Washington football recruiting: Quinten Pounds is a great pickup for the Huskies

The early '90s is when I first fell in love with college football and that was when the University of Washington owned the Pac-10. Don James was "The Dawgfather" and the team was loaded with talent.

But even at that time, USC was still seen as the team of choice for recruits in California and the narrative was always based around USC not offering a player. If a California kid was a good player at another Pac-12 school, then USC must have let the player slip away from their grasp.

After watching film on Quinten Pounds, the newest commitment to the University of Washington, I can't help but think that one day people are going to be talking about how they don't understand how he didn't get a USC offer.

Pounds projects to either side of the ball in college. He is so smooth in the way he transitions as a corner. He can drop his hips and explode to the football and it can look effortless. He's not super disciplined right now in his technique and could become a lot better if he concentrated on the position full time.

What impresses me the most about him though is the way he attacks in run support. He fights to get off blocks and get involved with the tackle. He is extremely thin right now (he's listed at less than 170 pounds), but plays much bigger than his weight would indicate. He can be a physical football player.

In saying all of that about his potential on defense, it's impossible to deny what he has shown as a wide receiver. He has dynamic speed and has flashed big time explosiveness out of his cuts during his senior season. He not only can get deep and be a threat after the catch, but he has big time ball skills.

He will go up and get the football at its highest point. That one handed catch he makes at the beginning of the highlights above is probably the best incompletion (the ball was thrown out of bounds) I have ever seen.

The biggest question about him would have to be his weight, but he doesn't play like a guy who weighs what he does on offense either. He runs hard and can break tackles. It's not just him being slippery. He will run through arm tackles if players don't wrap up.

Once he gets in Washington's strength and conditioning program and starts concentrating on one position, this kid has the chance to be a great player in the Pac-12. He's underrated in regards to his ranking, in my opinion.

What position he ends up playing in college is certainly up for debate. I like him a bit more as a receiver than a corner, but wouldn't argue with anyone who preferred it the other way. At either position, I think he can turn some heads during his college career.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if one day everyone starts asking the question "How the heck did this kid not get a USC offer?"