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Highly touted running back J.R. Hasty, a top recruit from 2005, has left the UW football program. Hasty was slated to be the primary backup to senior Louis Rankin this season, but it just didn't work out. Hasty was actually passed on the depth chart by true frosh Brandon Johnson for the Oregon game last week, and that was the final straw.

If you aren't familiar with Hasty, he was an all-state running back out of Bellevue High School, a football power in the state of Washington. His senior year alone he rushed for over 2500 yards and set a state record with 50 rushing TD's. He came to UW as a highly rated recruit in 2005 and redshirted, all the while claiming scout team player of the year honors. Hopes were very high that Hasty was the real deal. But Hasty disappointed many last fall when he surprisingly became academically ineligible before the year and had to miss the 2006 season. Hasty got his act together and rejoined the team this year, but for reasons that some still don't understand, he never saw significant action.

You may recognize the last name, Hasty. As in, the son of long-time NFL defensive back James Hasty. While J.R. didn't have a whole lot to say on Thursday, father James didn't hold back his feelings about Tyrone Willingham and the UW program:

J.R. Hasty did not practice Wednesday, Willingham said. James Hasty said his son was pondering his future, but that he was "appalled" that no one from the coaching staff called to determine if Hasty was safe.

"No one called to even ask about his whereabouts. No 'Are you safe?' 'Are you OK?' 'Why aren't you at practice?' That was the most appalling thing," he said.

"It was appalling to see them play with kids' heads like that," James Hasty said.

The Huskies do have the luxury of depth at this point, as Brandon Johnson and fellow frosh Curtis Shaw will now be the primary guys behind Rankin. But the loss of Hasty isn't a good sign for Willingham. Hasty was regarded as one of the top players in the state when he came out of high school, and one of the big criticisms of Willingham thus far is that he has had trouble getting the true elite talents in-state to play at Washington. The Seattle Times ran a story yesterday about the state of Washington and the recruiting going on at UW, and how important it is for UW to win the recruiting battles at home. Time will tell if this will hurt Willingham with the various high school programs around the state, but some may view this as a coach running a player off the team for various reasons. Most likely Hasty will head for division 1-AA, possibly Montana, but his final destination is not yet known. In the end, it's too bad Hasty didn't work out at the Pac-10 level.