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According to...

According to a recent update on the Colorado site here on the Rivals.com/Yahoo! Sports network Fua Pututau plans to visit Washington this month. His profile is attached in the last sentence.

The 6-foot-3, 231-pound defensive end from Salt Lake City (Utah) Cottonwood has offers from Boise State, BYU, Colorado, Oregon State, Utah, Utah State, Washington and Washington State.

His brother plays for Utah but he seems to be keeping somewhat of an open mind.

'17 receiver to watch

Class of 2017 receiver Isaiah Hodgins camped at Washington this month and told me the coaches were impressed with his showing. He's got early offers from Oregon State and SJSU (the school his father attended and played football at). Hodgins said the Washington coaches had some praise for him and indicated they're definitely going to be watching him as the process moves forward. I got the impression the 6-foot-3, 187-pound receiver has a lot of interest in the Huskies, too.

Hodgins had 1,069 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns last year.

Stats last year: 1,069 receiving yards, 17 TD

The latest w/ WR Chase Claypool

I caught up with WR Chase Claypool yesterday. I have linked the video interview below and here is an entry about him that will come out later today in a recruiting notebook:

Video: The latest w/ WR Claypool
(Note: I accidentally called Claypool a Rivals250 prospect. He is not currently in the Rivals250)


Abbotsford, B.C. wide receiver Chase Claypool wasn’t the only Canadian prospect at the camp on Saturday but he may have been the most impressive looking prospect out there. His recruitment has moved along steadily, taking visits to Rutgers and Notre Dame recently. Claypool seemed surprised by how much he liked his visit to Rutgers. The tradition at Notre Dame really caught his eye. Claypool also visited Michigan a few weeks ago calling it, along with Notre Dame, some of his top visits. Oregon, Washington and Tennessee are also big parts of his recruitment. Tennessee is a newer school for Claypool and he likes how the Volunteers have done well with wide receivers. Look for Claypool to take some official visits early in the season and announce an official short list around the same time.

Salvon Ahmed

Kirkland (Wash.) Juanita athlete Salvon Ahmed has been a Washington target for some time now and he recently did visit for a passing camp at Montlake. There he got some good face time with the coaches. Washington, to my knowledge, likes Ahmed as an athlete that can play multiple positions.

Whereas UDUB was once one of the few schools coming hard after Ahmed now they have company. He visited Oregon not long ago and they offered him as an athlete. USC just offered him based on his performance at their Rising Stars camp, and they offered as a running back. UCLA watched him camp as a DB.

Graham's visit goes well

Rivals100 cornerback Thomas Graham visited Washington last week and came away with a deeper appreciation for what UDUB has to offer.

It was an important visit for the four-star rising junior because, going into the camp, it seemed as though Washington and Oklahoma were the two schools out of those that had offered that were impressing him the most.

On Wednesday a significant offer came in from USC. That was after Graham attended their version of Rising Stars. But he told TheDawgReport.com that Washington had impressed him.

“Washington was good. I liked it,” Graham said. “I worked out a little bit with Coach (Jimmy) Lake but that was about it. I had a pretty good time there.”

Graham said he enjoyed the time he spent working with Lake. He did not spend as much time at Montlake as he would have liked, but it was enough of a visit for him to know that Washington will be a factor moving forward. He still wants to visit Oklaoma before the end of the summer.

Will Dawgs flip Wazzu commit?

Mid-week Washington offered Wazzu commit Jalen Thompson, a three-star athlete from Downey, Calif. He attended the camp at Redlands but has not visited UDUB. However, he said he will unofficially visit UDUB and he will officially visit the school again in November. Needless to say the Huskies will have ample opportunity to flip him, although he will visit Wazzu multiple times as well.

Much more on him in the coming days.

Choate watching in-stater closely

Washington defensive line coach Jeff Choate is keeping a close eye on Elijah Piper, a 6-foot-3 1/2, 270-pound defensive lineman (end/tackle, more tackle) from Curtis.

Piper recently camped at Oregon State and he will camp at Washington very soon.

Washington's coaching staff has been in touch with Piper on more than a couple of occasions so if you're looking for a local sleeper to keep an eye on, this is one -- and here's his film.

As you can see in this tweet from April, he's been on campus as an unofficial visitor.

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Four-star offensive lineman.....

Four-star San Diego (Calif.) St. Augustine offensive lineman Michael Alves visited Boston College yesterday. It was his first college visit even as a rising senior. He enjoyed himself but will wait and take some official visits. An unofficial to UCLA is possible for the near future, but not set as of yet.

Alves told me that Washington is one of the schools recruiting him the hardest and an official to Montlake is a distinct possibility. I think he will probably take an official to Wisconsin and Oregon's definitely in the mix as well. Washington State is also recruiting him pretty hard.

Yet another four-star possibility for the Dawgs in what could conceivably turn out to be a monster haul.

Lamar Jackson

Most people believe that Elk Grove (Calif.) Franklin safety Lamar Jackson, a Rivals100 prospect, will ultimately choose between USC and UCLA. But in Baltimore at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge, Pres. by Under Armour, he told me that he's still open to other schools.

