Blackman lets cat out of the bag

In this internet world, it's not often a player can commit somewhere and have it kept off the record for more than a day or so. Well Carson (Calif.) quarterback Dominique Blackman made his commitment weeks ago and is just now releasing it.

Blackman, 6-5, 245 pounds is a talented quarterback with tons of upside. He has great size, plus arm strength and mobility and the kind of personality that will make others want to play for him.

As for his commitment, Blackman said he'll be playing his college ball for the Washington Huskies.

"I actually committed about two months ago," Blackman said. "I called up Coach Willingham and told him I wanted to be a Dawg but I didn't want it out yet because there were some other schools I was still looking at.

"I really liked LSU a lot and thought they might be offering but when it didn't happen, I decided to go ahead and commit to Washington. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to be bombarded with 1,000 phone calls but with the summer winding down and the season getting ready to start up in a month, I thought now would be a good time to let it out.

"Now I can just focus on our season and my senior year without having to worry about the distractions that come with recruiting. I'm excited to be a Dawg, even though I committed a long time ago, I'm still excited and I plan on taking a bunch of players with me.

"Washington is recruiting a lot of players in my area and I think you might see at least five or six players commit to Washington in the next few months. A lot of those guys told me they were just waiting on me to commit and now that I have, I think you're going to see a lot more jump on board."

Blackman said he has never been to Washington before but that didn't play a factor in his decision.

"I have family there and one of my good friends, Tyrese Breshers, is going there for basketball and they all said I would love it," Blackman said. "That was enough for me, I know a lot of people who have been there and everyone raves about it so I'm looking forward to checking it out.

"I just really liked Washington a lot and I'm excited to play for a coach like Coach Willingham. He's a great man and it means a lot to be able to play for a black head coach as well. I like the staff, the offense and the program in general so it was a great fit for me."

Blackman said he still plans to take all his official visits despite his commitment.

"Yeah, for sure, I'm taking all five," Blackman said. "I already have dates with Washington and Arizona but don't remember them. I know it's during the season. I also want to visit Oregon because I've heard great things about their facilities.

"My commitment is solid though. The only schools I would even consider looking at as hard as Washington would be LSU and Oklahoma. I like both programs a lot but I really see myself playing for the Huskies and I'm very excited about that."