2019 Men's Recruit Rankings: #1 Washington Huskies

Recruit rankings data has been manually collected by TSR contributors from multiple, reliable sources. Transfers and foreign recruits who are not expected to have four years of eligibility are excluded from these rankings. Order of rankings was decided by all TSR contributors. Despite our research, it is possible that certain names have been erroneously omitted.

Did we miss someone? If so, send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com & let us know!

The consensus #1 pick of our recruit rankings goes the Washington Huskies...and it's easy to understand why. The Powell's have wasted no time building this roster in their image, bringing in only the most elite recruits - not only in the country - but also from around the world. Each of these rising freshmen will have the chance to contribute towards the growing perception that the Seattle-based Huskies are becoming a modern-day powerhouse.

Let's waste no time and jump in. I want to begin the conversation with Joe Waskom because I feel like his relative value for the Huskies is far great than some may realize. Rising senior and 3:57 miler Mick Stanovsek is nearing the end of his collegiate eligibility after he transferred from Oregon to Washington during the summer of 2018. He has been the clear star on this team for the past year and will leave behind some big shoes to fill come 2021. Luckily for the Huskies, they may have found the perfect replacement.

Not only will Waskom be able to learn from Stanovsek in his final year with the team, but Waskom will also have sub-four miler Sam Ritz (a graduate transfer from Columbia) joining him as well. Having two elite milers mentoring Waskom in his first year with the program has to be comforting when thinking about his future development. Not only that, but having 3:59 miler Talon Hull to train alongside for the next two to three years makes Waskom a great fit for this team. With a 4:03 mile PR, the rising freshman will likely ensure that the Huskies' 1500/mile group stays among the top ranks in the NCAA.

Of course, Waskom can do more than just run a fast mile. He was the Washington XC state champion this past fall which was immediately followed by a qualifying performance to Nike Cross Nationals (where he placed 33rd overall). Don't overlook the potential contributions Waskom could make on the grass in the next year or two.

Staying in-state we have Luke Houser who is extremely familiar with Waskom after racing against him over the past four years. With personal bests of 4:08 and 14:57, it is clear that Houser has the same upside potential that Waskom does. In a state that is as competitive as Washington, Houser will be no stranger to elite competition whether it be in the PAC-12 or on his own team.

In most programs, Houser would be an immediate contributor. Of course, Washington isn't like "most programs". It may take some time for Houser to develop as he attempts to shine through the cloud of raw talent on this team.

We have now come to Daniel Maton. Does that name sound familiar? If so, then you're thinking of Daniel's older brother Matthew Maton who broke the four-minute mile barrier as a high schooler back in 2015. Matthew went on to run at Oregon under Coach Powell before a series of rumored injuries ultimately forced him away from the sport.

Of course, we aren't here to talk about Matthew. Daniel Maton has been an absolute animal over the past two to three years, establishing some of the top high school times in the country. At the Portland Track Festival last month, Maton threw down a monster time of 1:49.69 for 800 meters which ranks as the best high school half-mile time in the country this year. A result like that only complements his recent personal best of 4:06 for 1600 meters which he ran at the Washington State Championships back in late May. The two men he had to out-run in order to win that state title? Future teammates Joe Waskom and Luke Houser.

That win, however, wasn't just a fluke. In total, Maton has six Washington state titles in his high school career. He's won the 800/1600 double gold on three different occasions. Once as a sophomore, once as a junior, and once as a senior. When you consider the fact that Maton just ran his fastest 800 and 1600 times as a senior (within the span of 12 days), it's clear that Maton still has a high ceiling for continued improvement.

Now that we are finished with Maton, we can finally make our way out of the state of Washington to find a different recruit. This time it's Sam Affolder.

Much like Daniel Maton, Sam's older brother Noah is a largely successful distance runner in the NCAA who recently made headlines by transferring from Syracuse to Oregon. But Sam is capable of making headlines of his own. He did, after all, anchor home the high school boys DMR national record for Loudon Valley this past winter (for a total time of 9:54.41) with a split of 4:06.21.

What makes Affolder such a valuable pickup is that he is one of the most versatile distance recruits in the entire United States. With personal bests of 1:52 (800), 2:27 (1k), 4:08 (1600), 8:59 (3200), and 14:58 (5k), Affolder can seemingly help the Huskies in any part of their distance roster (and do so almost immediately).

And yes, I really do mean in any part of their distance roster...which includes the steeplechase. With a personal best of 9:16, Affolder looks like someone who could follow in his brother's footsteps as a high-level collegiate steeplechaser who is capable of fighting for a spot to NCAA's as just a freshman. Just this past spring, Washington had three men run steeplechase times of 8:55 (Laccinole), 8:46 (Julius Diehr), and 8:43 (Alex Slenning). Slenning was only a freshman and recently qualified for the U20 World Championships in the steeplechase after winning the U20 USA Championships.

Yet, even with all of those recruits, none of them have resumes that can match what we have seen from the final name on our list. I am, of course, referring to Samuel Tanner.

The Kiwi superstar has been one of the best young talents in the world, running a monster time of 3:58 for the mile earlier this year. Tanner later followed that up with a jaw-dropping performance at the Brooks PR Invite, running 3:38 for 1500 meters in the men's race.

3:38.

For 1500 meters.

For an 18 year old.

Tanner is not just someone who can immediately help Washington. He's not just someone who can act as a scorer. He's not just someone who can fight for a national qualifying or an All-American spot. This is someone capable of winning a national title as early as March, 2020.

Sam Tanner is a legendary talent who has shown similar levels of fitness to what we saw from Drew Hunter back when he was still in high school. Much like Hunter, Tanner is not only a stud in the mile distances. He also has personal bests of 1:49 for 800 meters and 8:22 for 3000 meters.

I think it's fair to make an argument that the Stanford recruiting class could be #1 in our rankings. I don't necessarily think that would be wrong. But what makes Washington the standout team in our Top 10 is the fact that they have a juggernaught superstar who will be a major issue for even the most accomplished milers in the NCAA.

The Powells are looking to show that their success in Eugene wasn't based on the allure of the Oregon brand. Instead, they want to prove that they can build a powerhouse program wherever they go.

And so far, that seems to be the case.