UW's '08 recruits jump up in class

No matter how many assistant coaches or athletic directors are fired, or how much hotter the seat of coach Tyrone Willingham appears to get, the recruits just keep on coming to Montlake.

This week, two more recruits agreed to sign with the Huskies, giving them a reported 25 commitments for the Class of 2008. Players can't sign letters of intent until Feb. 6.

The latest commitment arrived Tuesday night when Kennedy High defensive end Everrette Thompson said he will become a Husky, giving UW 13 in-state players. That's the most since 2000, when the Huskies signed 13.

Thompson's commitment gave the Huskies an impressive list of recruits from the state. Seven of what are generally regarded as the top-10 recruits in Washington have given commitments to UW.

Recruiting analysts say the haul this year could rank as one of UW's best. Taking into account Thompson's commitment, Scout.com ranks UW 12th nationally and third in the Pac-10 behind UCLA (seventh nationally) and USC (10th). Rivals.com ranked UW 23rd nationally and third in the conference before the news of Thompson.

The last Washington class to rate higher came in 2001, when a group led by receivers Reggie Williams and Charles Frederick was ranked fifth nationally and first in the Pac-10 by Rivals.com. That class had been regarded as the highest-ranked for UW since 1991, a group rated No. 4 by SuperPrep.

Washington's final recruiting rankings could fluctuate a bit as schools that don't have as many commitments bring in more players. Teams are limited to 25, though in UW's case, a player or two might enroll early, and another late, making room to sign a couple more.

"You can safely say it's a top-25 class, but I think it's a lot better," said Greg Biggins, a recruiting analyst for Rivals.com.

Chris Fetters, who has covered Washington recruiting for 11 years and is now the Northwest recruiting analyst for Scout.com, says in the past decade for UW only the 2001 class rivals this group.

"In terms of skill guys, if they can get E.J. Woods [a safety from the Los Angeles area who has committed to UCLA but is also considering UW] this could be the best class ever," Fetters said. "Top to bottom, they have potential difference-makers at every position."

Washington has commitments from three quarterbacks, though one, Kevin Prince of Crespi High in Encino, Calif., won't enroll until 2009 at the earliest, possibly going on a two-year religious mission. The Huskies also have commitments from five players who could end up at running back, and five who could be receivers, including Chris Polk of Redlands, Calif., who last week decided to reverse a commitment to USC and become a Husky. Polk was sold in part on the lure of immediate playing time and became a rare player to spurn the Trojans for UW.

And the top-rated player in the class is another skill player, tight end Kavario Middleton of Lakes.

If there is any quibble, it's that UW has commitments from just six linemen, likely three on each side of the ball.

But the consensus is that Willingham is getting the kind of class he needed to continue the rebuilding process.

"This has got to be one of the most productive classes we've ever seen at Washington because they touched on all of the players they needed to touch on and also because they got real quality talent with those players," said Ruth Robbins, publisher and editor in chief of RealDawg.com. "They did better with in-state recruiting than I've seen them do in a long time."

Biggins said that on the surface, it's a little amazing the kind of class UW is putting together given all the possible uncertainty about the future of the program.

The analysts say there are several reasons UW has had recruiting success:

• Willingham has done a good job selling the program and himself. "Everybody mentions that they really like coach Willingham," said Biggins. "No one really buys into that he's just got another year."

• The coaches have convinced recruits that the team is on the verge of winning again and that the players coming in could make the difference. "In recruiting, it's all about the plan you lay out for the future," Fetters said. "They have all these things to show how close they were [last season] to turning things around." Fetters said UW's pitch of being just a few plays away from a winning season in 2007 "works 100 times better in the home talking to recruits than talking to the press after a game."

• The presence of quarterback Jake Locker, which might be the most important of all. "They [recruits] just really believe that he's going to be able to will the team to a lot of wins in the future," Biggins said. "And they are excited to be a part of that. I don't think I've ever heard a player's name mentioned more than Locker's when kids talk about why they chose a school."

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com.