SEATTLE — Washington quarterback Jake Locker said Wednesday he will explore signing a contract with the Los Angeles Angels, who drafted him in the 10th round in the June amateur draft.

“Definitely, if we can come to an agreement on some kind of contract terms,” he said. “That’s something I’m looking into now.”
But Locker, who was picked as a center fielder, stressed that he has no plans to abandon his football career with the Huskies.
“I’m staying put to play football at Washington,” Locker said in a hastily arranged conference call after the Angels drafted him for the second time. “I haven’t lost focus on that. That’s still my goal, turning this program around and being a part of the team that did it.
“All my attention is on football, and this doesn’t change any of that. They (the Angels) understand that if I have a chance to play football, I’m going to.”
The Angels took Locker in the 40th round out of Ferndale High School in 2006.
The Angels would hold his rights for six years if he signs by the Aug. 17 deadline for 2009 draftees to reach contract agreement.
“If football doesn’t work out the way I hope it will, I’d have the opportunity to still play for a living,” he said.
Locker said he hopes to begin talking about a contract with the Angels soon. He will not be able to retain an agent, however, and keep his football eligibility.
“My amateur status would be lost at that point,” he said. “I’ll try to do as much as I can through my family.”
If he did sign with the Angels, Locker would have to forfeit the final two years of his football scholarship, but the Angels would likely pay for his schooling as part of the deal. If that happens, Locker would in effect be a walk-on, and the Huskies would have one more scholarship to offer.
“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 provided by the UW sports-information staff. “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.”
Baseball scouts have long believed that Locker has the potential to be a star if he concentrated on baseball. But his only exposure to the sport since high school — other than through the UW softball team, which includes his girlfriend, Lauren Greer — came last summer, when Locker played 10 games in the outfield for the Bellingham Bells in the West Coast League. He hit .273 (9 for 33) with one home run. The league’s coaches named him the WCL’s top prospect.