Huskies icon Don James will attend Tuesday night's practice

Legendary Washington Husky football coach Don James is expected to make an appearance at Tuesday's 6:45 p.m. practice, which is the second of two practices. The Huskies will also workout at 8:45 a.m.

It's believed to be the first time James, who lives in Arizona, will observe a UW workout since coach Steve Sarkisian was hired in December. It will also be a unique meeting between the coach who led Washington to a perfect 12-0 record and a co-national championship in 1991 and the coach who inherited a team that went 0-12 last season.

On his Twitter account, Sarkisian posted Sunday: "Just got off the phone with Coach James, he'll be out at our Tuesday night practice! What an absolute stud he is. The Dawgfather!!!"

James compiled a 153-57-2 record between 1975-92.

Huskies get commitment from California lineman

The Huskies landed one of their biggest targets remaining in the Class of 2010 Monday night, securing a commitment from offensive tackle Erik Kohler of Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village, Calif. The commitment was reported by the LA Times and Scout.com, among others.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder is considered one of the top offensive tackles in the country, rated by Scout.com as No. 21 overall.

He is a high school teammate of quarterback Nick Montana who earlier committed to UW, and begins to fill a key need for the Huskies in replenishing their offensive line. He is one of three OL commits UW has for the Class of 2010 joining tackle Ben Riva of O'Dea and guard Colin Porter of Bothell.

Oaks Christian will play at Skyline on Sept. 18.

Polk keeps rolling

Chris Polk did nothing on Monday to diminish his bid to win the starting running back job. The redshirt freshman, who played in just two games last season before suffering a season-ending left shoulder injury, showcased his big-play ability with a pair of long touchdowns near the end of practice.

"I really don't know what going through the coach's head," he said. "That's his decision. ... But yes, if I can do what I've been doing, that's what I'm aiming for. Just being consistent."

Despite the recent strong showings from Polk, Sarkisian said the there's still competition for starting jobs at several positions, including running back. Sophomore Johri Fogerson is still in contention along with Curtis Shaw, Willie Griffin and Demitrius Bronson.

Notes

QB Keith Price, DE Talia Crichton and LB Tim Tucker missed Monday's practice. Sarkisian said the three freshmen sat out because the NCAA Clearinghouse needed to review their eligibility for the upcoming season. DB Quinton Richardson (hip pointer), TE Kavario Middleton (sore hamstring) and S David Batts (sore foot) also missed Monday's drill because of injuries and will likely need a few more days to recover

A camera crew followed Sarkisian during Monday's practice. The energetic coach wore a microphone, which likely provided great material for a piece that will air on ESPN GameDay before the Sept. 5 game against No. 11 LSU.

"I have no problems wearing a microphone," he said. "This is what we do. And this is the way we do it. ... I want people to see that."