Husky football's Class of 2020 has their new coach all smiles

hen Husky quarterback Jacob Eason took a knee at the end of a 38-7 win over Boise State in December's Las Vegas Bowl, and players and staff swarmed outgoing head coach Chris Petersen at midfield, it was easy to think of it as the end of an era.

For the 23 student-athletes who signed letters of intent just a few days prior, though, it's just the beginning.

Having ended 2019 with a bang — and sent off coach Petersen in style — it's now time to begin looking ahead to 2020. And, if new head coach Jimmy Lake's 2020 recruiting class is any indication, it's going to be an exciting year.

Headlined by five-star linebacker Sav'ell Smalls from Burien's Kennedy Catholic High School and a pair of four-star wideouts, California's Jalen McMillan and Nevada's Rome Odunze — all of whom were recruited by just about every major college program in the country — the Huskies' 2020 class was ranked in the nation's top-15 by the major college recruiting sites, and was ranked No. 1 among all Pac-12 schools. Most notably, Lake and his UW staff managed to hold on to every one of the recruits who had committed to Washington prior to Petersen announcing his resignation, an early indication that players share fans' enthusiasm for the Huskies' new top Dawg.

"With all that's going on with [Coach Petersen] and myself, to be able to hold on to these 23 excellent players – we're all just thrilled as a staff," Lake said. "Just a huge kudos to our operations staff, our recruiting department, and our assistant coaches."

Lake said that the Husky coaches may have had some help in keeping the class together from the players themselves.

"Those guys get really, really tight. It's part of the uncommon unity that we have here at Washington," he said. "They forge these really cool relationships, and we try to foster that as much as we can. Certainly, once they arrive on campus, we're just going to pour gas on that fire and these guys are going to get that much closer. Our best recruiters are our current players and our [recruits] that are committed because they know that if we all band together and come here, something special is going to happen." W BY BRIAN BEAKY EDITOR • GOHUSKIES MAGAZINE

OFFENSE hile last year's class was heavy on the defensive side of the ball — as would be expected for a team that lost nine defensive starters from the previous season — this year's class includes a number of dynamic offensive weapons at nearly every position, again reflective of a team that must replace its quarterback, tailback, tight end and three-fifths of its offensive line, including two four-year starters.

At some schools, the skill-position players receive all of the buzz. Husky fans, though, are a savvy bunch that appreciates the importance of a dominant line, which is why fans have been excited about the maulers Washington is adding to its offensive line.

That group is headlined by three players ranked among the nation's top-150 in California's Myles Murao, Colorado's Roger Rosengarten and Ferndale's Geirean Hatchett. At 6-foot-2 and 312 pounds, Murao projects to play on the inside of the line, either at guard or as a potential replacement for all-everything center Nick Harris. A graduate of California's prestigious Mater Dei High School, Murao was ranked among the nation's top-three recruits at both interior line positions and could have an immediate impact next fall. At 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-4, respectively, Rosengarten and Hatchett both have the reach to play just about anywhere on the line. Rosengarten was ranked as Colorado's top recruit and the No. 9 offensive tackle in the country by 247Sports.com, while Hatchett was ranked as high as sixth among the nation's guards. Combine those three with 6-foot-4 Gaard Memmelaar of Idaho and 6-foot-6 Samuel Peacock from Gig Harbor and it's easy to be excited about the physical style of play Lake envisions for his offensive line.

Also generating a lot of excitement is tight end Mark Redman, who scored 13 touchdowns as a senior en route to a state championship and a No. 7 ranking among the nation's tight ends. At 6-foot-6 and 239 pounds, Redman is built like an undersized tackle, with speed to burn and terrific hands. That combination of power and versatility gives him a great shot to follow in the footsteps of Hunter Bryant, Will Dissly, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins and others and add his name to the list of outstanding tight ends to wear the purple and gold.

He won't be the only one out there catching passes, though — not only will Washington also have the services of fellow tight end Mason West, but despite signing a strong wide receiver class in 2019, the Huskies went back to the well in 2020 and added three more in McMillan, Odunze and Brush Prairie's Sawyer Racanelli. Both ranked among the nation's top wide receivers, McMillan and Odunze bring track-star speed to the position, while Racanelli topped 1,000 yards in each of his three high school seasons before missing his senior year with an injury.

