Gaskin: "I'm not going to lie, losing this last game is going to leave a sour taste in my mouth, and I don’t like leaving places with a sour taste in my mouth.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — In the final game of his Husky career, junior defensive lineman Vita Vea held back tears as he walked off the field following Washington’s 35-28 loss to Penn State in Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl.
Vea, in the team’s worst-kept secret, confirmed to The Seattle Times that he is planning to hire an agent in the coming days and declare for the NFL draft. Some see Vea as a potential top-15 pick next spring.
Vea, the Pac-12 defensive player of the year, said he did give some consideration to sitting out the Fiesta Bowl to protect his draft stock — a growing trend for top prospects around college football.
“There was definitely talk about it,” Vea told The Times. “But I knew this team and this brotherhood, and I owed it to all my coaches and all my teammates. I couldn’t leave them hanging.”
Myles Gaskin, meanwhile, says he is 50-50 about whether he will return to UW for his senior season. The Huskies’ star junior running back rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns in the Fiesta Bowl loss.
“My process?” Gaskin said, repeating a question. “Land in Seattle, kick it with my homies, see what they’ve go to stay; kick it with my family for New Year’s and see what they got to say. Then give it some thought with God and see what he has to say. And then I’ll make my decision.
“But I’m not going to lie, losing this last game is going to leave a sour taste in my mouth, and I don’t like leaving places with a sour taste in my mouth. So that’s definitely going to be factor in to whatever decision I make.”
Underclassmen have until Jan. 15 to declare for the NFL draft.
The Huskies did get some promising news. Junior defensive tackle Greg Gaines says he will return for his senior season.