Franklin is pretty confident he will at least visit Oregon and Oregon State this summer, but he also told me that Washington, Washington State, Arizona and Arizona State are possible visits.

I'm not trying to get anyone's hopes up so it's important to remember that landing this kid would be a tall order. But here's what he's told me of the Huskies:

"Washington's been pushing real hard," Jackson said. "Their whole staff has been recruiting me. It's been Coach (Jimmy) Lake, Coach (Chris) Petersen and Coach (Bob) Gregory. (Gregory's) my primary recruiter and they've been pushing real hard.

"I've never been there but I've heard it's a great place. I plan on going there."

Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Media Day Update: Rashard Lawrence

DT Rashard Lawrence, Monroe (La.) Neville

Latest: Lawrence is keeping an open mind but he has taken a few visits. He just returned from a four-day trip to Alabama where he roomed with Devin White. He plans to visit Ole Miss, Ohio State, Washington, Oregon, LSU, and UCLA

Leaders: Alabama, LSU, and UCLA are his top three as of today, but he is keeping an open mind

Dark Horse: Ole Miss

Quotable: "I don’t know about Signing Day,” Lawrence said of his decision, “but it will be after my senior year. After I finish the season. I’ll take all of my officials, maybe a couple during the season and a few after. Then I’ll make my decision after that."

Noah Dickerson visiting

Noah Dickerson will be hosted by Lorenzo Romar and staff in the days ahead.

Previously a highly regarded recruit that selected Florida, he's now transferring from Gainesville. Dickerson is said to be down to Washington and Cal as potential choices. Sources have confirmed that the Huskies are a major factor and could well be the top choice.

Most recently Dickerson eliminated Texas as a potential destination.

There's obviously a void on the roster and the total makeover project by Romar would be one step closer to completion. Washington will also have one of the newest, freshest looks of any team in the nation next year in what has become a total rebuilding project.

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Top three for...

The Fresno State site here on Rivals.com/Yahoo! Sports recently reported that Washington, Fresno State and Houston are currently the three schools out front for Michael Badejo, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound weakside end from Arlington (Tex.) Timberview.

Here's his profile.

All three schools have offered. Badejo also reports a good number of other offers, including some Power Fives that are not in his top five. As Houston is showing, Power Five affiliation isn't everything in every situation.

You may remember Badejo's name because we profile him after UDUB offered earlier this year - read that here if you'd like to refresh your memory.

Also, check out his Hudl film if you'd like.

While Badejo clearly isn't as tall as some defensive ends his film shows a player that's long and should be able to fill out nicely. He will need to get stronger to develop into more of a defensive lineman and less of a hybrid, but even if he doesn't ever climb up to 250-plus, there's a definite niche for players with his game.

'17 QB offered

Every offer merits a mention here on TDR but offers to quarterbacks are especially noteworthy.

This weekend UDUB became the latest school to offer Class of 2017 quarterback Braxton Burmeister. He's committed to Arizona and has been for a long time now, but that hasn't slowed other schools down.

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Here's his sophomore highlight package if you're interested.

It's interesting that UW is also recruiting Arizona's 2016 QB commit, Khalil Tate. And they're recruiting Cal '16 QB commit Max Gilliam, too.

In-state sleeper to watch

It might be that it's no longer appropriate to refer to Ezra Cleveland as a 'sleeper,' because the Bethel School rising senior now has Pac-12 offers from Oregon State and Washington State to go along with Boise State, Nevada and several others.

Washington and Oregon are showing interest and Cleveland told me this week that he will probably camp at both schools in the hopes of earning offers. That has to be taken as a good sign as it relates to Cleveland's interest in UDUB. If he were ready to commit to Wazzu or the Beavers he probably would have done so already.

As it is, he has visited both Washington and Oregon in the past and seems to have a high level of interest in both.

Cleveland told me, on the Huskies:

"I went there for the junior day so it wasn't as personalized but they seemed very organized and they're a great football team, which is a positive. The coaches on the staff seem like they're good guys, which is also good.But the coaching staff seems like good guys, which is also good."

Chase Claypool....

There's not a whole lot to report here but 6-foot-5 athlete Chase Claypool of British Columbia confirmed late yesterday to me that he had visited Washington at the start of this month, as we had reported he would.

Claypool wasn't well-known until lately but the rangy, physical prospect (who can play both receiver and linebacker with equal competence) is quickly soaring on the recruiting boards of various schools.

Without elaborating much, which maybe isn't a great sign, Claypool simply said that his Washington visit "went good." He doesn't have plans to return as of right now but he will return to Oregon in the near future.

While some prospects with nice offer sheets prefer to stick to visits over camps, Claypool is the opposite. He told TDR that he plans to camp at Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Alabama this summer, in an effort to grow that offer list.

