Washington Huskies: Peyton Pelluer
Huskies, Cougars collide on recruiting trail
August, 22, 2012
8/22/12
6:00
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By
Mason Kelley | ESPN.com
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Steve Sarkisian and Mike Leach figure to have some heated battles along the recruiting trail.
Scott Pelluer remembers sitting in a room, watching film of Jason Gesser.
It was 1997, and Pelluer -- a Washington State graduate -- was an assistant coach at Washington. Gesser was a quarterback recruit at Honolulu Saint Louis High School.
“We had him in for a visit,” Pelluer said. “I don’t remember who we picked, but we picked somebody else. Jason Gesser goes to WSU and tears it up.”
Gesser went on to lead the Cougars to consecutive 10-win seasons, finishing seventh in the 2002 Heisman Trophy voting.
When it comes to recruiting high school athletes to Pullman, Wash., the Cougars have always had to dig a little deeper. No matter the wins and losses, Washington has always gone after bigger names, while Washington State has mined hidden gems.
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Mason Kelley
Mason Kelley joined ESPN.com in 2012 and covers Washington recruiting. Kelley came to ESPN after spending three years as the high school sports coordinator at The Seattle Times. He has written about high school, college and professional sports since 2004, working for newspapers in Florida, California, Idaho and Washington. He currently lives in Seattle and can be reached at masonkelleyESPN@gmail.com.