Huskies Sign 14, Including Jones

Washington football coach Jim Lambright announced Wednesday that 14 players have signed letters of intent to play for the Huskies.

Although there were no surprises in the group, a bit of mystery surrounds the 15th and final scholarship.

Lambright is focusing all of his attention on Daylon McCutcheon of Bishop Amat High in La Puente, Calif., for the final spot. But so are John Robinson and his USC staff and Rick Neuheisel at Colorado.

The problem for the three favorites is that McCutcheon has announced that he will not make his intention known until Saturday at Amat’s football banquet.

There is no doubt in Lambright’s mind that McCutcheon would make an immediate impact at Washington.

“Daylon McCutcheon can come in and play right away,” Lambright said. “I wouldn’t question for a second that he’d be redshirted.”

McCutcheon is needed to provide help in Washington’s secondary. He is considered the top cornerback recruit in the nation.

“We felt we absolutely had to go out and have a class of real quality corners,” Lambright said.

The Huskies did get Mel “Poncho” Miller from Torrance, Calif., and Jermaine Smith of Simi Valley, Calif., to fill two of those positions, but McCutcheon would be a real bonus.

It is possible that McCutcheon, the son of former Los Angeles Rams star Lawrence McCutcheon, may have decided already where he will go. But until his expected announcement Saturday, Washington, USC and Colorado will no doubt use all tactics legally possible to try to sway his decision.

“I’m not real sure anybody knows who is ahead,” Lambright said.

If McCutcheon passes on the Huskies, Lambright said, the final scholarship will not be filled with a high school recruit.

“If we don’t get McCutcheon, we’ll look then potentially at the junior college players a year from now,” Lambright said.

The strength of the Huskies’ incoming class comes from their in-state recruits.

“We signed every prospect in the state of Washington that we offered a scholarship,” Lambright said. “It’s always your first and foremost goal to dominate the state.”

Quarterback Brock Huard of Puyallup is one of the best in the nation. Tight end Anthony Mizin of Aberdeen, defensive lineman Mac Tuiaea of Hanford and Ferris kicker Randy Jones also were nationally recognized.

Two weeks ago, Washington appeared to be in a situation that every school would like to have been in. With only two spots remaining, the Huskies had a handful of top West Coast players interested in coming to Seattle. But now, other than McCutcheon’s situation, every player has chosen to take his talents elsewhere.

Perhaps the most crucial loss was Sirr Parker. The running back from Locke High School in Los Angeles signed with Texas A&M after narrowing his choices to the Aggies and Washington.

“We felt we were running right out in front and thought we had an excellent chance to get him,” Lambright said.