If starting positions were earned based on post-practice throwing contests at the University of Washington, newcomer Thomas Vincent would certainly be in the mix.
Scholarship quarterbacks, past and present, stand on the 40-yard line – including UW coach Steve Sarkisian, who played at Brigham Young – and take turns trying to toss a football through the goalposts.
About half of the time, Keith Price and Nick Montana find the mark. The ultra-competitive Sarkisian fares better. And the high-arcing passes that sail through most often belong to Vincent, a walk-on from King’s High School.
Last spring, Vincent joined Gig Harbor tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins as the only true freshmen to enroll early.
“He’s a kid that has kind of intrigued me in spring football practice,” Sarkisian said. “He is a tremendous athlete. You are going to see him on special teams doing other things as well.”
Based on his track record, Vincent should.
In three seasons at King’s, a Class 1A team, he amassed 9,823 yards of total offense, leading the Knights to the postseason each year.
He was the Cascade Conference player of the year in 2009 after passing for 2,584 yards and 41 TDs in leading King’s to the state semis.
Last season, he passed for 1,843 yards and 25 TDs as the Knights reached the 1A quarterfinals.
Vincent performed in the spread option in high school, which prompted the Air Force Academy to offer him a scholarship.
But UW was always his top choice. And the Huskies contacted him in January and asked him to walk on.
“It was a no-brainer for me,” Vincent said.
He was in UW’s spring camp, a wake-up for him.
“This offense has a little bit of everything in it … but the pro-set dropping back, that was a little new to me,” Vincent said.
Coaches gave Vincent three points of emphasis for the summer: Add strength, increase his burst to an NCAA Division I level and rehearse his footwork on all dropback throws.
As No. 4 on the depth chart, he’s likely the scout-team quarterback.
But in 2012, or a year after that? Keep his name in mind.
“Whatever my role, I feel it is my job to contribute the most I can,” Vincent said.
EXTRA POINTS
Linebacker Cort Dennison (leg) and defensive tackle Alameda Ta’amu (wrist) were full participants in practice Monday and experienced no new issues. … Running back Chris Polk (knee), cornerback Quinton Richardson (ankle) and linebacker Jordan Wallace (knee) remained out. … Sarkisian shed nothing new on the starting punter job between Will Mahan and Kiel Rasp, saying “we’re going to use both those guys.” … The team held its first fall-camp practice in rain, but remained outdoors.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.