Sarkisian Hires Husky Legend Marques Tuiasosopo Away from UCLA

Bruins#1 already fanshotted this but it's worth lifting into our cover. Washington's Steve Sarkisian just hired former Husky legend Marques Tuiasosopo - UCLA's current TE coach - away from UCLA. From the Seattle Times:

The University of Washington reached out to one of the most legendary names in its history to fill an opening on its football coaching staff Saturday, hiring Marques Tuiasosopo as quarterbacks coach.

Tuiasosopo, who was the Pac-10's Offensive Player of the Year in 2000 when he led the Huskies to an 11-1 season and their last Rose Bowl win, spent the last two years at UCLA, serving last season as tight-ends coach.

"I'm very excited to come back home to coach where I played and to help Coach (Steve) Sarkisian continue to bring the Huskies back to where we belong: at the top of the Pac-12, in the Rose Bowl and competing for championships," Tuiasosopo was quoted in a news release from the school. "I'm also happy to be coaching the position I love."

Well, you cannot fault someone for wanting to go home. I have had a soft spot for Tui ever since he was the QB for Huskies. He was a baller who reminded me of how Cade McNown played the game at the college level.

That said - there is a bit of backstory to do this. I think it's reasonable to speculate that Sark hired Tui not just because he publicly thinks Tui is a solid position coach, but also because of this:

When Myles Jack (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue) was asked about the role Marques Tuiasosopo played in his decision to commit to UCLA back in June, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker said the coach "pretty much sold me on UCLA."

After hearing the former Washington quarterback was leaving his job as the Bruins' tight ends coach to become the Huskies' quarterbacks coach, Jack now has something else to think about as he decides where he will play college football.

"He was really heavily involved in my recruitment and everything. He was pretty much the person that got me to go to UCLA," Jack said. "It has a big impact on me, because he recruited me."

Uh hum. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. While I am not sold on whether Jim Mora is the long term answer at UCLA, I am more than comfortable with his tenacity on the recruiting trail. I am sure Mora and his staff are thinking of their next moves.

BTW, I do think it's interesting that Tui decided to jump in with a head coach who just put together a pretty underwhelming season, and could be on a scorching hot seat very soon if the Washington Huskies lay another egg (despite all the hype around them) next season. But, whatever. Good luck to Tui.

GO BRUINS.