ESPN West recruiting Blog

Posted by Greg Biggins

Washington causing a lot of buzz this week because the Huskies picked up a pair of recent commitments and they have some talented players flying in for official visits this weekend.

Jesse Callier (Downey, Calif./Warren) and Taz Stevenson (Wahiawa, Hawaii./Mililani) are a couple of players flying slightly below the radar out West, but are very intriguing players and could be steals for the Huskies.

Callier is one of the area's top running backs and had a big junior season rushing for 2,466 yards and 30 touchdowns. In just six games, Callier has rushed for 1,486 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, including 249 yards and three scores against an always-tough, physical Dominguez (Compton, Calif.) team last Friday.

He got the offer from the Huskies last weekend and committed on the spot. Oregon, BYU and Arizona State were also recruiting Callier, but the offer from the Huskies was his first of the year.

Stevenson is an intriguing kid who could play multiple positions in college. He has the speed to play corner and was rated as the top safety at the All-Poly Camp in Hawaii over the summer. He's also a playmaking receiver and runs very well after the catch.

It's believed Stevenson will start out at receiver for the Huskies. The athlete committed over offers from Hawaii, Oregon State, Colorado, Utah, Washington State, San Diego State and Wyoming. He'll take his official visit to Seattle this weekend.

The Huskies are bringing in a solid group of players this weekend, headlined by talented defensive back Shaquille Richardson (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos). He is one of the elite corners in the West and camped with the Huskies over the summer.

He has already visited Oregon State and will visit Arizona State and UCLA later in the year. Richardson is having a very solid year at receiver as well, but is being recruited exclusively as a corner at this time.

Richardson's teammate, Niu Sale, is one of three offensive linemen headed to Seattle. Sale is a good looking guard prospect and the Griffin coaches really raved about his toughness and work ethic this past summer. He is still waiting for his first scholarship offer, but is hopeful of landing one from the Huskies this weekend.

Mission Viejo, Calif., always produces quality lineman on both sides of the ball and Mike Criste has been the Diablos' top lineman the last two years. He was one of the top lineman in attendance at the NorCal Nike Camp and is one of the few lineman out West with the size to play tackle at the next level. The Huskies have offered.

Lineman Colin Tanigawa (Los Angeles, Calif./Loyola) has already visited Nebraska and Arizona State and this trip to Seattle will likely be his final official visit before he makes his decision. Tanigawa plays tackle for the Cubs, but projects as a guard or center at the next level.

A defensive end I liked a lot when I saw Redlands East Valley (Redlands, Calif.) upset Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) earlier this year was Andrew Hudson. He can really get off the ball and delivered some huge hits in the game, including knocking out the Lancers' starting quarterback with a devastating shot. Hudson visited Arizona last week and is hoping to check out Oregon State later this month before he pulls the trigger.