Should Washington Consider A Recruiting Strategy Change?

The Huskies need a boost on the recruiting trail.

Coming off of an 11-2 season and pulling in the 25th overall recruiting class for 2023 by 247 Sports' composite rankings, it's nothing short of a stunner that Washington's 2024 class is currently sitting at 95th overall. 

The class has just one recruiting commitment as of Thursday, and has lost not only two commits but also several key targets who were expected to make official visits to Seattle over the course of the week.

Among those targets are four-star receiver Emmett Mosley, four-star defender Kingston Lopa, four-star cornerback Santana Wilson and three-star defensive lineman Keona Wilhite. Before getting into the nitty-gritty, there's still a very good chance that the Huskies will be able to close on a class that finishes ranked somewhere in the top 30 nationally.

However, will that be good enough to compete for a future national championship? The Huskies have been adamant that the goal in 2023 is to compete for a national title, but one of the most important factors moving forward is the coveted blue-chip ratio.

Since 2011, every national champion has met the Blue-Chip Ratio threshold 🏈

These six teams could be the one to bust the "blue-chip ratio" in 2023, via @chris_hummer ✍️ pic.twitter.com/UtKTXLxxE8

— 247Sports (@247Sports) June 8, 2023

The blue-chip ratio signifies how many four- or five-star recruits are on the roster, with most teams aiming to be over 50 percent. While the Huskies have a chance to break the mold in 2023 by making the playoff, that might not necessarily be sustainable.

That's not a knock on Kalen DeBoer and his coaching staff, who proved in 2022 that they can scheme and develop talent at the highest level. But if the staff wants to consistently compete at that level, getting a top 15-20 recruiting class will assist in enabling the Huskies to compete for conference championships every year.

So how can the staff do it?

Texas let’s ride. 🤘🏽@Hayesfawcett3 #HookEm pic.twitter.com/kHSaNgG0Cm

— Adrian Santana Wilson ✞ (@_SantanaW24) June 17, 2023

Big recruiting wins of Caleb Presley, Taeshaun Lyons and Curley Reed in 2023 show that the coaching staff can recruit at the highest caliber. A 2024 win in the pursuit of four-star defensive tackle Jericho Johnson could also reinforce that statement.

But is waiting to be the last visit for most recruits a good thing? This is a bit of a lose-lose scenario to discuss, however it has to be talked about. Getting the final impression for a recruit can usually make a pretty big difference, but if these players commit before taking that last visit, it doesn't matter.

There's an argument to be made for both sides, but whether a change should be made will be revealed within a few weeks. Somewhat optimistic projections show that Washington's 2024 class could rank as high as 25th in the country by the beginning of July. But if there isn't a lot of movement, DeBoer and Co. might want to consider reassessing their strategy.

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