Lake holds together UW’s strong 2020 recruiting class

By Lauren Kirschman / The News Tribune

SEATTLE — A reporter called them wolves, those opposing coaches that appeared after Washington head coach Chris Petersen announced he was stepping down.

Current defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, who will take over for Petersen after the Huskies face Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday, acknowledged that other coaches had increased the pressure on UW’s 2020 commits over the last few weeks.

But he had different names for them.

“Those would be more like buzzards and vultures,” he said with a chuckle during a conference call on Wednesday. “But that’s part of the business. That’s part of the deal. We know that. We all know that. That’s always going to be part of recruiting, and I wouldn’t expect anything less. Their job is to try to go out there and get really good players. We have a lot of really excellent players that ended up signing with us that I’m sure a lot of those coaches would love to have signing with them. That’s just part of recruiting and that’s part of our job.”

But while teams surely tried to poach members of UW’s 14th-ranked 2020 recruiting class, they weren’t successful. During the first day of the early signing period on Wednesday, all 23 members officially picked UW. Lake didn’t lose a single one.

It’s been a hectic two weeks for Lake, who was announced as the Huskies’ next head coach on Dec. 2. He spent the month flying between home visits and stops at high schools. He was constantly on the phone or sending texts. In between, he was preparing for the Las Vegas Bowl by watching Boise State’s offense on the plane.

This is always a busy time period for coaches, but this season has been particularly hectic for Lake. But once the final letter of intent was signed on Wednesday afternoon, he could finally exhale.

For Lake, the biggest challenge was keeping UW’s offensive commits on board. And in the end, he said even that wasn’t that much of a challenge. Lake’s message was clear and consistent: The foundation of the Huskies’ program is strong, and it’s not changing.

“The message really was more about what they had previously already committed to,” Lake said, “which was our Built For Life foundation that we have, our uncommon unity, our culture that we have, this program. All those other details of what exact plays we’re going to be running and all those things, they know philosophically what we want to do in all three phases.”

There are still questions surrounding the future of UW’s offense — most importantly, what the staff will look like — but Lake did describe his general offensive philosophy during his introductory press conference in early December. It can be summed up in one word: Aggressive. And that’s what he kept reiterating to the offensive commits.

“It was my job to introduce myself and make sure they know who I am and what I’m about,” Lake said. “Obviously, (the offensive commits) knew Coach Petersen. That was just part of the process, getting to know these guys. I was obviously focused on defensive guys all these other years.

“But it was really easy. We had some great families, we had some great young men. … The biggest thing was reassuring that we’re going to continue on with the solid foundation that Coach Pete built here. I think that more than anything — like the offensive philosophy and all those things — is what really kept everybody here.”

Extra points

— Lake said eight of UW’s signees will enroll mid-year. Offensive lineman Gaard Memmelaar, offensive lineman Myles Murao, outside linebacker Jordan Lolohea and punter Triston Brown will enroll in January. Quarterback Ethan Garbers, tight end Mark Redman, offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett and tight end Mason West will arrive in the spring.

— Four-star athlete Sam Adams played multiple positions at Eastside Catholic. But Lake said when he arrives at UW, he’ll be a running back.

“We know it’s the right player when it’s the guy that just can move around everywhere,” Lake said. “‘He will be a running back for us. We think he’s gonna be a big, pounding, ruining running back. I love those big running backs in the fourth quarter that they don’t want to tackle. I think he’s going to be one of them.”

— Four-star defensive back Jacob Covington committed to UW in August, de-committed in October and then decided to re-commit on Saturday. He played cornerback, nickelback and safety in at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. Lake said he will likely be a safety and a nickel at UW. Lake also said the strong relationship UW’s coaches built with Covington and his family eventually helped bring him back.

“I think when all the dust settled, he remembered that this was the right fit for him,” Lake said, “and that he can get a big-time degree, he can be a great locker room and he can play some big-time football for us.”’

— Five-star Kennedy Catholic outside linebacker Sav’ell Smalls originally eliminated the Huskies from contention in May. But Lake said UW never stopped recruiting him and eventually Smalls announced his commitment to the Huskies in September.

Asked about the process, Lake said he didn’t want to get into it too deeply. But he did say this: “This recruiting process, these young men get twisted sideways and have so many things going at them. They have people in their ears that maybe shouldn’t be in their ears. Thankfully, Sav’ell had the right people talking to him at the right time, especially down the stretch.”

UW signees

Players who signed national letters of intent Wednesday to play football at the University of Washington.

Sam Adams II, TB

6-1 194, Eastside Catholic H.S.

Triston Brown, P

6-1 190, Mt. San Antonio College (Walnut, Calif.)

Carson Bruener, LB

6-1, 201, Redmond H.S.

Jacobe Covington, S

6-1, 196, Saguaro H.S.

(Chandler, Ariz.)

Makell Esteen, S