Spent a few nights on the Oregon Coast last week. On the drive, saw a house with two flags out by the road: one for the United States, and another for Notre Dame. Branding matters.
Should Dawg fans just adjust to the reality that it’s going to take a successful season or two before recruiting improves? Or do you suspect this group of coaches simply aren’t that good at P5 recruiting? — James R.
Think it’s far too early to draw the latter conclusion, especially given the massive official visit weekend coming up. If 20-some recruits come to campus this week and none of them ends up committing? That’s cause for serious concern. But UW has been on many of this weekend’s visitors for a long time — think guys like Landen Hatchett, Jordan Whitney, Victory Johnson — and should be able to close on at least some of them this summer. Regardless, I’d wait until they actually get some of these guys on campus before writing anybody off.
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Another metric to watch: Will any of this week’s blue-chip visitors end up signing with the Huskies? By my count, there are five four-star prospects due in at some point this week (interestingly enough, they all play defense). Like Chris Petersen, coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff are more about early evaluation and fit than chasing stars, so though they won’t get hung up on recruiting rankings, it still would send a message if they could beat out some regional rivals for some of these four-star prospects (and we know that eventually, they’re going to need a healthy number of blue-chippers to regularly contend for conference championships).
Speaking generally, though, yes, it is going to take some reputational buffering — the kind that happens on the field — to get Washington back in front of prospects the way it might have been a few years ago. DeBoer is a first-time Power 5 head coach inheriting a program that finished 4-8 last season. There’s no changing that until September. DeBoer and UW should still feel as though they have plenty to sell, and a big official visit weekend with some warm, sunny weather should provide an ideal venue. Let’s see what comes of it before we decide the 2023 class is doomed.
After Jaxson Kirkland, who else on the UW OL could hear their name called in the NFL Draft in the next year or two? — Luke N.
A year ago I’d have said Henry Bainivalu, but his health has made things less certain. For whatever it might be worth, DeBoer seemed pretty certain when we spoke in May that Bainivalu would be full go in time for preseason camp after taking it easy during spring. Most assumed Bainivalu would hang it up after his fifth college season, but the fact he chose to return for his sixth and final year of eligibility indicates he must believe he can overcome his injury situation.
There might not be another O-lineman on the roster trending at a higher rate than Troy Fautanu, who seems to be a lock to start at either tackle or guard (Kirkland’s return makes things interesting on the left side). He seems to have the right combination of size, athleticism and nastiness to really stand out in a regular starting role for the first time. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has mentioned consistency being the next frontier for Fautanu, saying he wants him to have the mentality that he should never lose a rep. A 2019 signee, Fautanu is technically a fourth-year sophom*ore, due to the pandemic, with eligibility through the 2024 season should he stick around that long. If he continues developing on schedule and plays the way the coaches seem to believe he can, it’s not a stretch to think you could see him turn pro before then.
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Victor Curne has started every game the last two seasons at right tackle. He moved over to right guard during spring practices but seems to be a sure starter, one way or another. He has two seasons of eligibility left, and he could leave Washington as a four-year starter — and, for whatever it might be worth, had the highest run-blocking grade among O-line starters each of the past two seasons, per Pro Football Focus.
One to watch for the future is 2020 signee Geirean Hatchett, who figures to at least lock down the backup center job this season. He elevated his game this spring, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him play meaningful snaps in 2022. Truthfully, the upcoming season will go a long way toward resetting the draft stock for most of UW’s offensive linemen. I don’t think anybody at that position was pleased with the way they played last year, but things might be different under a new staff and within a new scheme.
Is there anything from Jimmy Lake’s buyout that contractually obligates him to seek employment? Doesn’t seem like the athletic department can afford to sit back and eat his annual fee when a new coaching job would offset his buyout. Is he under no pressure to start working again or is he really that much of a pariah in the sport now? — Andreas S.
It’s funny how the brain works. Certain that I had read that very thing in Lake’s contract, I was all set to respond, “Yes! Of course there is!” But looking at it now, there actually is no such clause in the “termination without cause” section. So it would seem he could simply sit back and collect his monthly buyout payment from UW for the life of the deal, should he so choose (I expect him to land somewhere eventually, for what it’s worth). The language in DeBoer’s contract is the same.
Perhaps the reason I thought otherwise is that contracts for Washington’s assistant coaches actually do include such language, with a section that reads: “The Parties recognize that Employee has the duty to make reasonable and diligent efforts to obtain other employment in mitigation of any damages Employee may sustain by virtue of the termination of this Agreement. This duty to mitigate includes a responsibility to seek a market rate salary for any new employment Employee obtains.”
