Boulder, Colo. ? The University of Washington has been given permission to talk with former Colorado quarterback Craig Ochs, who quit the Buffaloes and left the school last month.

Colorado athletic director Dick Tharp said Friday he approved the request only after verifying with the Huskies that they had not approached Ochs while he was still playing at Colorado.

Tharp said: “I would not grant that until I had the personal assurance from their athletic director, Barbara Hedges, that there had absolutely been no initiation or prior inappropriate contact on the part of any Washington coach or staff member, and she gave me her word.”

Ochs has already talked with the University of Montana about transferring there.

Washington coach Rick Neuheisel, while coaching at Colorado, spent considerable effort recruiting Ochs.

After Neuheisel was hired by Washington in January 1999, the school was penalized for improper phone calls to Neuheisel’s former players at Colorado.

Ochs’ football future appeared in jeopardy after he had his third concussion in 13 months in the first half of the Buffaloes’ Sept. 7 victory against San Diego State.

Ochs and his father met briefly with coach Gary Barnett and the Colorado coaching staff Sept. 23. Ochs informed teammates of his plan to leave Colorado with a letter left in their lockers. Barnett said last week he was stunned by Ochs’ plan to leave.

Tharp rejected a blanket request Tuesday to allow Ochs to speak to all five Pac-10 schools on the quarter system: Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, Washington and Stanford.