Recruiting class excites Willingham

SEATTLE – Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham admitted the Huskies’ struggles the past two years may have hurt in recruiting top-level players, but that didn’t stop Willingham from being excited about his 21-player class unveiled Wednesday.

Willingham said he was excited about the diversity and versatility of the class, which includes 14 high school players and seven junior college recruits.

Recruiting Web site Rivals.com ranked the Huskies as the No. 35 class in the country, and Scout.com has Washington ranked No. 36. Both sites rank the Huskies class No. 6 in the Pacific-10.

The prize of the class is clearly Ferndale (Wash.) quarterback Jake Locker, one of the nation’s highest-rated quarterbacks. Beyond Locker, there was a lack of players who would be considered among the top recruits in the country.