Ladarian Clardy can change everything about Washington’s recruiting strategy

The Washington Huskies are looking to take their recruiting approach under Jedd Fisch, and Ladarian Clardy could be the first major cog.

Jedd Fisch has done a very good job utilizing Washington’s main pipeline states to build up his 2025 class. It holds five in-state recruits, nine prospects from California, two from Arizona (although wide receiver commit Raiden Vines-Bright will play his final season at IMG Academy in Florida), and two from Oregon, including the state’s top player.

But with the move to the Big Ten, his coaching staff knows it needs to be in contention for the best talent from all over the country. That’s why the Huskies have found themselves dipping into Alabama, Illinois, and Texas to add to the class and are continuing to push for some top prospects from all over the country.

One of those prospects is four-star safety Ladarian Clardy from Escambia High School in Pensacola, Florida, who is set to announce his college choice on August 3 and could change everything about Washington’s recruiting strategy.

While Jedd Fisch’s staff has already shown that it’s able to identify and secure underrecruited talent from the South and Midwest, adding Clardy to the class will signify a new era of recruiting in Seattle.

Clardy, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 15 safety and No. 182 overall player, has the ability to play right away and under the guise of safeties coach Vinnie Sunseri, could develop into a very productive player in defensive coordinator Steve Belichick’s scheme.

If he can find success early on in his career at Washington, it could signal to players from Florida and elsewhere in the country that don’t typically consider Washington among their top schools. Fisch has shown that he isn’t afraid to push for some of the best players from all over the country and all it takes is one of those blue-chip prospects to get the momentum going and usher in a new pipeline for the coaching staff.

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