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The net Washington coach Steve Sarkisian cast over the state of Washington a year ago didn't have the same hold when it came to the top recruits in 2012.

But what escaped the state might have been made up for by what the Huskies grabbed out of California, with no signing on Wednesday's national signing day bigger than landing safety Shaq Thompson out of Grant High in Sacramento.

"For us to get Shaq Thompson is just awesome," Sarkisian said. "This kid is a tremendous football player."

The Huskies signed 25 players to national letters of intent Wednesday, and it didn't end until Denver-area quarterback Cyler Miles faxed in his letter late in the day after entertaining a late run from USC.

Washington saw prized in-state recruits Zach Banner (USC), KeiVarae Russell (Notre Dame), Josh Garnett (Stanford) and Cedric Dozier (California) bail the Pacific Northwest. Of the top five in-state recruits for 2012, Mercer Island quarterback Jeff Lindquist was the lone top prospect to stay home, an early commit to play for the Huskies.

Only five of the Huskies' 25 signings are from Washington. But what the Huskies lost out on at home was counterbalanced by what they were able to pull out of California.

"Naturally in a sense, sure, I would have loved to have gotten all of those guys," Sarkisian said. "But again, the reality of it is they are doing what's best for them and they are going to tremendous places, and I wish them the best of luck. They are all good kids.

"But we ultimately have to do what's best for us and what fits us, and I think that the recruiting efforts by our staff were focused and balanced across the board."

The main defensive focus was on improving the secondary. Thompson goes a long way to accomplishing that.

He was the consensus top-rated safety prospect in the country and was the player of the year by multiple outlets in California. Not only a defensive star, Thompson also rushed for 1,100 yards and had 15 touchdowns during his senior season at Grant.

Sarkisian was impressed by how Thompson handled his recruitment and the announcement of where he was headed, sending out a short tweet Monday night announcing his intention to become a Husky. It didn't hurt that Thompson had a strong relationship with new defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi - previously a coach at Cal - and is close friends with current Washington defensive back James Sample.

"He could have had all the fanfare he wanted," Sarkisian said. "He could have had every media member in the Bay Area there to see his announcement, but in the subtle way he did it, I think it speaks volumes to the type of kid that he is."

While Thompson was the star, there is also depth in what the Huskies added to their secondary. Cornerback Brandon Beaver of Dominguez High in Compton, Calif., was a late announcement that Sarkisian sprung during his news conference. Washington also grabbed Cleveland Wallace and Darien Washington from California, both having the versatility to play cornerback or safety.

Washington also made the defensive line a priority, signing junior college transfer Josh Banks and grabbing defensive end Pio Vatuvei away from USC at the last second.

"Anytime you can go into California and get a defensive lineman when that big school down there is on him, that's a feather in our cap," Sarkisian said.

The Huskies added five offensive lineman, including Shane Brostek out of Kamuela, Hawaii, the son of former Washington lineman Bern Brostek. Sarkisian was also high on running back Erich Wilson II out of Serra High in the Bay Area. Wilson broke school records held by Lynn Swann, including 2,106 yards rushing and 33 touchdowns as a senior.

Miles and Lindquist were also important in adding depth at quarterback. The Huskies saw Nick Montana transfer after the season and will enter next season with only four quarterbacks and an open competition for who will back up starter Keith Price. Sarkisian didn't see any problems with bringing in two highly regarded QBs in the same class.

"We've had some really good success of guys coming in together and staggering them with redshirts," Sarkisian said. "And guys that have never even started a game and getting drafted and now being one of the highest-paid players in the National Football League. There's a lot of evidence that says you can bring in two guys and both can be very successful."

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