Monday Morning Wash: Can Washington Nab Commits Despite Coaching Uncertainty?

We have two weeks to go 'til camp opens up.  Until then, don't expect a lot of news to come out of Montlake, even though most of the freshman class is here taking summer bridge program classes.

I will be filling space over the next two week with more opponent previews.  In fact, I will be previewing Notre Dame tomorrow.  Expect plenty of Irish fans to be visiting the blog, and some of the comments might not be so great, because I think the Irish may be one of the weaker teams we play this season.

I also plan on finishing up the Pac-10 defensive ranking predictions later this week as time allows.  I was reading some of the comments on the offensive predictions over on Bleacher Report, and the UCLA fans weren't that thrilled with my appraisal of their offensive expectations in 2008.

I think the Bruins have a really strong coaching staff.  The combination of Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow is going to pay some serious dividends over the next few years, and don't forget that if Walker stays around as DC, the Bruins will continue to be a strong defensive team.

I just think the Bruins have way too many holes to fill on offense in 2008, and no matter what type of miracle workers Chow and Neu are, they still need the talent to work with.

Ted Miller is reviewing the kickers today on the ESPN Pac-10 blog.  He rates UW's Ryan Perkins No. 6 in the conference.  Ryan has pretty much stated that because of chronic knee injury he is going to hang it up early and retire at the end of the year.

I watched Perkins struggle this spring, and it seemed like he wasn't as good as last fall.  Maybe he ends up doing PATs, but I think kickoffs and FGs will be handled by Folk or Ballman.

Once again, if you are not reading Ted's blog you are missing out.  Nobody knows the Pac-10 and can accurately evaluate talent like Ted Miller.

You may have missed this, but Ernie Kent and Oregon have agreed to a contract extension.  I find it interesting because Kent has been on the hot seat the last couple of years, even though his teams have performed well.

"University of Oregon Director of Athletics Pat Kilkenny and Head Basketball Coach Ernie Kent have agreed on terms for a new contract.  The agreement constitutes an extension for Kent, and will also help ensure the stability of the program in the future.

"The terms of the new agreement extends the provision of a rollover clause in previous deals and runs through the 2012-13 season."

Dick Baird is at it again over at Dawgman.  This week he comments on how college football has become a full time job, even though the NCAA has cut way back on the time players and coaches spend together.

"Years ago they (the dreaded NCAA) instituted the 20-hour work week for all student-athletes.  It essentially limited all enrolled student-athletes to no more than that amount of time per week to include all practices, games, and any meeting or activities involving their coaches during their set seasons."

I am sure that there are plenty of things going on behind the scenes in recruiting, as Washington is trying pretty hard to get the first recruit on board to get the ball rolling.

As far as news goes, nothing has been coming out the last few weeks over at Dawgman.  There are plenty of quality kids interested in Washington, but at this time nobody on the list seems inclined to pull the immediate trigger.

The natives in Seattle are starting to get restless, and Seattle Times beat writer Bob Condotta wrote about it last week.  He interviewed WR recruit Gino Simone, who said that he and many recruits are waiting to see what happens with Willingham.  One thing keeps ringing clear: The recruits like Willingham, and they want to play for Willingham.

I just have a gut feeling that Washington is going to be a much better team in 2008, despite the lack of experience at the offensive skill positions and on the defensive line.  I am betting that the Huskies finish with a winning record, go to a bowl, and Willingham is rewarded with a rollover type of extension which will help recruiting.