On a weekend when the Huskies are off, I thought I would focus a little bit on recruiting by calling in a couple of experts on the topic to give their views.

Up first is Chris Fetters, who is the Northwest Recruiting Analyst for Scout.com and the Editor-in-Chief of Dawgman.comm, who kindly agreed to answer a few questions concerning Washington's recruiting so far (and here's a link to UW's 21 commits so far for reference):

Q: Can you give a brief overview of UW's recruiting class to date and where you think it will ultimately rank in the Pac-10?

A: I think the staff tried early on to get as much momentum as they could, with the season really being the litmus test for whether or not they could back up what they have been selling. With recruiting happening earlier and earlier every year, it was a good strategy. With 21 commitments now, they are well on their way toward getting the bodies they want; but are they the right guys? Ultimately that will be answered in the players' development and the coaches' own evaluations. When the staff was assembled in December, they had a quick job of trying to put together the 2009 class, but Steve Sarkisian was smart enough to make sure he was planting seeds for the 2010 recruiting effort when he was going to all the high schools last winter. That effort bore fruit early with a number of necessary in-state prospects, like Sione Potoae, Jamaal Kearse and Darius Waters from Lakes and Chris Young from Auburn. Those kind of in-state players are the ones that have proven to be the foundation for great UW teams in the past. Couple that with the staff's knowledge in talent hotbeds like Southern California, and on paper it appears to be a good recipe for success. Getting name kids like Nick Montana and Erik Kohler is another important step. Local kids like Colin Porter pointed to Montana's commitment as a reason why he felt Washington was the right place for him at the right time. As far as where they will end up, I suspect it will be close to the middle of the league, unless they can land some serious studs at the end. I wouldn't put it past them.

Q: What do you think are the big issues the Huskies still need to address in this class?

A: This always comes about just out of the way the timeline of the commits has gone. In some years it's skill guys, but this year it happens to be linemen. They are off to a very nice start, but with only four offensive linemen and one defensive lineman set to sign as of right now, getting the big uglies is the biggest need still left on the board. Of the 17 official visitors they've had so far this fall, nearly half have been linemen - so they know what they need to finish off strong.

Q: Who are 2-3 guys in this class that may not be getting a lot of pub who you like (or essentially, guys other than Nick Montana)?

A: Typically it's the local kids that commit really early. Auburn's Chris Young is a prime example. Lakes' Darius Waters too. Keanon Lowe from Jesuit in Portland committed pretty quiety over the summer, and all he's done is become a U.S. Army All-American. And recently, Taz Stevenson is the kind of raw athlete these coaches covet. Having seen Taz play in games and work out in combines the last couple of years, I think he could be a very pleasant surprise for UW.

Next up: Ryan Petitt from Rivals.com.