The Washington Huskies have bolstered their defensive backfield with the signing of cornerback Jermaine Kelly. The Los Angeles Bishop Mora Salesian product was a UCLA commit for roughly six months last year, but de-committed from the Bruins and flipped over to the Huskies in early January. USC ended up trying to push for him with a last-second offer after they lost several of their recruits and scholarships opened up, but Kelly stayed true to Washington.
Jermaine Kelly signs with Washington over USC: Huskies ink long-time UCLA commit
The former UCLA commit has signed on with the Huskies, giving them a shot of athleticism and size in the secondary.
William Mancebo
Kelly has a big frame for a cornerback, and it's possible that he could grow into a safety while in Seattle. He may be able to work his way into some playing time early, however, as the Huskies are losing their top cornerback, Desmond Trufant, to the NFL. Kelly is the top-rated cornerback in Washington's class, and is considered among the top-20 cornerback prospects in the nation. Kelly is incredibly talented and figures to continue to help a growing Washington defense load up even further in terms of overall strength.
Washington also brought in two other solid California cornerbacks, Patrick Enewally and Kevin King, giving the Huskies plenty of much-needed depth at the position. Kelly’s commitment is a boost for an already-strong Washington recruiting class, which sits firmly in the top 15 in the country. It would appear that after closing strong with their 2012 class, the additions of defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox are paying serious dividends on the recruiting trail.
Ratings: Kelly is a four-star recruit according to 247, Rivals, and Scout, and a three-star recruit according to ESPN.
Vitals: Kelly stands at a height 6’1 and lands at a weight of 180 pounds.
Other offers: Kelly also had offers from Boise State, Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Hawaii, Memphis, Minnesota and UCLA.
Recruitment timeline: Kelly committed to UCLA last July, but de-committed from the Bruins on Dec. 11. Less than a month later, he committed to Washington on Jan. 7. Kelly would then receive eleventh hour interest from USC (particularly when the Trojans lost cornerback commit Jalen Ramsey to Florida State) but would end up sticking with Washington.
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