UW’s in the running for another 4-star DB. So are ‘Bama & USC

Early on, it was clear Julius Irvin had the sort of skills Washington was looking for.

That’s why the Huskies were one of the first schools to offer Irvin back in November 2016.

As National Signing Day draws closer, there’s a growing interest in what Irvin, a four-star defensive back. will do Wednesday.

He’s going to commit and later sign with one of three schools. UW is one of those programs.

So are Alabama and USC. The Crimson Tide hosted Irvin on an official visit earlier this month and made an in-home trek to Orange County more than a week ago, according to 247 Sports. His official to Montlake came in mid-September, around the same time he also toured Michigan and Notre Dame.

Irvin, who stars at Southern California power Anaheim Servite, has made three unofficial visits to USC since mid-October. He’s taken two trips to Troy since January 14.

247 Sports predicts the Huskies have a 47 percent chance of adding Irvin to what’s already the best class in the Chris Petersen era.

The frenzy around Irvin is fervent for a few reasons. He’s a 6-foot-2 and 182-pound defensive back who can play at cornerback or safety.

He has the quickness to get across the field in a short amount of time. Irvin also has the speed to match a receiver stride-for-stride.

If needed, he can drop down into coverage or can survey a field well enough to create disruption.

There’s also his size. He has the build to bully smaller receivers and the frame that allows him to compete with bigger targets.

More than 19,000 people have visited Irvin’s Hudl page to get a look at player who they hope is a future Husky.

Or be the latest local kid to stay home. Or become the newest example of Alabama’s national appeal.

Irvin finished his senior season with 52 total tackles at a rate of 4.7 per game. He also deflected 11 passes, grabbed five interceptions and forced one fumble in his final year with the Friars.

Should he choose the Huskies, he’ll be the 20th member of a recruiting class 247 rates as the No. 2 group in the Pac-12 and the 13th best group nationally.

UW already has two cornerbacks in its class in three-star Dominique Hampton and four-star Kyler Gordon.

The Huskies enter next season with 13 defensive backs on the roster but could see key losses after the 2018 campaign.

Washington will lose four members of its secondary to graduation and that includes safety Jojo McIntosh and cornerback Jordan Miller.

And should star junior safety Taylor Rapp have another strong year, he could depart for the NFL and push the figure to five.

This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 2:35 PM with the headline "UW’s in the running for another 4-star DB. So are ‘Bama & USC."