Of course, while we can probably count on these receivers making some big catches in their time at UW, who they'll be catching those passes from is very much up in the air. Jacob Eason's departure for the NFL opens up competition at the quarterback position for the second-straight year, and don't be surprised if signee Ethan Garbers makes a strong case for himself. The younger brother of Cal's Chase Garbers, Ethan led his Corona del Mar High School team to a 16-0 record and the California Division 1A state title in 2019, racking up 71 touchdowns (a single-season total bettered in California prep history by only Jake Browning) and just six interceptions.

A similar opportunity exists for running backs Sam Adams II and Jay'Veon Sunday, who will have the chance to compete for carries vacated by Salvon Ahmed, who declared for the NFL Draft. The son of former Seahawk Sam Adams (whose own father also played in the NFL) was one of the state of Washington's most coveted recruits, a dynamic speedster who dominated on offense and in the return game for Eastside Catholic. While Adams uses speed to run away from defenders, Sunday uses power to run right through them, with a punishing style that should provide the Huskies with an excellent 1-2 punch for years to come. Sunday rushed for an incredible 5,000 yards and 80 touchdowns in his time at Waco's Connally High School, and was a first-team 4A All-State selection. Offense W

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DEFENSE immy Lake's first UW class may be offense-heavy, but it's not like he's forgotten his roots. Indeed, the Huskies' most highly-ranked signee, Smalls, will line up on the defensive side of the ball, as will seven other players each ranked among the nation's best at their respective positions.

Ranked among the nation's top-10 prep players overall by ESPN — just the third ESPN top-10 recruit ever to sign with UW — Smalls has drawn comparisons to Terrell Suggs for his combination of size and power, and his ability to be equally effective against the run or pass. Listed as a linebacker on the Huskies' official roster, expect to see Smalls lined up as a rush end plenty in the season to come, wreaking havoc in opposing backfields.

In fact, none of Washington's 23 recruits are officially listed as defensive linemen, though both Smalls and fellow linebacker Jordan Lolohea will have plenty of opportunities to get after the passer. Originally part of the Huskies' Class of 2017, Lolohea re-signed with the Huskies in December following a two-year church mission, and will reunite at UW with high school teammate Sam Taimani. Cooper McDonald, from Haslet, Texas, meanwhile, is an inside 'backer in the mold of a Ben Burr-Kirven, with a motor that never quits and an uncanny ability to read offenses and break up plays, while Carson Bruener (son of Husky tight end Mark Bruener) racked up 122 tackles as a senior at Redmond High School.

And, of course, Lake made sure to restock the Husky secondary, adding two corners — Elijah Jackson and James Smith, both from California — and two safeties, Jacobe Covington and Makell Esteen. All four will look to continue the tradition Lake established at "DBU," but it's Covington who brings the highest pedigree. A four-star safety out of Scottsdale, Ariz., Covington ranked among the nation's top-150 recruits, and has the ability to play corner, safety or nickel in the Husky defense. Defense J

SPECIAL TEAMS hile it's always a bit of a guessing game when projecting playing time for freshmen on offense and defense, there's a clearer path for the Huskies' two special-teams signees, including junior-college punter Triston Brown and long-snapper Jaden Green. Elite punters and longsnappers may not get fans' pulses racing like quarterbacks and defensive ends, but they're positions you only appreciate when you don't have a good one — a position Husky fans have been fortunate to avoid in recent years.

The nation's top-ranked junior-college punter, Brown will be given every opportunity to step into the big shoes left by Joel Whitford, who helped UW set a school record for punt average in 2019. He'll quite likely be receiving the ball from Green, the nation's sixth-ranked prep long snapper and the son of former ASU tailback Gerald Green. Special Teams W

Of course, while fans and recruiting sites love to talk of stars and stats, there's one number that Lake — like Petersen before him — is most proud of when he evaluates the class as a whole.

"What I really like about this class is the average core GPA of these 23 signees is 3.06 ...We're very happy about that," he says. "When the recruiting classes actually show their work is what they do when they get here. So, that's how we've always got to pay attention to it. But, yes, we're thrilled with the talent and the potential in all these guys. "Now, it's time to get to work."