UW Prepares to Host Nearly Two Dozen Recruits, Including Huge Virginia OL

Fletcher Westphal, who carries a 6-foot-8, 330-pound frame, was out for a look at Friday's practice.

Recruits have paraded through University of Washington spring football practice at a steady pace, arriving in clusters, often with parents in tow, sometimes accompanied by their high school coaches, more times than not anonymous to media members.

In many cases for the journalists, unless previously acquainted, you have to look at the credential the kid is wearing to match the face with a name.

Yet there is the noted exception to this rule, especially when the teenaged visitor is huge and there's that instant recognition factor — Fletcher Westphal would more than qualify under those circumstances.

Attending Friday's extra chilly Husky walk-through in advance of Saturday's closing scrimmage, the 6-foot-8, 330-pound Westphal overshadowed just about everyone in attendance at Husky Stadium, with the possible exception of the UW's 6-foot-8, 310-pound junior offensive guard Julius Buelow. He still had him by 20 pounds, though.

"We have a lot of great ones again coming this weekend that we're excited about," UW coach Kalen DeBoer said. "We get a chance to spend some time with them. Whenever they can be around our players, that's a plus, because they're our best recruiters."

The practice also drew visits from signed UW players in quarterback Austin Mack of Folsom, California, and 6-foot-7, 280-pound  offensive lineman Elishah Jackett from Orange, California, both due to enroll in school in June. Jackett showed up ill-advisedly in a T-shirt only and was quickly offered a sweatshirt.

The two tallest guys in this photo were quarterback Austin Mack and offensive lineman Elishah Jackett, who are signed UW players who will enroll in June.  / Dan Raley

Also in attendance were former cornerback Dana Hall and running back Jay Barry from the Huskies' 1991 national championship team, and Hall spoke to the team at the end of practice.

A prototypical left tackle, Westphal hails from Tuscarora High School in Leesburg, Virginia. A 4-star recruit, he is as streamlined in his physique as former All-Pac-12 offensive tackle Trey Adams was in his Husky prime, looking like a gigantic tight end.

One of roughly 20-25 UW recruits touring the facilities this weekend, Westphal currently holds 32 offers, according to his 247Sports recruiting profile. Among his other suitors are Georgia, Clemson, Florida, Miami, Michigan, Tennessee, Stanford and Oregon.

A plus side to his Montlake recruitment is the Huskies had a pair of Virginia players in the starting lineup — center Ed Cunningham from Alexandria and edge rusher Donald Jones from Gladys — when they captured that 1991 national championship.

A negative to Westphal's UW experience had to be that biting chill in this unseasonably cold April, with the big guy notably shivering and wearing a borrowed second sweatshirt by the end of practice. 

It was lightheartedly pointed out to him that this sometimes brisk Northwest weather would help prepare him for the 10 years he'll spend in the NFL ... playing for Buffalo.

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