Thursday, January 24, 2013
Washington Class of 2009 review
By Mason Kelley
When Steve Sarkisian was brought in as Washington’s head coach, he had less than two months to put together the Huskies' 2009 recruiting class.
Hired on Dec. 8, Sarkisian went to work piling up prospects. Considering the limited time he had to assemble the group, he did well.
He landed quarterback Keith Price out of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, who has been the Huskies’ starter the last two seasons. He picked up receiver James Johnson and cornerback Desmond Trufant, a local product out of Tacoma (Wash.) Wilson.
At this point, Trufant, who played in 50 games over four seasons, could be considered the most successful member of this class. He is expected to be a selected in early rounds of the NFL draft and was a productive player throughout his college career.
Whether it is linebacker Nate Fellner, defensive end Talia Crichton or safety Will Shamburger, the 2009 class produced players who have, at times, worked their way into the Washington’s lineup.
Some prospects simply didn’t pan out. Andru Pulu played as a freshman, but off-the-field trouble resulted in the defensive end transferring to Eastern Washington.
Because of limited time, the Huskies signed five junior college prospects -- more than any other season under Sarkisian. In fact, Washington doesn’t have a single junior college product in the 2013 class.
Of the prospects who signed with the Huskies in 2009, only Johnson, Price and Shamburger will be on the roster in 2013.
Looking back, this group wasn’t the most impressive from top-to-bottom, but it helped stock the program with players and created a foundation for the Huskies, who continue to be pointed in the right direction.
