Huskies sign 18 recruits, including two QBs

The Washington Huskies received letters of intent from 18 recruits in 10 states, including Tennessee and Texas, on the first day of the new NCAA Division I early signing period. The Class of 18 could expand over the next two days and again during the traditional signing period that starts in February, coach Chris Petersen said.

“We’re really excited about these guys,” Petersen said. “We’ve got a bunch of great kids. I think we got the position needs we were hoping to get, and some really good players to go along with that. Every one of these guys could have gone almost anywhere. Six played on state championship teams and two were Gatorade Players of the Year. We’ve still got another signing day, but we are right where we need to be.”

The class of 2018 is led by a pair of four-star quarterbacks, Bothell’s Jacob Sirmon and Colson Yankoff of Coeur d’Alene, ID. Petersen said he wasn’t surprised that both signed.

“They love Washington, they’re competitors and they’re ready to go,” Petersen said.

The class also includes three standout wide receivers in Marquis Spiker of Wildomar, CA., Austin Osborne of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA., and Trey Lowe of Portland.

Washington’s recruiting class has been ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 10 nationally by 247sports.com, a fact that didn’t didn’t impress Petersen.

“I don’t know anything about these rankings and I really don’t care,” he said. “What I care about is what our players do on the field and how they perform in the classroom. The rankings don’t matter to me.”

These are the recruits who signed Wednesday:

M.J. Ale, OL, Tacoma

2A South Puget Sound League Mountain MVP as a senior at Fife High School . . . Tacoma News Tribune All-Area selection as a junior and senior … No. 58 tackle prospect in the nation by ESPN . . . Born in Samoa and spent much of his childhood living in Australia, where he was a three-time Australian Golden Gloves heavyweight champion boxer.

Draco Bynum, DL, Wilsonville, OR

Northwest Oregon Conference Defensive Player of the Year . . . Made all-league first team at both defensive line and tight end … Helped lead the Wildcats to a 10-2 record and the semifinals of the 2017 Oregon 5A state championship . . . Invited to play in the 2018 U.S. Army All-America Game . . . Second-team 5A all-state in 2016 as a junior … No. 21 strongside defensive end in the nation by rivals.com . . . No. 40 defensive tackle in the country, according to ESPN.

Devin Culp, TE, Spokane

Helped Gonzaga Prep to a 9-3 record and the quarterfinals of the Washington 4A state championship . . . Had 928 yards, five touchdowns on 79 rushes and grabbed seven receptions for 164 yards and two touchdowns through the first 11 games . . . First-team All-Greater Spokane League receiver and Tacoma News Tribune first-team all-state selection … Nation’s No. 98 wide receiver prospect, according to rivals.com.

Victor Curne, OL, Houston

Helped Second Baptist to a 7-4 record and the TAPPS Division II state quarterfinals . . . Touchdown Club of Houston’s private schools lineman of the year . . . Nation’s No. 24 guard by ESPN,  No. 27 to 247sports.com

Dominique Hampton, CB, Glendale, AZ.

Had an interception and 59-yard touchdown catch in the Arizona 5A championship game to help Centennial win the title, the school’s third in four years . . . Eight interceptions in 2017 . . . No. 50 cornerback by 247sports.com.

Ale Kaho, LB, Reno

High Desert League Player of the Year and also made first-team all-league at running back, defensive end and punter . . . Helped Reno to a 12-2 record and the semifinals of the 4A state playoffs . . . First Northern Nevada player invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl . . . One of five finalists in the nation for the Polynesian Player of the Year . . . Rated the No. 32 overall prospect in the nation and No. 2 inside linebacker by 247sports.

Trey Lowe, WR, Portland

Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year after gaining 2,316 all-purpose yards and scoring 35 touchdowns . . . Invited to play in the 2018 U.S. Army All-America Bowl . . . Led Jesuit (10-2) to the Oregon 6A quarterfinals . . . Earned 6A first-team all-state at running back as a junior in 2016 . . . No. 23 running back prospect in the nation by ESPN . . . No. 143 overall prospect and No. 4 all-purpose back by 247sports.com . . . Brother Keanon was a standout wide receiver for Oregon.

Matteo Mele, OL, Tucson, AZ.

Top offensive lineman on a team that rushed for 3,779 yards and 52 touchdowns . . . No. 251 overall recruit and No. 19 offensive tackle prospect by 247sports.com . . . No. 32 by rivals.com . . . ESPN’s No. 44 offensive tackle prospect.

