MKRob Sports

Jake Locker might become the property of the Los Angeles Angels. That doesn’t mean the star quarterback is leaving Washington anytime soon, though.

The Huskies quarterback was picked by the Angels in the 10th round of baseball’s amateur draft Wednesday, the second time he’s been taken by the Angels in the draft. He was a 40th-round selection by them following his senior season at Ferndale High School, but likely would have been taken in the very early rounds had he not made it clear he intended to play football at Washington.

While Locker didn’t sign with the Angels then, the possibility is much greater now. Locker and his family plan to talk with the Angels in the coming weeks to see if a deal can be struck.

There’s one major condition: Locker gets to be a football player first.

“I’m staying put to play football at Washington,” Locker, who will be a junior this fall, told reporters on a conference call.

The selection didn’t come as a surprise to Locker. He said the Angels, Brewers, Twins and some other teams talked to him through the spring about his interest in pursuing a professional baseball career.

But that is simply a fallback option at this point. Locker wants to finish playing at Washington and parlay that into a professional football career.

Washington went 0-12 last year under former coach Tyrone Willingham. Locker missed most of that dismal season after breaking the thumb on his throwing hand in September against Stanford.

He underwent surgery, and looked good in Washington’s spring game in late April, completing 16 of 18 passes for 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Angels would hold Locker’s rights for six years – until 2015 – if he agrees to a contract before mid-August. Locker would also require a provision that the Angels pay for his remaining schooling at Washington, as he would be forced to give up his football scholarship.

“If things don’t happen to work out the way I hope they will (with football) I would still have an opportunity to play for a living,” he said.

A star in both baseball and football in high school, Locker spent part of last summer playing for the Bellingham Bells of the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League. Locker hit .273 with two doubles and a homer in 10 games. But he decided this spring not to play baseball this summer and focus on summer workouts with his football teammates.

“Obviously, being drafted that high by a big-league baseball team shows the athletic ability that Jake Locker has,” Washington football coach Steve Sarkisian said in a statement. “Jake has reassured us that he’s committed to playing football for the Huskies, and I know that he’s anxious for the upcoming season.”