Spring is often said to be a time of change, but for one Pac-10 football team this year, a lack of change may pay huge dividends.
Many were surprised that Washington quarterback Jake Locker decided to forgo this April’s NFL draft and return for his senior season to lead the Huskies, especially with this year’s class not too heavy on talent at his position.
UW’s stability at the most important position will make the Huskies, who improved from 0-12 in 2008 to 5-7 last year under first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian, a contender in a conference that has been shaken by coaching departures (adios, Pete Carroll) and key suspensions (see: Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli).
While schools like California (Kevin Riley) and USC (Matt Barkley) enter the season relatively confident in the play they will get at the signal-caller spot, there is nobody better at the position in the Pac-10 than Locker, who is already garnering some attention as a possible Heisman candidate.
It’s always a risk to pass up a guaranteed high draft spot to play another year collegiately — who knows how much money missing most of last season with a shoulder injury will cost Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford — but if Locker stays healthy, he and the Huskies will have a chance to reap the kind of rewards that could make his decision a good one.
