Washington Husky Signing Day 2017: 5 Things To Watch For

Dec 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen speaks at a press conference after the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2016 CFP Semifinal at the Georgia Dome. Alabama defeated Washington 24-7. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Husky Signing Day 2017 marks the end of the football recruiting year, and Chris Petersen’s Huskies are looking to finish on an uptick. Here’s what you need to know before Wednesday.

Signing Day 2017 is nearly here, which means the chaos ends soon.  For each question will come the answer – some we will enjoy and some we will not.  But February 1st brings closure. Much like any journey, there is always anxiety of “Did we pack everything?”, and “Did we forget anything?”.

We’ll learn soon enough.

As always, there is the non-stop  concerns about who will sign where, what big surprises will drop and what it all means for each school going forward.

Here’s five big Washington Husky story lines to watch on Signing Day:

How Many Slots Can The University Of Washington Fill?

History suggest that the University of Washington will fill 17-18 slots. Since Coach Petersen arrived, the team has recruited 25 in 2014, 25 in 2015, 17 in 2016 and 17 so far in 2017. Since the team can have up to 85 scholarships, the program must now manage that number. With 18 scholarships available, plus the freed up spots from Sidney Jones and Budda Baker, the team can commit 20 scholarships (estimated) in this year.

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So far, 17 of those have been claimed. In fact, it was likely the elections of Connor Wedington and Marlon Tuipulotu which freed up slots for recent commit Jaxson Kirkland.

On one hand,  many are expecting the school to remain in the 17-18 range.  On the other hand, Washington Husky recruiting is aware of the inroads made by USC and Oregon, and will do everything it takes to remain on par with both programs

Which School Will Ty Jones Choose On Signing Day?

WR

Ty Jones

6-foot-4 195 pounds, Provo, UT ★★★★

* Highlights
* Rivals Profile
* Scout Profile
* Breaking News – Last Minute overnight visit to UCLA erodes confidence of his commitment.
* 247Sports Profile

Wide Receiver Ty Jones sent a panic through the Dub Club when he accepted a last minute overnight visit to UCLA. As a result, Scout.com downgraded his interest from a hard commit down to a soft verbal.

Jones seemed all but assured as he had made an official visit on January 13, 2017, and everything seemed to be a full go.  But UCLA has been doggedly pursuing the young man, and finally convinced him into an overnight visit on January 27, 2017.

Right on the heels of losing defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu to a late visit to USC, the Huskies’ fan base is understandably nervous. But Ty Jones has not changed his mind yet, and is still retweeting UW Husky announcements.

I think Ty Jones understands the quality of the University of Washington football program and sees it through. But until he signs his letter of intent, anything is possible.

Oct 22, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen looks at the scoreboard against the Oregon State Beavers during the fourth quarter at Husky Stadium. Washington won 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Will Nick Ford Choose Washington Husky Football?

OT

Nick Ford

6-foot-6 270 pounds, San Pedro, CA ★★★

* Highlights
* Rivals Profile
* Scout Profile
* 247Sports Profile
Offensive tackle Nick Ford has a serious choice to make.  He is a tall rock solid offensive tackle from San Pedro California, but he won’t be there for much longer. You see, he is making a very important decision tomorrow.Live Feed national signing day

On National Signing Day, Nick Ford will choose the school where he will entrust his dreams of playing football in the NFL.  That’s a huge decision to make.

He has plenty of options right now: Washington, Utah, Colorado, and Califonia.  But which will he choose?  He has visited all schools, California on December 9, 2016.  He saved January visits to Utah on January 13, Washington on January 20, and Colorado on January 27.

Right now, 247Sports lists Washington as the only “warm” rating”.  With the recent commitment of offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland, the offensive line is beginning to take shape. Ford could help advance that progress.

Will he join Kirkland and Norgaard this year? Or will he seek opportunity elsewhere?

Can Washington Return To Top 20 Schools?

With the January 30, 2017 commitment of 3-star offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland, the University of Washington Huskies recruiting class returns to 17 commitments. As of January 31, 2017, Scout.com has the University of Washington hanging on at the 23rd spot in the nation.

That ranking places the Washington Husky Recruiting class of 2017 at the third ranked class of the PAC-12, behind front-runner USC and rising Stanford.  However, UW is not through yet.  There remains a number of uncommitted players who are leaning towards the University of Washington.

And for good reason.

The University of Washington is gaining steam and reputation under the auspices of head coach Chris Petersen.  While the team may not shoot for the glitz and headliners such as the USC Trojans, the team is retooling in a very fundamentally sound manner. Building upon committed young men who are coachable, work-ethic, no nonsense types, the team continues to take on the no-nonsense personality of the Coach Petersen.

Petersen does not need to attract “the best” recruits.  He simply needs to attract players who want to BE the best.

Nov 12, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen walks on the sidelines during the third quarter against the USC Trojans at Husky Stadium. USC defeated Washington, 26-13. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Will Washington Husky Class of 2017 Lose Any More Commits?

The University of Washington recruiting class of 2016 has been “poached” twice already. The first time was the opportunity sprang from the interest of Connor Wedington to attend Stanford. When he discovered that he could do so, he pulled his commitment from Washington and committed to Stanford.

Players that de-committed from University of Washington Husky football’s 2017 class:

RB

Connor Wedington

6-foot-0 189 pounds, Sumner, WA ★★★★

Defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu was a different matter. Based on his rapid enrollment for spring classes, he wanted things to start happening NOW. USC gave him that opportunity. Now he is beginning his journey sooner, rather than later.

Marlon Tuipulotu

6-foot-2 295 pounds, Independence, OR ★★★★

In summary, I believe both cases were extraordinary conditions. While not as rare as it seems, flipping a prospect is still uncommon. With two attritions in the 2017 recruiting class, it would seem that the UW coaching staff are becoming painfully aware that other schools will target their prospects as their football team continues to improve in the national rankings.

National Signing Day is February 1st. In the span of 24 hours, most colleges, and thousands of young men, will commit to a shared dream.  Each side entrusting the other to bring other the most in the other.  A team is only as strong as the sum of it’s parts.

We’ll keep you covered with plenty of information

Recruiting Class of 2017
Uncommitted Prospects of 2017
Signing Day Coverage
Signing Day Live Tracker

Hang on for a wild ride, Husky fans!