Four-star decides to switch
The tweet from Washington coach Steve Sarkisian came around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and this message like many others from Sarkisian - "Woof, woof, woof!!!" - could have had a hidden message attached.
The timing was maybe a coincidence, maybe not, as Washington received a commitment from four-star running back Bishop Sankey, a former Washington State pledge, the same night as Sarkisian's Twitter message.
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"I prayed about it and talked it over with my family countless times and what stood out to me was the academics and how UW gives tons of support to their athletes," Sankey said.
"I think they said something like an 82 percent graduation rate for football players and that really stood out to me."
In recent days, the Huskies have also landed pledges from former Utah quarterback commit Derrick Brown out of Murrieta (Calif.) Vista Murrieta, three-star offensive guard Paulay Asiata from Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis and three-star cornerback Marcus Peters out of Oakland (Calif.) McClymonds.
Landing Sankey is a big bonus for Washington's class because the four-star prospect is the highest-rated running back in the Pacific Northwest and the Huskies' coaching staff has slowly pursued the Spokane (Wash.) Gonzaga Prep standout for months.
Rivals.com rates Sankey, a 5-foot-9, 183-pound prospect, No. 19 at running back, No. 235 nationally and fifth in the Washington state rankings.
With Sankey's switch, now four of the top five players from that state (Sankey, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Kasen Williams and Danny Shelton) are committed to the Huskies.
Sankey, who rushed for more than 5,000 yards in his high school career, had been committed to Washington State since late December 2009.
"I could really see myself there for the next four years, not only on the football field but also walking in and out of their academic facilities and in classrooms as well," Sankey said.
"It was just that gut feeling, and after I thought through it countless times and did all the logical thinking I felt I was capable of, from my heart I did what I felt was best."