Washington Huskies: Pac-12 National Signing Day Class Rankings
By Paul Taylor
Scout.com ranked the top 25 National Signing Day 2017 classes, but how many Pac-12 teams made the list and did it include the Washington Huskies?
These are good times for the Washington Huskies football program, especially when you consider where they were as recently as 2008. (No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to entirely blank it from your mind if you’re a Dawgs’ fan.)
Interest in the Huskies is as high as it’s been for a long time, thanks to their first ever visit to the College Football Playoffs. As a result, there was a lot of anticipation surrounding their 2017 class on National Signing Day.
Some of the excitement was quelled, when five-star defensive lineman Marlon Tuipulotu and running back Connor Wedington both decommitted in the lead-up to signing day. Regardless, the 18 players who did sign — including 10 four-star recruits — still gave plenty of reason for optimism moving forward.
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The question is, how did the Huskies’ 2017 class rate, both on a national level and compared to the rest of the Pac-12? Well, we can start by telling you UW made Scout.com’s Top 25 list, which is a good sign.
Unsurprisingly, the Alabama Crimson Tide took first place in the rankings. The top four was rounded out by the Georgia Bulldogs (2nd), Michigan Wolverines (3rd) and Ohio State Buckeyes (4th).
But how did the Huskies do, and how many other Pac-12 teams made the top 25? Without further ado, here are the rankings by Scout.com:
- 5) USC Trojans
- 16) Oregon Ducks
- 21) UCLA Bruins
- 23) Washington Huskies
- 24) Stanford Cardinal
Objectively speaking, it’s good to see the Pac-12 represented well in the Top 25, but opinion regarding the Huskies’ ranking is sure to be mixed. This is what Scout.com had to say about their 2017 class:
“Chris Petersen capitalized on the Huskies’ breakthrough season by landing his deepest class since arriving in Seattle. Hunter Bryant is the No. 2 tight end in the country and could become a favorite target of Jake Browning right away, while Henry Bainivalu looks like a future road-grader on the O-line.”
Now, Huskies’ head coach Chris Petersen would have more reason that most to dismiss these rankings. Consider that when he was at Boise State, he never had a recruiting class ranked in the Top 50, and we all know how well his teams did during his eight years in charge.
Regardless, being ranked as the 23rd-best class in the nation is still pretty damn good. (For what it’s worth, Rivals also ranked them 23rd, while 247 Sports placed them at 22.) This is especially true, when you take into account Tuipulotu’s and Wedington’s decisions to sign with USC and Stanford respectively.
Ultimately though, what really matters is how Petersen feels about this class. He’s as excited about them, as any he’s had since coming to UW.
Speaking to the Pac-12 Network, Petersen said: “As the head coach, we’re not going to recruit these guys if we don’t think they have elite talent. I end up dealing with everything, and I feel so good about the type of kids we have in this class.
“I’m just excited to coach them. I know our coaches are really excited to help them build skill and help them develop and that’s what’s really exciting about these guys.”
Next: Ty Jones Commits to Huskies
What are your thoughts on the rankings for the top classes of 2017? Are you satisfied with the Huskies being at number 23? Should they be higher or lower? Share your thoughts in the comments section.