LOS ANGELES, Calif. – For the third consecutive year Washington is ending its season playing in a New Years Six bowl game.

After losing the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to Alabama in 2016, and the Fiesta Bowl to Penn State last season, UW has returned to more a more familiar bowl to conclude the 2018 season. Both defeats highlighted a problem that Chris Petersen needed to rectify fast, if the Huskies were to remain the premier program in the Pac-12.

Recruiting national, elite level prospects at every single position.

The number of four-star recruits to sign with the Huskies has steadily risen over the last six classes, from only one each in 2014 and 2015 to double digits in each of the last two in 2018 and 2019.

In each of the two previous classes UW has bolstered its roster by signing three four-star wide receivers; Austin Osborne, Marquis Spiker and Trey Lowe (2018), and four four-star defensive backs; Julius Irvin / Kyler Gordon (2018), Trent McDuffie / Kamren Fabiculanan (2019.

Where the staff have made the most improvement is the front seven.

UW signed three four-star DL in 2018; Tuli Letuligasenoa, Sam Taimani and Draco Bynum, and added two more during the December early signing period for the 2019 class, Faatui Tuitele and Jacob Bandes.

The pair of interior linemen were joined by two four-star rush linebackers, Bralen Trice and Laiatu Latu, to give UW a total of seven elite front seven prospects over the past two classes.

On Saturday, defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said the last batch of signees headed to Montlake he considers to be “one of our best classes we’ve ever signed.”

With a smile almost as wide as the linemen headed his way – respectfully, and with a light-hearted laugh to match – Lake raved about the incoming DL class.

“Oh yeah. That’s probably what stands out. I mean we have some big guys but they’re also extremely athletic,” he said. “I can’t be more excited about those guys. I mean it’s going to make us be able to do a lot of things in the back end and linebacker. Keep our linebackers clean when we have those type of guys up front just muddying it up.