Wide receiver has been a major emphasis for the Washington Huskies in both the transfer portal and the 2024 recruiting class. With the departure of the team’s top four receivers from last season; it’s easy to see why.
Despite landing multiple talented players in last year’s class, it hasn’t stopped Jedd Fisch and wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings from again being aggressive in stacking talent to secure future impact players for the offense. Four-star Chris Lawson has emerged as one of their priority targets.
Lawson was a part of Washington’s major recruiting weekend as the team looked to lock in his services and following his official visit, he scheduled his commitment for June 21. Last season, Lawson nearly eclipsed 1,000 yards in just 10 games, marking a career-high he will look to top in his senior season.
In high school, Lawson is an impactful two-way player. Though he plays defensive back routinely, his future is clearly at wideout. Lawson has an impressive combination of speed and fluidity that will make him a potentially elite separator at the college level.
He can easily carry speed through breaks and sink his hips into stems before exploding out of the other side. After the catch is another area where Lawson can shine, the quickness he has again shows up as he can stop and redirect with ease to make defenders miss.
Lawson shows reliable hands, but was rarely forced to catch through contact due to his athletic gifts. At times he may lack physicality as a receiver, but this shouldn’t be a concern due to the aggression he plays with on the defensive side of the ball. Learning to transfer this over in a productive manner to wide receiver will be integral in his development.
The 6-foot, 180-pound prospect will have some flexibility in his deployment depending on how much weight he is able to add to his frame as his quickness can be an asset from both inside and outside alignments.
For the Huskies, getting a player of Lawson’s caliber is a must. There is plenty of depth but once Jeremiah Hunter and Denzel Boston depart there may be a void that a player like Lawson could help fill once he physically matures.