Huskies recruiting wins late, loses late

Boosted by a spate of eleventh-hour commitments, which offset a handful of late defections,University of Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian announced a full class of 25 new recruits, headlined by a pair of top-rated quarterbacks, Jeff Lindquist of Mercer Island and Cyler Milesof Mullen High in Denver, and Shaquille Thompson, top-rated safety in the nation.

"With everything that has gone around here in the past month, the staff changes, hiring guys, and getting guys into place, our staff's ability to close and finish the way we did, especially in the last 48 hours, well, I couldn't be more proud," said Sarkisian. "When I look at this class, I see that it's a very complete class.

"It fills a lot of our needs. It's a complete class because it covers all the positions. At the end of the day, we're better for it. Ultimately, this will push us toward becoming a championship-level football program. I couldn't be more excited."

Washington went right to the wire with several, landing late signees OL Taylor Hindy (Chaminade Prep, West Hills, CA.), OL Shane Brostek (son of former Husky center Bern, Hawaii Prep, Kamuela, HI.), CB Cleveland Wallace (Oak Grove, San Jose State), WR Jaydon Mickens (Dorsey, Los Angeles), DE Pio Vateuvi (Patterson High, Patterson, CA.), and CB Brandon Beaver (Dominguez, Compton, CA.)

The Huskies also had late defections, including Tacoma's Michael Rector, who committed to Washingtin last June, but finally opted for Stanford; linebacker Malcolm Jackson, who switched to San Diego State; and wide receiver Jordan Payton, who wound up at UCLA. During the recruiting process, Payton verbally committed to four schools, including UW Jan. 31.

As a senior, Lindquist completed 141 of 255 passes for 1,908 yards and 22 touchdowns, with just seven interceptions. He also rushed for 826 yards and 12 scores on 147 carries in helping lead the Islanders to an 8-3 record and a berth in the state playoffs. He was the KingCo 3A/2A Offensive Player of the Year and first-team Associated Press 3A All-State.

"He's just a tremendous kid with all the physical tools," Sarkisian said. "He's got the arm strength and the smarts. Now it's just a matter of him making the transition to college. But what a special person he is."

Miles, Washington's 25th commitment who strongly considered USC, was named co-MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl after throwing for one touchdown and running for another. Many have compared him to Stanford's Andrew Luck.

"We're fired up about him," said Sarkisian.

"I appreciate everything from the city of the Seattle," said Miles. "It has been hectic for me the past few days, but I know I made the right decision. I'm in the best place to be and excited. Let's get this going. I think special things are going to happen with Washington."

The signing of Thompson, the five-star safety from Sacramento, particularly impressed Sarkisian.

"For us to get him is just awesome," said Sarkisian. "He's a tremendous football player and he brings a great work ethic to the table. An awesome kid."

Sarkisian seemed particularly pleased over the quality of the defensive backs he recruited, perhaps because Washington allowed so many passing yards in 2011.

"We just nailed that in every capacity," Sarkisian said of his DB recruits.

Date	Player	Pos.	*Rank	Ht./Wt.	Hometown
4/29/11	Jeff Lindquist	QB	8	6-3/225	Mercer Island
5/17/11	Darien Washington	CB	131	5-11/175	Orange, CA.
6/12/11	Dwayne Washington	WR	171	6-2/210	Cerritos, CA.
6/13/11	Nathan Dean	OT	68	6-5/270	Kirkland
6/18/11	Blake Rodgers	MLB	48	6-2/220	Las Flores, CA.
6/18/11	Kendyl Taylor	WR	72	6-0/195	Chandler, AZ.
6/25/11	Korey Durkee	P	NR	6-4/195	Gig Harbor, WA.
6/28/11	Kalei Auelua	DE	89	6-1/240	St. Louis, Honolulu
10/31/11	Erich Wilson	RB	112	6-1/185	San Mateo, CA.
12/4/11	Ryan McDaniel	MLB	23	6-1/220	North, Torrance, CA.
12/7/11	Cory Littleton	DE	145	6-4/220	Spring Valley, CA.
12/8/11	Josh Banks	DT	JC	6-3/285	Stockton, CA.
12/11/11	Cory English	C	21	6-4/285	Auburn
12/14/11	Damion Turpin	DE	66	6-3/255	Compton, CA.
1/20/12	Psalm Wooching	FB	9	6-3/205	Kailua Kona, HI.
1/24/12	Jake Eldrenkamp	OG	60	6-5/295	Bellevue
1/24/12	Cyler Miles	QB	13	6-4/220	Denver
1/26/12	Travis Coons	PK	NR	6-2/195	Walnut, CA.
1/30/12	Shaquille Thompson	S	1	6-2/210	Sacramento
2/1/12	Taylor Hindy	OL	NR	6-4/295	West Hills, CA.
2/1/12	Shane Brostek	OL	71	6-3/283	Kamuela, HI
2/1/12	Cleveland Wallace	CB	42	5-11/165	San Jose, CA.
2/1/12	Jaydon Mickens	WR	45	5-11/175	Los Angeles, CA.
2/1/12	Pio Vatuvei	DE	43	6-3/272	Patterson, CA.
2/1/12	Brandon Beaver	CB	27	6-1/195	Compton, CA.