Mosiah Nasili-Liu, DL, Puyallup

Tacoma News Tribune All-Area selection . . . Saw time as a running back and tight end in addition to playing defensive line . . . No. 76 defensive end by 247Sports . . . No. 83 defensive end by ESPN . . . Played baseball, earning first-team All-South Puget League honors.

Richard Newton, RB, Lancaster, CA.

Averaged 8.0 yards per carry in six games in abbreviated senior season, but ran for 17 TDs as a junior in 2016 . . . Rated the No. 28 running back by rivals.com  . . . Ran track, participating in long jump, high jump and triple jump, winning the league title in the long jump.

Austin Osborne, WR, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA.

Helped Mission Viejo to a No. 2 national ranking, 12-1 overall record and theCIF Division I state semifinals . . . Ranked as the No. 202 overall player and No. 37 wide receiver by 247Sports . . . No. 22 wide receiver and No. 115 overall by rivals.com . . . Named to the ESPN 300 and No. 49 wide receiver  . . . 247sports.com’s No. 41 WR.

Jackson Sirmon, LB, Brentwood, TN.

Won a state title in each of his two seasons at Brentwood . . . Helped lead Eagles to a 12-0 record and the Division II Class AAA state championship as a senior . . .  ESPN’s No. 34 outside linebacker . . . No. 17 inside linebacker, according to rivals.com . . . Rated the No. 225 player and No. 20 outside linebacker by 247sports.com . . . cousin of fellow UW recruit Jacob Sirmon.

Jacob Sirmon, QB, Bothell

Completed 132 of 227 passes for 2,061 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions as a Bothell High senior . . . Offensive MVP of the 4A KingCo Conference as well as first-team All-KingCo quarterback . . . Invited to play in the Under Armour All-America game . . . Ranked the No. 30 overall prospect, the No. 2 pro-style quarterback and No. 1 recruit in the state by ESPN . . . Listed by 247sports.com as the No. 1 recruit in Washington, No. 5 pro-style QB and No. 165 overall prospect  . . . Ranked the sixth-best “pro-style” quarterback, No. 1 recruit in the state and No. 123 overall prospect by rivals.com.

Marquis Spiker, WR, Wildomar, CA.

Caught 244 passes for 4,661 yards and 72 touchdowns in three seasons, breaking the state record for career receiving TDs . . . Southwestern League Player of the Year as a senior when he caught 83 passes for 1,490 yards and 27 TDs . . . In a playoff game vs. Santa Margarita caught 13 passes for 298 yards and four TDs while also notching 18 tackles and an interception . . . Also had a six-TD game vs. Redlands as a senior . . . Ranked as the No. 125 overall prospect and No. 14 wide receiver by ESPN . . . No. 5 wide receiver and No. 29 overall recruit by rivals.com . . .  No. 77 overall prospect and No. 8 wide receiver by 247sports.com.

MJ Tafisi, LB, West Jordan, UT.

Played middle linebacker and tight end at Alta . . . Credited with 133 tackles, including 19 for a loss and four interceptions . . . Named to the Deseret News 5A all-state first team . . . No. 20 inside linebacker by 247sports.com . . . No. 23 inside linebacker by ESPN and No. 24 by rivals.com.

Sam Taimani, DL, Salt Lake City

Named to the Deseret News 6A all-state first team as a guard . . . Named the No. 9 guard  by ESPN . . . 247sports.com’s No. 11 guard and No. 255 overall prospect in the country . . . Ranked the No. 12 guard and No. 213 overall recruit in the county by rivals.com.

Zion Tupuola-Fetui, LB, Pearl City, HI.

Also played defensive line and tight end. . . Invited to play in the 2018 Polynesian Bowl all-star game . . . ESPN’s No. 75 outside linebacker prospect and the No. 3 recruit in Hawaii . . . Listed by 247sports.com as the No. 41 inside linebacker . . . No. 54 outside linebacker recruit by rivals.com.

Colson Yankoff, QB, Hayden, ID.

5A Inland Empire Offensive Most Valuable Player as a senior . . . Passed for 6,411 yards and 55 touchdowns while rushing for 2,121 and 43 scores . . . As a senior, helped the Vikings to a 9-3 record and advanced to the 5A state championship game . . . Completed 222 of 325 passes for 2,396 yards and 21 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,027 yards and 12 TDs . . . Invited to play in the U.S. Army All-America Bowl . . . Gatorade state player of the year and 5A Inland Empire Offensive MVP as a junior . . .  No. 92 overall prospect and No. 7 pro-style quarterback by ESPN . . . No. 8 dual-threat QB prospect and No. 157 overall recruit, according to rivals.com . . . 247sports.com’s No. 4 dual-threat QB and No. 75 overall recruit.

Washington’s 2018 recruiting class