The last time Washington flipped a local high school football recruit, who had been committed to the University of Oregon, it turned out pretty good.
In 2014, shortly after Chris Petersen was named as the 28th head coach in school history, Budda Baker made a verbal pledge to Oregon on Dec. 20, 2013. The four-star safety for Bellevue High School didn’t have an early signing day back then.
28 days later Baker backed off his commitment to the Ducks and come National Signing Day the local defensive back signed with UW after making his decision public on KING TV days before he put pen to paper.
Fast forward to 2022.
Going into this season there was optimism that Kalen DeBoer would do good at Washington.
But he was playing catch up on the recruiting trail after taking over a program that had lost its allure and ability to land the top prospects, specifically to other schools in the Pac-12 such as Oregon.
After starting the season unbeaten in non-conference play – highlighted by a 40-22 victory over a top 25 ranked Michigan State team – momentum began to pick up on the trail.
Caleb Presley, a four-star cornerback for Rainier Beach High School, was at the game and stood on the field after the game as fans rushed the field. Wearing a purple hoodie, it was only a matter of time before the Budda effect would come true once more.
Presley committed to Oregon on July 5, choosing the Ducks over a number of schools including the Huskies, and continued to keep his pledge to the program despite making an appearance at Husky Stadium.
Then came UW’s 37-34 victory over Oregon at Autzen Stadium on Nov. 12. The win gave DeBoer even more evidence for recruits, including Presley, that if given the option to choose between the two, there is only one true winner.
Presley announced Thursday he will be on campus at UW on Friday to begin an official visit.
The Huskies already hold four verbal commitments from defensive backs for their 2023 recruiting class; cornerback’s Curley Reed (Lake Charles, Louisiana; Lake Charles College Prep), Leroy Bryant (Fairfield, California; Angelo Rodriguez High School) and Diesel Gordon (Arlington, Texas; Seguin High School), and safety Vincent Holmes (San Jacinto, California; San Jacinto High School).
Adding Presley, ranked as the No. 127 overall prospect in the class by 247Sports and the No. 13 rated cornerback in the country, would cap off the class with a massive cherry on top.
UW cornerbacks coach Julius Brown has already shown he’s not afraid to play freshmen if they’re up to the task.
“Just like we tell the room, we tell the recruits the best player is going to play,” Brown said. “Talent and execution and making plays, it doesn’t have an age. For us, we’re going to play the best players. We want competition in every room.
“At the end of the day, great players come to UW because it’s a great program. We want to attract great players. We want to get more talent on our roster and let them compete against each other.”
Caleb would sort of look that way, like a Buddha. But I hope the winning lasts long beyond it this time.