Monday, November 12, 2012
Unofficial visit impresses QB Brett Rypien
By Mason Kelley
Brett Rypien started his day at Washington’s football offices.
The sophomore quarterback (Spokane, Wash./Shadle Park) sat down with linebackers coach Peter Sirmon. Then he joined Washington’s official visitors for a campus tour.
It was Saturday afternoon and the record-setting quarterback was treated to an early look at what college life would be like at Washington.
“I loved it,” Rypien said. “The campus is really legit. I really liked it.”
He had the chance to talk to defensive end Kylie Fitts (Redlands, Calif./Redlands East Valley) during his time on campus and Rypien was impressed when he learned the senior is currently committed to USC.
“I knew he was big time right after that,” Rypien said. “I looked up his résumé. He seems pretty legit.”
Rypien capped his unofficial visit to Seattle with a quick pregame chat with Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian before watching the program’s 34-15 victory over Utah at CenturyLink Field.
Sarkisian congratulated him for a successful season. The coach praised the passer’s potential.
“He said he thinks I have a lot of potential,” said Rypien, who threw for almost 3,600 yards over 10 games. “That was really nice.”
It was his first chance to watch Washington. He was impressed by what he witnessed.
“The game was awesome,” he said. “It was really intense. The crowd is great there. I had never been to a UW game. I have been to a couple of WSU games, but that was really cool.”
Considering Rypien’s uncle, Mark, played at Washington State before becoming a Super Bowl MVP, there is a family connection to the program in Pullman, Wash. But Rypien found a lot to like during his first experience with Washington.
“I loved Coach Sirmon,” he said. “He’s been really nice to me. And Coach Sark was really nice. I loved the atmosphere down there. It’s going to be weird making decisions in a few years.”
