Washington Football: Top 5 Impact Freshmen for 2011

Last season the Washington Huskies capped off their 2010 campaign and Jake Locker's college career with a late-season surge in the Pac-10 ranks and a Holiday Bowl victory over a respectable Nebraska Cornhuskers team.

While Locker has taken his talents to the NFL, the signal-callers promotion is by no means the only change in store for the 2011 squad. With another solid recruiting class by head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Huskies look prepared for an uphill battle in the newly formed Pac-12.

While the team continues to take a younger look, there are plenty of upperclassmen leaders on the squad, including junior All-American candidate RB Chris Polk and senior WR Jermaine Kearse on offense and senior DT Alameda Ta'amu and senior LB Cort Dennison leading the defense.

With 16 starters returning and many second-stringers still in the mix from 2010, the 2011 recruiting class will have the luxury of not needing to be called on immediately. Regardless, the highly touted class featured numerous high-upside, athletic playmakers on both sides of the ball and some look ready to contribute now, either at their natural position or in special packages.

Here' s a look at five incoming freshmen who could make an immediate impact in 2011:

Kasen Williams, WR

Kasen Williams, a 4-star wide receiver recruit out of the local Skyline High School, is a name on many Huskies fans' minds, despite not having played a snap of FBS yet. The 2011 Parade Magazine National Player of the Year is one of the most decorated recruits in the entire 2011 class and looks ready to make an immediate impact this season.

While Williams comes in initially slotted behind senior wideouts Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar, he could very well find himself in a starting role sooner rather than later. As soon as he indicates that he's ready, he will be the team's primary target, be it this season or next.

A physical receiver with deceptively good speed, Williams is a precise route runner and does a great job creating separation. While he lacks explosiveness, he should be a top intermediate or deep threat for the Huskies for quite some time.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE

Listed as an OT recruit on ESPN, Austin Seferian-Jenkins could very well open the season as the Huskies' starting tight end in 2011. At 6'6", 250 lbs, he certainly passes the offensive lineman eye test, but with four years of experience as his high school's target receiver, ASJ could become a serious offensive mismatch for UW.

ASJ, who enrolled early to participate in spring football, is already off to a great start with the team. Coach Sarkisian and others raved about his natural pass-catching ability at the spring game, saying that he caught everything between the hashmarks. Recruited by Texas to be an offensive lineman, ASJ has learned to effectively use his body to create separation from the defender and could very well become the team's first true threat at tight end in years.

Add in the fact that during the spring game he made some "heads-up plays on special teams," according to the coaches, and you can pencil him in on the depth chart at least somewhere this season.

James Sample, S

At 6'3", 195 lbs, James Sample, a safety recruit out of Sacramento, CA, is a true heavy hitter. He also might just be good enough to contribute on both the defense and special teams units in 2011. With his size and tackling ability, Sample profiles perfectly for a hybrid safety/rover position, but may need to make the switch to OLB over the next year or two to become an everyday player.

Sample is an explosive defender, showing plus closing speed and the physicality to take on blockers of any size. While his coverage skills are fairly raw, he could find himself in some safety blitz packages early in his college career. At this point in time, he seems to be at his best when the defense chooses to stack the box. He's certainly an intimidating defender due to his size and will only continue to incite fear once he begins landing hits. He's going to be one of those guys that will make it very hard for Coach Sarkisian to bench him.

Corey Waller, OLB

Recently in the NFL, 'tweeners (guys who can play defensive end or outside linebacker equally well) have become a huge hit, allowing teams to mix 3-4 and 4-3 packages flawlessly.

The Huskies nabbed five of their own (be)tweeners in the 2011 recruiting class, with Long Beach Poly (CA)'s Corey Waller leading the way. Waller, a 3-star recruit who turned down late offers from USC and Boise State, might be the most underrated recruit in the 2011 class and in my eyes has the ability to contribute right away.

Waller utilizes a high-IQ, aggressive style of play to wreak havoc on ballcarriers. He has great instincts when it comes to pursuing the ball and has tremendous closing speed. Since he played defensive line almost exclusively in high school, his transition to outside linebacker may take some time. However, due to his natural athletic ability, he would be a great addition to the special teams unit this season while possibly gaining some experience in blitz packages off the weak side.

Marvin Hall, WR

I'll keep this one simple. Marvin Hall, an undersized wide receiver out of Dorsey High in Los Angeles finished ninth in the 100-meter finals at the CIF State Championships. So, he's pretty fast.

While down the road his natural ability to burst off the line, change direction without losing speed and get open will make him a great slot receiver on the first team, he should primarily fit in as a return specialist in 2011. Hall has the tools to be a great difference maker and with the return game fairly wide open, expect Hall to toss his name in the hat.