Washington Huskies Football Recruiting: One Last Big Signing
By Paul Taylor
With National Signing Day upon us, the Washington Huskies make one big addition — literally — after Jaxson Kirkland verbally commits to them.
National Singing Day may still be one day away, but it appears the Washington Huskies are pretty much set. Late on Monday night, offensive lineman Jaxson Kirkland confirmed his commitment to Washington.
Making the announcement via Twitter, Kirkland said: “Blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Washington!! GoDawgs!!”
Based on Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247sports.com, the Portland native is considered a three-star recruit across the board. There is a slight difference of opinion when it comes to his standing among all offensive tackles in the country, with the three websites ranking him 59th, 52nd and 58th respectively.
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Standing at 6-foot-7 and 305 lbs, Kirkland is certainly an imposing presence. However, he will have a tough time comparing to five-star recruit Foster Sarell, who the Huskies lost out on after he chose Stanford.
As reported by Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, Kirkland previously committed to UCLA last August, before backing out just last week. He then made visits to UW and Oregon campuses, before making the decision to come to Washington.
What makes this addition an interesting one, is that Kirkland is following the same path as his father, who played for the Huskies between 1988-90. The highlight of Dean Kirkland’s tenure was undoubtedly being a starting guard on the 1990 Pac-10 championship team, which went on to beat Iowa in the Rose Bowl.
As things stand, this now means the Huskies will sign 17 recruits for the second consecutive year. While the maximum number of recruits allowed by the NCAA is 25, Jude points out that Washington has had small graduating senior classes the past two seasons.
What are your thoughts on the Huskies’ class of 2017 as it currently stands? Who in particular are you most intrigued by, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section.