Kasen Williams picks the University of Washington

The wait is officially over. Skyline senior wide receiver Kasen Williams — a five-star recruit and one of the top rated receivers in the nation — picked the University of Washington in a dramatic, and unique fashion on Friday night. Following a team scrimmage and photo session, Williams (6-2, 195) announced in front of approximately 1,000 youth football players, parents and teammates at Spartan Stadium that he will attend the University of Washington next season. But this was no run-of-the-mill announcement. With five hats — California, Washington, LSU, Florida and Notre Dame — lined up left to right on a table, Williams teased the masses. He hovered with his hand over Florida for a moment, then LSU, before turning to his father. "Dad you want to help me out?," Kasen asked. Aaron Williams a former wide receiver at the University of Washington from 1979-1982, unzipped his jacket, revealing his former No. 2 Husky jersey. Aaron took the jersey off, giving it to Kasen, who quickly put it on, shaping his two hands into a "W," and sending the crowd into a frenzy. "That was pretty cool," Aaron said. "I was totally against the hat thing. I told my wife that I had a couple of jerseys, and my wife went off on it on her end. Then I talked to Kasen about it and he was like 'Yeah, yeah, let's do it.'" Williams explained to the crowd his decision for choosing the University of Washington. "The reason why I made the decision to pick (Washington) you know, I just thought I would follow in my dad's footsteps ...," he said. Kasen also went on to praise the UW's business school, the close proximity to home and a strong 2011 recruiting class. For his dad, the moment was extra special. "That was one of my dreams for him to go to the U and follow in (my) footsteps," Aaron said. "It was close, Cal was really close." Aaron made it clear, the decision was strictly Kasen's. "I didn't want to put too much pressure on him," he said. "I wanted this to be his own decision. I wanted to make sure he'd be somewhere we're he'd be happy and he'd be able to fulfill his dreams. And if anything was to happen with him and his football career ended, he's in a place where he'd be able to finish school and be happy and stay there." Kasen said he hopes to wear the No. 2 jersey just like his dad. But for now, he has another goal on his mind. "I really wanted to do it before senior season because I really wanted to make sure the college stuff got out of the way, and now I can focus on winning another state championship," he said. "We haven't lost yet, we're still going for a fourth one — a four-peat."

Contact Issaquah Reporter Assistant editor Kevin Endejan at kendejan@issaquah-reporter.com or 425-391-0363, ext. 5054.

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