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In this day and age of college football recruiting, it's kind of crazy how kids like Bryce Sterk can go largely unnoticed until late in the process. The Huskies coaching staff sure took notice of him. It was enough to offer a player who went mostly undetected by the major recruiting sites (Rivals has him ranked as a 2 star)and Chris Petersen and his staff were fortunate enough to earn his commitment this weekend.
What kind of player are the Huskies getting in the under the radar Sterk?
Bryce Sterk - 2 star defensive end/outside linebacker
One look at Sterk and it's obvious he has the kind of frame that makes him an ideal pass rusher. At 6'5" with great length, he's an athlete who shows good straight ahead speed.
He flashed very good potential to rush the passer as a senior. The reason I have to say words like "flashed" and "potential" is because Sterk made the majority of his plays when blitzing from edge where he came in unblocked. When he was blocked, it was by a back trying to pick him up and he was able to bully the smaller players and get to the quarterback. The jury is out on him rushing versus an offensive tackle and having to bend around the edge or utilize his length for pass rush moves or counters. He's going to be raw in this area and will need his hands to be developed. He did show outstanding acceleration though and the great effort in pursuit.
He does a nice job of setting the edge and keeping contain versus the run. This is where he does use that awesome length of his to create separation and disengage to make sure nothing gets outside of him.
His hips look a bit stiff in pass coverage and I don't think that's going to be a strength of his at Washington. He is much better suited to rush the passer than drop into coverage and that's what makes him an appropriate fit at BUCK.
He has enticing athleticism and length and is going to be very interesting to watch develop over the next couple of years. If he can develop the kind of hand usage Hau'oli Kikaha had, then he has the rest of the tools to become a very good pass rusher.