After watching freshman quarterback Jake Locker run for 83
yards and dissect the Syracuse
defense with pinpoint passing last week in a 42-12 shellacking, some Washington
fans believe he may one of the best in school history.
That’s saying something, considering Locker would be
mentioned alongside great names like Warren Moon, Steve Pelleur, Chris Chandler
and Mark Brunell.
Locker came to Seattle
as a highly-recruited quarterback from inside Washington. He led Ferndale
High School to a perfect 14-0
record and the Washington 3A
state championship his senior year. He
passed for 1,603 yards and 27 touchdowns with just three interceptions and also
rushed for 1,338 yards and 24 TD’s. Parade
Magazine and E/A Sports named Jake a first-team high school All-American. Locker
was named both 3A and overall state player of the year by both the Associated
Press and the Seattle Times. In the
state championship game against Prosser, Locker accounted for four touchdowns
and 272 total yards in Ferndale’s
47-12 win over Prosser. Ferndale
finished the year #8 in USA Today’s West Region rankings and #12 in
MaxPreps.com’s final national rankings.
Locker finished at Ferndale
ranked #5 nationally at quarterback and first in the West. Scout ranked him 85th overall in
their National Hot 100.
As a junior, Locker threw for 1,314 yards and 16 TD’s and
rushed for 987 yards and 15 TD’s, leading Ferndale
to a 13-2 record and state runner-up finish and earning all-state honors. In his sophomore season, Locker threw for 713
yards and nine touchdowns and ran for 478 yards and three more scores.
It’s early in his career of course, but Locker has Husky
fans excited about the possibilities.
Going against a team from a much smaller conference, Locker is hoping
the statistician has enough pages to keep track of his exploits on
Saturday. Jake and the Huskies entertain
Boise State
of the Western Athletic Conference Saturday afternoon—kickoff is at 1:30.