Anthony In The Seattle Times: Promising UW Recruits Fall Short On SAT
Promising UW Recruits Fall Short On SAT
By Percy Allen
Seattle Times Staff Reporter
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19980805&slug=2764938
When summer football practice begins a week from today, the University of Washington Huskies will be without two of their best players from a mediocre recruiting class.
Linebacker Anthony Kelley and receiver Antonio Cook failed to score high enough on the SAT, preventing them from enrolling at Washington.
Despite their tremendous on-field prep credentials, UW Coach Jim Lambright said the loss would be minimal.
“It’s one of those things where you’re not really impacted,” he said. “They’re not here yet, so they really don’t impact you.”
Kelley, 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, seemed to be one of a dozen freshmen Lambright said would play this season. He was a standout tight end and linebacker at Muir High School in Altadena, Calif., where he had 34 receptions for 824 yards and 102 tackles and 15 sacks as a senior.
“He could be one of the biggest sleepers among Pac-10 recruits, and certainly for Washington,” said Tom Lemming, a West Coast recruiting analyst. “Kelley has the size and speed to play (this season).”
Cook would have had a difficult time playing this season because of the abundance of UW receivers. But he has impressive size (6-2, 180) and he has been a two-time league most valuable player at George Washington High in San Francisco.
The Huskies relinquished rights to both players, who likely will enroll at a junior college or sit out the season and re-apply for admission next year.
Whatever their choice, Lambright said he hopes they will become Huskies.
“Our policy is to follow up on each of these players,” he said. “They know a scholarship will be here if or when they make the test.”
Washington will not recruit a prep or junior-college replacement because Lambright plans to reward two unnamed walk-on players with the scholarships.
“You’re still looking at filling holes,” he said.