That language is mostly an attempt to prevent a fired coach from, say, taking a new job and agreeing to a below-market salary out of spite (or to save his new employer money, knowing his former school owes him for a year).
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In the end, though, it’s all just boilerplate intended to protect the school, likely in only the most extreme circ*mstances. It’s hard to imagine any school actually taking legal action against a fired coach who isn’t trying hard enough to find new work.
I don’t have any football questions. It’s June. Here are some non-football-related questions — Jordan N.
- Football is work. What’s your favorite sport to watch not for work?
- Favorite restaurants in the Tacoma (or non-Seattle) area?
- Who are your favorite writers to read on The Athletic?
- What’s your best John Clayton story?
- What’s your favorite piece your uncle (Jim Caple) ever wrote?
• Still football. In fact, it’s just about the only sport I regularly watch anymore, aside from college basketball. If I’m not writing about it, then it doesn’t feel like work. In fact, I cherish the few opportunities I get to just sit on the couch and flip between games. There aren’t many these days. (Also, NWAC basketball.)
• In no particular order: 1111, MSM Deli, The Cloverleaf, Primo Grill, Over the Moon Cafe, Shake Shake Shake, Da Tiki Hut, Dirty Oscar’s Annex, Shakabrah, Pacific Southern, Sammy’s Pizza, Frisko Freeze, Taqueria El Sabor, The Red Hot, Cooks Tavern, Stanley and Seafort’s, The Loose Wheel. Oh, and my wife and I had our anniversary dinner last week at Cuerno Bravo, a Mexican steakhouse, which I cannot recommend highly enough.
• Suffice to say I read everybody on our college football staff and many others, but in the interest of not omitting anybody, I will respectfully cop out of this question.
• Unfortunately, I didn’t really know John, aside from the occasional appearance on his Saturday radio show. I do remember that he was a relative late-comer to Twitter but predictably gained a massive following in a matter of hours upon starting his account. I was out at the VMAC that day as he gleefully provided updates on his rapidly increasing follower total. Not in a braggadocious way — he just seemed to really get a kick out of it.
• I’d have to give considerable thought to whether it was truly my all-time favorite, but the first that comes to mind is a column Jim wrote in 2009 about why we find it so funny when someone gets hit in the, uh, groin, even though we know it to be a painful experience. It’s great for many reasons, not least of which is the varied, inventive terminology used to describe that area of the body. It’s also a reminder that you can write funny while still leveraging access to add insight. In what other context, after all, would Ken Griffey Jr. remark: “If I get hit in the (Insert Your Favorite Euphemism Here) from 300 feet, I deserve it.”
I am starting a job at UW this summer and, coming from NYC, I am super stoked to finally have a “big time” athletics department to root for (I went to Fordham lol). What games should be “can’t miss” for me this season, what games should I suggest my friends come visit for, and how do I get invited to sailgate?! Give me the newbie fan primer. — Katie C.
Welcome to Seattle. This appears to be a down year, home schedule-wise, with Oregon and the Apple Cup both on the road and the Huskies missing both Utah and USC. Oregon State is the only visiting conference team that had a winning record last season and is likely the top Pac-12 title contender making the trip to Seattle, but a lot can change between now and November. Arizona might be kind of fun for the Jayden de Laura factor. Stanford is an interesting Pac-12 opener. Colorado did beat the Huskies last year. I wouldn’t describe any of Washington’s conference games as “can’t miss,” but you probably can’t go wrong inviting your friends to any of them, either. Remember: Beer and wine are available in the stadium now.
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Michigan State, Sept. 17, stands out as the one home game you shouldn’t miss this season. The Spartans are coming off an 11-2 season and top-10 finish. Mel Tucker just signed one of the richest coaching contracts ever. MSU has invested in football in a big way and is trying to maintain or elevate whatever status it achieved last season. It’s DeBoer’s first opportunity for a signature win, which would go a long way toward building some momentum in Year 1. School won’t be back in session yet, but there should be a good crowd. Maybe it’ll even be sunny.
I’m afraid I’m the wrong person to ask about sailgating, as I’ve never been. My no-duh advice would be to make friends with someone who owns a boat. But as someone already noted in the comments, it might be easier to get together with some folks and book your own excursion.
(Photo Kalen DeBoer courtesy of Washington Athletics)
