pretty cool, sometimes overwhelming, but it’s a blessing,” Day told the Review-Journal. “It’s awesome when you have head coaches, these legendary coaches from when I was watching college football when I was little. I never thought that Lincoln Riley would be calling me every day.”

Day can probably leave the coat and hoodie at home and break out some shorts on this trip.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT;

Offensive Tackle Carver Willis Is a Heavier Husky Among 'Massive Dudes'

Husky Roster Review: Audric Harris Was UW's Busiest Spring Receiver

5-Star Cornerback Agrees to Weekend Visit in Montlake

Published
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.

Home/Recruiting