The eyes of the college football world will be on Seattle this weekend when Washington plays host to No. 2 Oregon in a critical Pac 12 game. With "College GameDay" in town and a nationally broadcast game, it's a tailor-made opportunity for the Huskies to impress the nation -- and more specifically, potential recruits.
It's an opportunity the UW coaching staff is taking seriously.
"With something like 'GameDay,' you get a lot of great opportunities to show some parts of campus that most people don't get to see when they turn on a game," Washington linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator Peter Sirmon said. "They tune in and get the stadium, they get Lake Washington and they get our facilities. But with the exposure Saturday, we're going to get to show off Upper Campus and get people a greater sense of what Seattle is about."
There will be plenty of recruits watching from home, but many will be in the stands, such as four-star safety Bishard Baker (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue); highly regarded junior college defensive tackle Claude Pelon (Mesa, Ariz./Mesa CC); three-star offensive tackle Kaleb McGary (Fife, Wash./Fife); and three-star offensive tackle Layth Friekh (Peoria, Ariz./Centennial).
"We've been sending out some personal invites to make sure these guys, especially those on the West Coast, know that we want them here," Sirmon said. "Most of the guys in the Northwest, we expect them here. It's a great opportunity to see two good football teams go at it. We've been hitting it on Twitter, Facebook and making sure these guys know the opportunities like 'GameDay' are here at the University of Washington with our success."
Whether Washington's success on the field will translate on the recruiting trail remains to be seen.