Willingham Cuts Former Super-Recruit Hasty

J.R. Hasty was supposed to become one of the great players in Washington football history.

Instead, he'll leave Seattle as one of the program's great disappointments -- and yet another example of why recruiting hype doesn't always translate to on-the-field success.

The Seattle Times reports that Hasty, a junior running back and one-time high school superstar, has been cut from the team by coach Tyrone Willingham after mustering just 18 yards in his entire Husky career.

It wasn't quite what Husky fans expected when the tailback signed with Washington back in 2005.

Hasty was one of the biggest recruits in recent Washington history -- a four-year starter in high school who rushed for 2,519 yards and 50 touchdowns in his senior season alone. He was the Associated Press and Gatorade Player of the Year and turned down scholarship offers from several other top programs to play for his hometown Huskies.

But after showing promise early in his career, Hasty flopped. He had weight issues and disciplinary issues and academic issues. Now, those issues have cost him a scholarship. And Willingham doesn't seem the least bit fazed: Hasty's release wasn't announced formally and the coach had no comment on the player's departure.

Talk about a fall from grace.

Photo: Tyrone Willingham's Washington squad isn't exactly bursting with playmakers. Even still, the coach recently cut once-promising tailback J.R. Hasty. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)