Arizona starter Adam Grant got away from Huskies

With his fate seemingly sealed and the questions flying about why coach Tyrone Willingham hasn't been able to turn around the Huskies, an obvious place to start is with his first recruiting class.

Washington has just six players remaining from that class of 14, and only four are starters. The 14 who signed were hastily culled together after Willingham was hired about two months before signing day to replace Keith Gilbertson, who had been fired.

Saturday, the Huskies will get an up-close look at a player who could have been the fifth, Arizona starting right tackle Adam Grant, a graduate of Puyallup High who got lost in the shuffle of the coaching change.

Grant was actually the first player to commit to UW's Class of 2005. He did so in May 2004, when Gilbertson was still the team's coach.

"It's a great school," said Grant, who was born in Tacoma and spent his entire life in the area before college. "I loved them to death. I loved coach Gilbertson, and coach Hart [defensive line coach Randy Hart, who handled his recruiting] was awesome."

Grant, however, grew concerned once the Huskies started losing and the status of Gilbertson became increasingly uncertain.

"As the season went on, you could kind of tell things were getting uneasy," Grant said. "It was just disappointing. I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I just had to look other places."

That's a scenario that has already repeated itself this season with the recent decision of Garfield defensive end Deandre Coleman to reopen his recruiting after committing to UW earlier this year, in part due to concerns over the future of Willingham.

Grant, then a 250-pounder being recruited primarily as a tight end, said he grew even more anxious when he couldn't get many clear answers about the future at UW.

"It's tough to commit to something when they are keeping you in the dark," he said. "I knew there was going to be a new coach, but I was kind of like, 'Hey, what's going to go on? I want to know what's happening. I want to make sure I know I have a future.' "

Grant's parents were in the process of retiring and moving to Arizona, so his father, who worked in the Army Corps of Engineers, suggested he send film to coaches at UA. When the Wildcats showed interest, Grant called UW's coaches and told them he was changing his mind. Grant changed his mind before he knew of the hiring of Willingham.

"That was one of the worst calls ever, calling coach Hart and saying, 'I'm sorry. I feel horrible about doing this. I gave you my word,' " Grant said. "It was definitely not a proud moment in my life."

Hart said this week there are no hard feelings.

"He was a good kid," Hart said. "You wish he was here, but he's not, so ... "

Grant was one of four players who committed to UW in 2004 before Gilbertson was fired. Three ended up elsewhere — Grant, JC cornerback Keno Walter-White, who signed with Arizona State, and offensive tackle James Paulk (Fresno State).

The other was kicker Ryan Perkins, who said he never wavered, adding that Willingham reassured him quickly he still had a scholarship.

Grant ended up committing to Arizona the same weekend Willingham was hired at UW. Grant said he talked with UW coaches "a little bit, but not really" after Willingham was hired and never really thought about staying with the Huskies.

It was initially a hard-luck pairing with Arizona. After redshirting in 2005, he was moved to tackle in 2006 when he began putting on weight. But he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during an offseason workout in 2006, and re-injured the knee twice in the next year. Through the 2007 season he had played in only one game.

Now listed at 308 pounds, he finally put the knee injuries in the past to win a starting job in the fall on a veteran offensive line that is helping the Wildcats score 42.5 points per game.

"He's been healthy this year, and he's played well for us," said Arizona coach Mike Stoops.

Hart says there is at least some solace in knowing he was right about Grant.

"You always keep track of the guys you don't get to see, 'Was that a good evaluation or a bad evaluation?' " Hart said.

Grant, too, admits there are times he wonders what might have been.

"It's 'woulda, coulda, shoulda,' " he said. "You never know. I just thought it was the right time for me to get a different setting. But I love Washington to death. I'll probably live there when I'm older. I just felt it wasn't the right time."

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