Washington Huskies

SEATTLE -- Since committing to Washington in December, Azeem Victor has done everything he can to help the program’s recruiting effort.

The linebacker, who is soft-spoken during interviews, has taken to Twitter to try and convince some of the Huskies’ top targets to join the program’s 2013 class.

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SEATTLE -- Connor O’Brien (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Santa Margarita) was sold on Washington during his first trip to Seattle.

Joined by high school teammate and fellow Washington commit Dane Crane, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete knew he wanted to play college football for the Huskies.

When he returned for his official visit in October, he was able to watch Washington upset Stanford, 17-13.

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In the middle of the melee after Washington’s 17-13 upset win over Stanford, Dane Crane found himself face-to-face with his future position coach.

Dan Cozzetto, the Huskies’ offensive line coach, flashed a wide smile at the 6-foot-3, 305-pound center (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Santa Margarita).

Crane, who was on his official visit with teammate Connor O’Brien, said he picked the perfect week to catch a glimpse of what is waiting for him at Washington.

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Connor O’Brien didn’t hesitate. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Santa Margarita) called his official visit to Washington “the best week of my life.”

The senior, who committed to the Huskies in April, was in Seattle with teammate and fellow Washington commit center Dane Crane. After watching Washington beat Stanford, 17-13, O’Brien said the win confirmed what he already knew.

“I saw what I’ve seen the whole time,” he said. “They have, obviously, the potential. They’ve got a lot of great players, great coaching staff, a young coaching staff that is all fired up.

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It was a tough Friday night for offensive tackle Sean Harlow (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) as his Tritons' were beaten 31-3 by Huntington Beach (Calif.) Edison. Adding injury to insult, Harlow said he tweaked his ankle during the first quarter, though he played through it and performed well. He said there was no question that he would be able to shake it off and get back on the field next week.

Harlow was much more upbeat in discussing the victory Washington registered over Stanford the previous night. The Huskies verbal commitment said it was nice to bounce back from a tough loss to LSU.

"It was a great game," Harlow said. "It's good to come back against a ranked opponent."

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SEATTLE -- As the final seconds ticked off the clock, fans inched closer and closer to the rails that ring the CenturyLink Field stands. They prepared to jump down to the turf and celebrate Washington’s 17-13 win over No. 8 Stanford. As they leapt, five official visitors followed.

Washington commits center Dane Crane and athlete Connor O’Brien -- teammates at Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita -- were embraced by Huskies offensive line coach Dan Cozzetto.

Defensive backs Jermaine Kelly (Los Angeles/Salesian) -- a UCLA commit -- Chris Hawkins (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) -- a USC commit -- and Johnny Johnson Jr. (Fresno, Calif./Central East) disappeared in a sea of black, purple and gold.

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SEATTLE -- For a few hours Thursday, CenturyLink Field becomes the center of the college football world.

Washington welcomes No. 8 Stanford in the only game of the night -- a nationally televised matchup on ESPN. The Huskies are trying to orchestrate the “Blackout of the Century,” wearing all black uniforms, while encouraging their fans to follow suit.

The game is an opportunity to pull off an upset against a ranked opponent. It is a chance to show Washington is ready to take the next step under fourth-year coach Steve Sarkisian. But it is also a chance for the Huskies to build their brand in front of a national audience peppered with prospects.

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Johnny Johnson Jr. (Fresno, Calif./Central East) will take an official visit to Washington this week for the Huskies' Thursday night game against No. 8 Stanford at CenturyLink Field.

Fresno Central East defensive backs coach Tony Perry confirmed the news Tuesday, saying the 5-foot-10, 180-pound cornerback is "open" right now when it comes to where he will play college football.

"That's why he's coming down to take his visits," Perry said. "He likes all that Pac-12, so that's a good school to look at. He's going to come up there this weekend and see. Washington's got a good program, so that's one of the schools he's looking at."

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Five games into his senior season, Connor O’Brien feels like he is seeing his “dream come true.”

“Watching this all unfold now, it’s a dream come true for me,” O’Brien said. “I’m really happy with everything right now. School is going good. Football is going good. And I have a lot of things coming up that are good for me.”

After helping Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita hold off Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure 35-27 Friday, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete will put his high school season on hold for a few days this week to take his official visit to Washington.

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Recapping the weekend's prime-time performances from Washington's 2013 recruiting class:

Darrell Daniels (Oakley Calif./Freedom): The four-star receiver continues to do a little bit of everything for the Falcons. He rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown on four carries and caught three passes for 25 yards during Oakley’s 55-27 victory over Castro Valley (Calif.).

Troy Williams (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne): The quarterback helped the Gauchos improve to 4-0 on the season, completing 13 of 20 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown during a 22-9 victory over (Gardena, Calif./Serra). He didn’t throw an interception.

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Since Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita has a bye Sept. 28, teammates Dane Crane and Connor O'Brien decided it would be the perfect opportunity to take a trip to Washington for their official visits.

Crane, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound center, and O'Brien, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete, will be in Seattle Sept. 27 to watch the Huskies play No. 9 Stanford at CenturyLink Field.

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Recapping the weekend's prime-time performances from Washington's 2013 recruiting class:

Darrell Daniels (Oakley, Calif./Freedom): The 6-foot-3, 211-pound receiver continues to show his versatility, returning the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown in a 43-6 win over San Leandro (Calif.). He also had three carries for 102 yards and a touchdown and 37 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Troy Williams (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne): The quarterback continues to build on his strong early season, completing 8-of-13 pass attempts for 109 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, helping Narbonne beat Lakewood (Calif.), 61-6.

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The rash of injuries Washington endured at the linebacker position throughout fall camp further proved that depth is essential when building a successful program.

The Huskies had so much depth at safety, they were able to shuffle players to plug holes.

For some players, such as redshirt freshman Travis Feeney, the move from safety to linebacker resulted in a better fit. For freshman Shaq Thompson, it provided a chance to prove he could play right away.

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Every now and then, Sean Harlow’s friends catch televised replays of USC games from the late 1980s.

Later on, when those friends see the 6-foot-5, 260-pound offensive tackle (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) they mention the similarities between the senior and one of the Trojans’ tackles.

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