Running Down State’s Premier Football Recruits

Okay, we’re going to play the preseason recruiting game with you.

Who are the top potential college football recruits in Washington?

Well, there are none around here if you read the Seattle papers. Of course, some of the best prospects are on the West Side, and to help the Huskies recruit them, the papers have to start mentioning them early.

Since almost any great recruit in the state considers Washington but also drops the names of Stanford, Colorado, Notre Dame, Michigan, Tennessee, Miami, Texas and the other top 25 teams, the Huskies need all the help they can get.

Where does that leave Eastern Washington recruits? Well, hopefully they’ll enjoy their senior season of football a little more. All they need to know is that recruiters don’t leave any stone unturned; they’ll find a place to play.

Among the players in this area getting the most attention are running back/linebacker Garret Graham and offensive lineman Preston Crossman of Central Valley, linebacker Ossim Hatum of Mead and Romanus Chodorowski, a linebacker at Cheney.

A number of other players are just a notch below, which means their names will never make it into print on the Huskies’ unofficial recruiting newsletter.

Going into the season, size draws attention, and the handful of top area recruits have it.

Graham is 6-foot-5, 214 pounds with room to grow. A projected linebacker, he combines sprinter’s speed and shot-putter’s strength. Hatum is 6-3, 238 and is already known at UW, even if the newspapers haven’t picked up on him. Crossman goes 6-5, 325 and Chodorowski is 6-4, 235.

The common thread is height. Weight can be added. Those just below the front line are generally “height-challenged,” if 6-foot-1 can be considered too short.

Another big-time recruit is Walla Walla quarterback Jared Jones, said to be the No. 3 QB in the nation. Not bad for a quarterback that threw for just 893 yards last year and didn’t get a sniff of all-state honors. However, the 6-5, 210-pounder from the same school that produced Drew Bledsoe has a rocket for a right arm and is being pursued by Arizona and Oregon State for baseball. Some also consider him as a future wide receiver. Whatever the choice, he has narrowed his top five to Washington, Michigan, Colorado, Tennessee and Miami.

Three other quarterbacks in Washington getting attention are Jeramy Stevens of River Ridge in Lacey, Jason Johnson of Rogers-Puyallup and Luke Huard of Puyallup. Stevens, 6-6, 215, is leaning to Colorado; Johnson, 6-3, 190, likes the idea of playing in the south with Arizona over Stanford, Arizona State, Washington, Oregon and Oregon State; and Huard, 6-4, 220, the third and final of the quarterbacking brothers, is uncommitted.

O’Dea has one of the nation’s top 25 recruits in linebacker Carlos Pierre-Antoine, a 6-3, 230-pound sprinter. Pierre-Antoine is said to be leaning to Washington or Notre Dame with Michigan, Stanford and Colorado in the mix.

Chris Jackson, the son of former Husky and Seahawk linebacker Michael Jackson, is a 6-4, 240 pound tight end at Kentridge. He favors Ohio State.

Other names in the recruiting game include Aberdeen tight end Russell Mizin (6-4, 210); Huard’s favorite target Todd Elstrom (6-3, 195); Tyler Brayton (6-6, 235), a defensive end from Pasco and Bobo Brayton’s grandson; Scott Lesure (6-4, 275), an offensive lineman from Port Angeles; and Eric Boose (6-2, 240) of Foss, a defensive lineman and brother of current Cougar Dorian Boose. Lesure and Boose like the Huskies. The guess is Brayton might not be saying that since Bobo Brayton is Mr. Cougar as the former longtime WSU baseball coach.

One paper also reported the best senior running back is Braxton Cleman of Oroville. The 6-1, 210-pounder ran for 1,533 yards and 15 touchdowns last year and hopes to run for the Huskies next year.

Since we don’t recruit for UW, we’ll stop now and leave the locals to focus on the task at hand - enjoying the prep experience.

Quick kicks

Paul Arnold, who averaged 14.6 yards a carry while piling up 1,153 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore, has transferred from O’Dea to Kennedy. He said he wanted a co-ed environment so he changed Catholic schools.

If two-time AAA champion Curtis can become the first 4-A king, the Vikings can become the first large school to win three straight titles. The others are 1A Raymond (1973-75) and B-11 Colton (1975-77). Rumor has it that Vikings David Baker, a 5-10, 160-pound defensive back/wide receiver, and Virgil Williams, a 6-2, 190-pound safety/receiver, have already been offered scholarships by Washington State. Baker said he prefers the Huskies over Oregon, California and Colorado.

The first issue of Newberry’s Washington Prep Football Report is out. After wavering, Tacoma News-Tribune staffer Ron Newberry decided he couldn’t drop his high-quality info sheet after just one year. The report, the only publication to cover both sides of the state, can be received by mail ($35) or fax ($45). To subscribe, call 1-800-388-8742 (ext. 8682) or mail payment to 11108 83rd Ave. S.W., Lakewood, Wash., 98498-5627.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: FOR OPENERS Washington teams begin play next week. The GSL debuts with two games each Thursday and Friday at Albi Stadium. Thursday it’s Shadle Park vs. University at 5 and Lewis and Clark vs. Gonzaga Prep at 7:30. Friday it’s Ferris vs. Central Valley at 5:45 and Mead vs. Rogers at 8:30.