Arcadia's Taylor Lagace Commits to Washington

In a world where ESPN has turned February’s National Signing Day into a near 24-hour-long, made-for-TV event of epic proportions, it has become increasingly rare for highly regarded players to eschew the cameras when making their college choices and opt for a more nondescript announcement.

But that’s the method that rising Arcadia senior Taylor Lagace chose when he announced his solid verbal commitment to the University of Washington on Tuesday afternoon. Players from the Class of 2012 cannot sign a National Letter of Intent until Feb. 1, 2012.

While Lagace is listed as a wide receiver on his profile on the recruiting website Rivals.com, Arcadia coach Jon Dimalante said the Huskies recruited Lagace primarily as a safety. Dimalante added that he could also see time as a punt or kickoff returner under Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Sarkisian and his coaching staff, Dimalante said, was also one of the key factors in Lagace’s decision to commit.

“He really likes the coaching staff there,” Dimalante said in a phone interview. “I think he wanted to get the decision made.

“ … (Washington) just loved him. He’s a football player. Returning kicks, play receiver. Safety, can make plays on the ball is real physical.”

In a video interview with the Pasadena Star-News, Lagace said that Washington felt like the right fit for him.

"In my heart it was just a good decision for me. I prayed about it a lot over the past couple of months and I just feel like that’s where God wants me to go," he said. "I wanted to get the commitment out of the way and just focus on this year’s season with the team. Just bond with the team and not have stress on my shoulders about the whole college thing.”

Dimalante said Lagace (a 3-star recruit, according to Rivals.com) had offers from about 12 to 15 schools at the time of his commitment, drawing interest from most of the Pac-12 as well as Boise State of the Mountain West Conference.

Splitting his time between wide receiver and safety last season for the Apaches, Lagace caught a total of 42 passes for 650 yards and nine touchdowns to lead Arcadia in all three categories. Then on defense, he finished the year with 21 tackles and four interceptions, the latter of which led the team.

“He’s a great kid, a great student, a great football player and one of our captains,” Dimalante said. “We’re really excited for him. It’s going to be fun to watch him on Saturdays.”