Husky fans got what they want for Christmas in a head coach in Kalen DeBoer. An elite offensive mind, who clearly has very high expectations for what his program should be. Fans clearly have high hopes for him, and with the early offers he’s put out, he’s shown that he’s willing to recruit at a national level, not just on the west coast. So what kind of presents can DeBoer give to Husky nation over the coming months?

Build a fence in Washington

Josh Conerly, Joshua Wood, Jayden Wayne, Caleb Presley, Jasiah Wagoner, and Gabarri Johnson should be priority number one for DeBoer and his staff. He mentioned in his introductory press conference that he wants to build a fence in the state, and both 2023 and 2024 are going to be very important in the state of Washington, and having those classes turn out the way the class of 2021 did simply cannot happen if DeBoer expects to compete for Pac-12 championships. He can say it all he wants, but it’s time to back up the talk. The first way he can do that is by offering Wood, the Graham-Kapowsin quarterback and Washington’s Gatorade Player of the Year, who put the country on notice after leading his team to a stunning upset victory over the top high school team in Georgia, Collins Hill.

Keep going national

The west coast just got a whole lot tougher to recruit with Lincoln Reily taking over at USC. DeBoer can’t be afraid to go toe to toe with him for the top recruits in California, but the best teams in the country can pull players from everywhere. One of DeBoer’s primary responsibilities as a recruiter should be to sell Washington as a national brand. Between the resources he has, the pedigree of the program, and the opportunities the Montlake Futures NIL program can provide, he’s got a full arsenal that he can sell to any recruit in the country. But enough about saying it, DeBoer has to go out there and do it. The offers he’s put out over the last few weeks show that he wants to expand Washington’s footprint, but now it’s time to reel some of those guys in.

Fan appeal

This will all come down to an active social media presence. Staying active and engaged, while listening to the fans is all Husky nation has seemed to want since Chris Petersen left the program. DeBoer seems dedicated to keeping fan engagement as high as possible, and referenced playing in front of a sold-out Husky Stadium in his opening press conference. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him open up more practices in the spring and summer to fans, and try to find other ways to make sure fans are involved with the program.

Merry Christmas Husky fans! Kalen DeBoer is a home run hire as a head coach. His biggest question mark is as a recruiter, and he seems up for the challenge to answer that question.