University of Washington Official Athletic Site - Football
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Comments on this year's recruiting class.
Feb. 4, 1998
Washington head football coach Jim Lambright commenting on this year's recruiting class at a press conference:
"I really like the speed and athletic ability of the incoming class. I also like the way we follow the form in evaluating, from the time when Don James was head of the program, that is based on extensive video review and in-depth look at the athlete as a citizen in his back yard. We look at how he is going to be a contributor to this program in the entire use of his personality."
Lambright's individual comments on the 24 athletes
Hakim Akbar - "The most impressive thing about Hakim, when you see him on film, is that he's capable of knocking people out as a safety. He's in the category of a 6-1, 195 athlete who can cover the man-to-man and at the same time you love the way he plays run-defense."
Braxton Cleman - "Braxton Cleman is an athlete who is one of the ones that you are going to see receptively in here. He's a 1000-yard rusher with really good track speed. He can play four or five different positions for us."
Antonio Cooks - "Antonio Cooks is a really fine running player out of the San Francisco Bay Area. A George Washington HS MVP on his team and in the league. When you see the 12-0 season, you know that he's an all-around athlete who can help us in a lot of different ways. We've been blessed with that kind of productivity from people who might not have the biggest names."
Renard Edwards - "Renard Edwards is one of four junior college athletes. He's come out of Walla Walla Junior College and he's going to be able to help us either as a corner or a safety. He played corner at Walla Walla, but he is strong, has the size, and hits hard enough to play safety."
Todd Elstrom - "Todd Elstrom is a receiver that we feel is one of the best receivers that we could go after this year. He's not the most highly publicized, but from his film, we like him as both a wide receiver and as a defensive back. We like the match-ups that he was able to win against other athletes that we chose not to recruit out of this conference."
Roger Faagata - "Roger Faagata is a defensive end that we can use to help replace Campbell and Chorak. He's one of those that can come in next fall and give us some pressure coming off the corner."
Odell George - "Odell George is in the same mold (as Faagata), except we tried to recruit Odell out of high school. We've watched him and now we're going to get out chance to get him over here from Walla Walla. Both he and Roger are speed people who can come off the corner and give you the sort of pass rush we want and need to replace off last year's team."
Jelani Harrison - "Jelani Harrison is a running back in that 1000-yard rush area. Take a look at his 6-1, 195, stature with three percent body fat. He is a big powerful looking player who will be running in the Sunkist Football 50 down in California shortly."
Ossim Hatem -"He's a linebacker type who comes with the size to give us some immediate help either at the inside, mike linebacker, or as a rush person. We'll start him at linebacker and see if he continues to grow anymore."
Wilbur Hooks Jr. - "He's an athlete who was in our football camp. You can see the credits he has as far as touchdowns and the type of all-around athlete he is with his interceptions and his background in track. We know we're getting a speed athlete who is very capable of helping us as a wide receiver."
Willie Hurst - "Willie is an outstanding tailback. He was our top guy as far as looking at a running back who can come in and break things for us. In spite of other evaluations, we really like Willie. You can see from his accomplishments, 10 yards per carry, is pretty good for a season. He's an outstanding tailback. He already has the size and the strength, at 200 pounds, to take on people at this level."
Anthony Kelley -"Anthony is a safety-tight end type who is gifted enough to fall into the mold of a Woodson-type of player who can fall in as a safety and maybe help out on the other side. He's a fine running athlete who is involved in track right now. He has the defensive stats and the offensive stats that you would love to give him a chance to go either way."
Chris Juergens -"He's another one that we had in our football camp. He runs well and can get up into the air you like for a receiver. He's an outstanding overall athlete and we were able to evaluate him playing both ways. He's going to be a fine wide receiver for us.
Spencer Marona - "He has the stats and the size, at 6-2, 235, to play the linebacker position."
Toalei Mulitauaopele -"We've talked about him in the past. He'll be the inside player we were looking for. He'll be the one player out of junior college that we will be expecting for spring football. The other ones (junior college signees), we will expect for the fall.
Derek Noble - "We had a chance to look at a great deal of their film as they entered the state playoffs. When you compare him to other players being recruited here in the state, that made your decision. You want Derek playing for you."
Darnell Parhms - "Darnell and Jeremiah Pharms (current UW player) are from the same family. He is a relative. At one point, grandpa, when entering the service, had the name misspelled. One half kept the misspelled name the other part kept the right spelling. You can debate it with the mom and dad as to which is right. He's a defensive back that runs real well and we like as an-around athlete offensively and defensively."
Andrae Perry - "Andrae is the same type of athlete as Darnell Parhms. He has 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns in only seven games. You look at it and it starts to get real repetitive."
Rashad Peters - "Rashad Peters may be one of the best athletes we were recruiting. He was on a team that gave him very little help. They finished the year 0-11. He's played about every position. Last year he was a quarterback. He has also been a defensive back and a wide receiver. He can do it all. We think there is going to be a place for him because of the role he had to play on their team in trying to carry them through a season. He's also related to Antowaine Richardson, who played her back in the old times when I had a chance to coach."
Geoff Shelton - "He's an effort, speed rusher. You look at his stats and there is no doubt that he can play our style of penetrating defense."
Jerramy Stevens - "At 6-7, 220 he can do just about anything he wants. He's a very gifted athlete. He has a huge frame. If he can master that quarterback position, he can stay in that pocket as long as he wants. He can drape a lot of people off of him based on where he stands right now. He can also catch passes, he was used as a wide receiver last season and he was all-league as a safety."
Jafar Williams - "He's an athlete who can play both ways. We like him because of his ability to hit. He's got a 100-meter time of 10.7 and he can flat get after you as a linebacker-safety type of player."
Matthias Wilson - "He's the best back in our state as far as rushing stats and breaking records in this last year. A lot has been said about him in the papers. You're getting an extremely well-founded, classy person when you bring in Matthias. He's only been playing football for a few years and he has a lot ahead of him in terms of maturity goes."
Eliott Zajac - "Eliott is the one offensive lineman on the list. He's used to winning and has really good feet. We think, with his size, will make a really fine offensive tackle for us."
Additional Lambright Comments:
This class has to come in and give us the depth we need because we have the two small senior classes coming up because of the sanctions. This one is not going to shake a lot of people, as most of ours haven't, with the big names.
I would imagine we would play eight to 10 of these freshmen just because of the athletes they are and the fact we need that type of athlete on our depth again.
Willie Hurst is an exciting back like a Rashaan Shehee. His personality is more like a Leon Neal. He bubbles over. He's a point guard on one of the nation's best high school basketball teams. When you talk to him, he's excited, not about scoring, but about the assists and the number of rebounds you got in last year's game. He infects you when he talks to you. When we got the fax in today, Willie's was one of the last one's to come in and he put at the bottom "Coach, sorry it's a little big late, but isn't it worth waiting for." I said, 'Yep, it sure is."
Toalei (Mulitauaopele) is an individual who is capable of dominating in that inside position just because of his sheer size. He has a great attitude toward playing. You anticipate, because he is so big, that he right away impacts everybody because of how hard he would be to move. You look at Gilbert Brown (Green Bay Packers) and how hard he was to move. Well, that's because he is a dimension bigger. That's they way Mulitauaopele is, he's a dimension bigger.
(On signing just one offensive lineman): Our depth is okay there. What it means is since we only signed one this year, it means we have to sign five next year. Very rarely are you going to get an offensive lineman who is going to come in and help you as a true freshman.
(Jerramy Stevens): I told Jerramy Stevens that he was going to be a quarterback until he comes to me and tells me he wants to play someplace else."
