Washington Huskies

SEATTLE -- Washington needed a late push to land its 2012 recruiting class into the top 25 nationally.

After securing safety Shaq Thompson (Sacramento, Calif./Grant) right before signing day, the Huskies were able to finish with a class rated No. 23 in the nation.

Led by Thompson, who was rated the nation’s No. 16 prospect in the ESPN 150, the class featured four, four-star recruits and 15 three-star recruits.

With Washington nine games into its season, here is a look at who is playing, who is redshirting and who is grayshirting.

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SEATTLE -- Here is a quick-hitting look at Washington’s fifth day of fall camp.

Young linebackers get opportunity

With injuries mounting over the first week of fall camp at the linebacker position, young players are getting an opportunity to show what they can do.

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian mentioned Jamaal Kearse, Scott Lawyer, Cory Littleton and Evan Zeger as players who saw more snaps Friday.

“I think they embrace it,” Sarkisian said. “We talked about it last night as a team that, as one guys goes down, the reason we recruited those guys is to come here and play. I think they’re working at it. Just like a lot of young guys, you make some plays and you have some plays you’d like to have back.”

Injury report

After leaving practice on a cart Thursday, his foot wrapped in ice, linebacker Nate Fellner learned later he had broken the fifth metatarsal in his foot.

Sarkisian said there is no ligament damage, but the senior is expected to miss about four weeks.

Receiver James Johnson is day-to-day with a sprained foot and linebacker Princeton Fuimaono is dealing with a hamstring injury the Huskies are going to “monitor very closely.”

“We don’t want that thing to linger all year long,” Sarkisian said said. “We’re going to get him healthy.”

Young receivers making an impression

Freshmen receivers Jaydon Mickens (Los Angeles, Calif./Dorsey) and Kendyl Taylor (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) have taken turns making plays all week.

Like all freshmen, there have been struggles, but Sarkisian singled them out as players who have performed well so far.

“They’ve been impressive,” he said.

Freshmen link up for touchdown

Jeff Lindquist (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island) rolled to his right and fired a 40-yard pass toward the end zone. The ball was underthrown, but receiver Marvin Hall (Los Angeles, Calif./Dorsey) made a nice adjustment.

He fought through a defensive back and hauled in the touchdown pass.

Linebacker gives up the game

Junior Garret Gilliland has decided to retire from football, Sarkisian announced.

Because it was the linebacker’s decision to leave the program, he will not retain his scholarship.

“If he retires, he retires,” Sarkisian said. “That’s his choice. We want him to play football and he doesn’t want to. It’s unfortunate.”

Quotable

When asked about the energy building throughout practice, Sarkisian said, “Our guys understand the competition as it builds and they look forward to the competition. That’s what makes our guys special to me, because they embrace those opportunities to battle and compete with one another, but do it with respect. They did that today.”

-- Offensive line coach Dan Cozzetto missed Friday’s practice. Sarkisian described it as a “personal issue.”

When Steve Sarkisian sat down for his preseason press conference Monday, he talked about the growth of his program. He talked about elevated expectations. He talked about how far Washington has come and where it is headed.

“I feel like we’re becoming a more mature football team,” said Sarkisian, who is in his fourth year as the Huskies' head coach. “I know sometimes age is the issue and we don’t have many seniors and all of those things, but I think we have experience.

“I really feel like this is a tight-knit group, probably our closest, tightest team that we’ve had where the last four classes have come in together with the sole purpose of winning a championship and have been recruited by myself and the coaches on this staff.”

Heading into the first fall practice, Sarkisian talked about the continuity that comes when players have matured under a consistent message and philosophy. He talked about the sense of urgency that comes with a young, but experienced roster he referred to as “a focused group with a purpose and maybe a little bit of a chip on their shoulders.”

He covered everything from digital playbooks to backup quarterbacks. Here is look at some of the highlights from Sarkisian’s meeting with the media:

QB Keith Price takes next step as a leader

As good as Keith Price was in his first season as Washington’s starter, Sarkisian was curious to see how his quarterback would continue to develop.

“You can go out and have a great year, but how are you going to get better?” Sarkisian said. “What are you going to do to take the next step to get better?”

After watching Price build his body – he weighs more than 200 pounds – and continue to grow as a leader, Sarkisian continues to be impressed with the passer who threw for 3,063 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2011.

“Keith has a great deal of confidence,” Sarkisian said. “He’s a tremendous leader. We’ve all seen his ability, what he brings to practice, the way he practices. Keith has put in the time and I think his teammates recognize that. He just continues to get stronger and look better and better.”

When it comes to freshmen, Washington will wait and see

When asked about his expectations for highly-touted freshman safety Shaq Thompson, Sarkisian said, “He’s here. He looks in shape. He cleared his physical.”

But, as far as the impact he will have in his first year, well, that remains to be seen.

“You’ve got to give me a couple days. I don’t know exactly what we’re getting. We’re going to put him out there in different scenarios and different situations just like all of our freshmen will.”

Freshmen defensive backs Brandon Beaver, Cleveland Wallace and Darien Washington will all get opportunities but, as Washington builds depth, there isn’t as much of a need to push players onto the field before they prove they are ready.

“I think it’s getting harder for them to get on the field, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to give them the opportunity to show what they can do and if they’re the best player for the spot to make us the most successful team, then they’ll earn that job,” Sarkisian said.

Battle at backup quarterback

Keith Price is the unquestioned starting quarterback at Washington, but who will emerge as the backup?

Derrick Brown, who redshirted as a freshman, will get a “pretty extensive” look, along with true freshmen Jeff Lindquist and Cyler Miles.

“We’re going to give Cyler and Jeff as much as we can, especially early, to get a gauge for where they are,” Sarkisian said. “We’re going to give them as much as we can.”

Playbook goes digital

The days of the paper playbook are a thing of the past for Washington, as Sarkisian revealed the Huskies have transferred everything over to the iPad.

“We’ve gone totally digital from a playbook standpoint,” Sarkisian said. “Everything is on the iPad now, which I know the players embrace. We’re cutting down on the big notebook, but also I think it’s something they relate to."

In addition to being able to access the playbook, players can now access film and receive messages from the coaching staff.

“This is a digital world that we’re living in and I think the players probably understand the iPads better than we do,” Sarkisian said.

Expectations elevated on offense

Whether it’s sophomores Kasen Williams and Austin Seferian-Jenkins or running backs Jesse Callier and Bishop Sankey, Sarkisian said the expectations have been elevated for some of his younger skill-position players.

“We have some players on our roster whose expectations have risen, just as our program has,” Sarkisian said. “I know the bar that we’re setting for them is higher and it’s higher from within.”

Notes:

• Running back Ryan McDaniel has yet to be completely cleared as he continues to recover from an ACL injury. Cooper Pelluer also continues recover from shoulder surgery.

• Matt Lyons, a redshirt freshman linebacker, has decided to transfer.

• Dwayne Washington, a freshman receiver, is yet to be cleared by the NCAA. His case is still being reviewed by the NCAA.

• Cory Littleton, a freshman linebacker, has been cleared by the NCAA.