Both the UW football and volleyball teams had excellent recruiting classes this year, getting standout talent from as far away as Hawaii. However, much of the UW’s recruiting efforts took place in our home state. Of the 26 incoming freshmen for the football team, 12 of them are from Washington.

“I’m very pleased with this group of young men,” football coach Tyrone Willingham said to GoHuskies.com, “I think our coaching staff and our players did a great job in terms of addressing the needs of our team and in terms of getting so many standout student-athletes from here in the state of Washington.”

Volleyball was also able to make use of homegrown Washington talent, signing three top-tier local players: Lauren Barfield of Newport High School, Kelcey Dunaway of Bainbridge High School, and Bianca Rowland of King’s High School. All three committed to the UW, signing in the early signing period (Nov. 14-21), almost six months before the regular signing period.

“I like our recruiting class a lot,” volleyball coach Jim McLaughlin said. “I like it for a number of reasons. I think they meet our match. I think that it’s a physical class. They have some ability. You never know for sure about your class until a year down the road, but based on their ability, it’s going to be a big-time class for us.”

Barfield, a middle blocker from Bellevue, came highly touted.

“I think that she’s going to be an elite player at the highest level,” McLaughlin said. “We liked her more and more the more we got to know her. She’s a kid that will do what it takes to become great.”

The 6-foot-5-inch incoming freshman was the MVP of her high school team two years in a row, leading the team to a second place finish in the KingCo league tournament last fall. She was named the KingCo league player of the year and was selected twice for all-league honors. The UW didn’t have an easy time getting the sensation, as she was also recruited by Colorado State, Florida, Oregon, Oregon State, Pepperdine and Washington State.

Kelcey Dunaway, a si6-foot-2-inch middle blocker hailing from Bainbridge Island, was also incredibly successful in high school. As a junior, she helped lead the Bainbridge High School Spartans to a fourth place finish in the 3A state tournament. She was named to the Seattle Times All-Arena Team, has twice been selected to the All-Metro League first team and currently holds the Bainbridge High School record for blocks.

On top of that, Dunaway was on the honor roll her entire high school career. She was highly recruited by numerous schools, piquing the interest of California, Colorado State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Washington State.

“[Dunaway is] a kid with tremendous lateral speed,” McLaughlin said. “She’s very physical and very intellectual.”

Rowland, a 6-foot blocker and outside hitter out of Mill Creek, also boasts a stellar high school performance. She led her team to two consecutive league championships and consecutive third place finishes in the Washington 1A state tournament. She was named to the 1A state tournament team her junior year and was a second team All-Arena selection by the Everett Herald. Also highly recruited, Rowland drew attention from Georgetown, Gonzaga, New Mexico State, North Carolina State, Oregon State, UNLV and Washington State.

“We think that the sky’s the limit for this kid,” McLaughlin said.

Rowland was a multitalented athlete in high school, lettering in basketball for three years and earning team MVP honors in 2005.

The UW volleyball team had a very successful season last year, finishing 27-4 with a No. 6 overall ranking. They advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament and were knocked out by BYU who was unranked. However, McLaughlin has even higher aspirations for next year.

“We want to be in striking distance for a Pac-10 title and a national championship,” McLaughlin said. “We’ve got some work to do, but we believe we can do it.”

The football team will be looking to improve from last year as well. After finishing 2-7 in the Pac-10 and 4-9 overall, the UW will seek to build a better supporting cast around Pac-10 freshman of the year, Jake Locker. They made an excellent start with their recruiting efforts this year, adding 11 defensive players to aid their ailing defense, which was the worst unit in school history, giving up an unprecedented 446.4 yards and 31.6 points per game.

The defense already showed major signs of improvement in the spring game, holding the first team offense to only seven points. Defensive line coach Randy Hart expects good things for the team next year.

“I think we will be a much improved football team,” Hart said. “We have a lot of young players who are inexperienced, but they gained a lot of experience last year. We will continue to grow as a team.”

The team also gained four new targets for Locker to throw to: Chris Polk, Jordan Polk, Jermaine Kearse and Cody Burns have all been recruited to the wide receiver position. Chris Polk garnered a 78 overall ranking on ESPN.com. The 5-foot-11-inch wide receiver out of Redlands East Valley high school in Highland, Calif., has experience playing tailback as well. He played that position most of his senior season, rushing for 2,561 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading his team to a 12-1 record and the Inland Division semifinals.

As a junior, Chris Polk caught 62 passes for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was rated as the 18th best overall recruit out of California, the No. 4 all purpose back and 139th best overall prospect by rivals.com.

The Huskies also recruited four new running backs in an effort help to fill the position left last year by 1,000-yard rusher, Louis Rankin. Those running backs are Demetrius Bronson, Terrance Dailey, Johri Fogerson and David Freeman. As of the spring game, however, it appears that Brandon Johnson will be getting most of the carries this year.

The UW’s most hyped pick this year is another target for Jake — tight end Kavario Middleton. Middleton, out of Lakes High School in Lakewood, Wash., can also play defensive end. In his senior season, he racked up 115 tackles, 18 pass deflections and 10 sacks while catching 45 passes for 503 yards and eight touchdowns on offense. He helped lead Lakes to a 10-1 record.

As talented as all of these recruits are, fans need to keep in mind that these newcomers will be in a very different environment than high school.

“You are dealing with human beings,” Hart said, “Once they come to campus, three things will be different for them. They will face tougher academic competition, tougher physical competition and they will be away from home for the first time.”

Washington football and volleyball have done an excellent job of keeping Washington talent in the state.

“We thought that it was really important that we keep the top kids home,” McLaughlin said. “Our community is going to get into that. It’s great for the program.”