Foster Sarell

Yesterday I spoke briefly with in-state 2017 offensive lineman Foster Sarell, a player that has been on UDUB's radar for quite some time. He's always been a priority for the Huskies, really dating all the way back to the Steve Sarkisian's tenure, and now it's safe to say his recruitment will be a little more high profile, and the competition a little fierce.

Alabama has offered and USC could be close, as we've reported, with the Trojans sending assistant coaches to Graham-Kapowsin on two separate occasions this spring.

Sarell said he's going to stay pretty low key this summer, generally avoiding a lot of college visits. There will be time for that, and a trip to Washington could be an easy thing to do. There's been plenty of talk that Sarell likes the idea of being somewhat close to home. He did sound pretty pumped about the Alabama offer and indicated he would set the 'SC trip if they do, in fact, offer him.

Major UDUB target announcing this week

Washington is one of the finalists for three-star Missouri City (Tex.) Hightower defensive end Micheal Johnson.

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We first reported Johnson's offer from Washington last year so he's had a spot with the Huskies for about six months now.

"HTown Takeover" refers to Houston. That's the kind of language Cougar coaches are probably always happy to see a recruit use, although now it may have more meaning than ever. Houston is impressing the recruiting world lately by becoming the rare Group of Five school to score major recruiting victories over Power Five programs -- not just any Power Five programs, and not just any recruits. Four-star and high three-star defensive tackles Ed Oliver and Jordan Elliott, respectively, have committed to Houston, turning down offers from many if not most of the nation's top programs.

Johnson could find appeal in joining players of that caliber on the defensive line.

However, Washington has always been a strong contender for the 6-foot-3, 230-pound defensive end, a pass rusher that can cause problems with his quickness and could be that all-important hybrid that stands up and both comes off the edge and covers at various points.

Illinois, Indiana and a host of Group of Five schools have also offered.

Texas Tech provides Johnson with an in-state choice in a major conference and that could be the Red Raiders' main draw.

Johnson was productive as a junior with 50 tackles, 17 for loss and 10 sacks at his high school, which annually produces a solid amount of FBS-level talent.

Of course, it's not without a precedent for a Texas recruit to pick the Huskies over more local choices. But in this case it would be especially surprising given the timing of Johnson's decision, which correlates to Houston's recent success, and the proximity of the player relative to the three finalists.

Long unfazed by USC offer

USC's offer to four-star athlete David Long hasn't changed anything for the Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola prospect. That's very good news for Washington. Though Long grew up liking 'SC a lot he hinted he might have been a bit turned off by how long it took the Trojans to offer -- not on a personal level, but they just delayed as other schools got to know him really well and he never fell in love with USC because of that.

When I talked to him this week I steered the conversation towards Washington and he said that Jimmy Lake is one of the assistant coaches he's closest with. In fact, I asked that specific question - which coaches are you closet with? "Coach Jimmy Lake from Washington" came right now.

UDUB's been there all along and with three four-star recruits plus Rapp now on board the program has the credibility to sell Long on being part of a monster class. He does not have set plans to visit Washington this summer but he's keeping one or two visit possibilities open and he could return.

Class rank surges!

Sean McGrew's commitment to Washington means four overall for the Huskies from the '16 class and, significantly, three rated four-stars. Funny thing is, some believe Taylor Rapp may have been the most coveted of the bunch. At the very least we can say all four players are big-time upper echelon Pac-12 pickups.

In spite of having just four commitments Washington's class is now ranked No. 35 on Rivals.com. But that doesn't begin to tell the story of the class' quality.

Washington's four commitments average 3.75 stars which is tied for sixth best in the country -- tied with Texas and behind only LSU, Ohio State, USC, Clemson and Florida State.

Good company.

Trojans taking on the Huskies

USC is engaged in a full out frontal assault on the Huskies when it comes to the recruiting trail. Might not be Sark's intent or any bad will. It's likely just happenstance but recent events are pitting the Trojans directly against Washington for some of Chris Petersen's top targets.

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That's of major significance as Long is one of the west coast's four-star recruits that has expressed serious interest in Washington for the longest period of time. He's visited multiple times and although Washington couldn't be considered the clear front runner there's no doubt Washington is one of the front runners.

USC's offer is a bit out of the blue as I spoke with Long recently and he said that he hadn't been in much contact with the Trojans.

Apparently Long's recently reported 4.40/40-time might have prompted the Trojans offer. At the very least it's likely that a time like that piqued their interest and brought them into the equation.

That's far from all.

We've mentioned Hawaii running back Vavae Malepeai before. He's had an offer from Washington and even recently the Huskies have been flooding him with some pretty complimentary mailings and graphics.

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USC's offer is likely to carry a lot of weight with Malepeai, we're told, and it has the potentially to shake things up.

Finally, in-state 2017 offensive lineman Foster Sarell's most noteworthy news item of late was certainly the offer from Alabama, which you can read about here, but West analyst Blair Angulo also notes that some 'SC assistants came by recently.

All of this comes while the Trojans and Bellevue's Isaac Garcia parted ways, although Washington has not yet made a move to get involved.
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