Washington offers five-star 2026 safety from Georgia

The Washington Huskies became the latest school to offer one of the nation’s top safety prospects on Monday.

Jedd Fisch has described his coaching staff as relentless recruiters, and safeties coach Vinnie Sunseri should be at the top of that list. He pulled in a commitment from a very promising 2025 prospect in Rylon Dillard-Allen and has also established a strong relationship with four-star recruit Ladarian Clardy.

Sunseri is looking to continue his good fortune on the recruiting trail in the 2026 class, extending an offer to Zelus Hicks. A product of Carrollton High School in Georgia, Hicks is ranked as the nation’s No. 25 overall prospect and No. 3 player at his position by the 247Sports Composite, good enough to give him five-star status.

The Huskies became the No. 32 team to extend a scholarship offer to the 6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect, joining many of the top Big Ten and SEC programs in what is sure to be a hard-fought battle to secure his commitment. Hicks also holds offers from Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, and Texas, among plenty of other top-flight programs.

Washington hasn’t typically ventured into the South in an attempt to lure one of the nation’s top prospects to Montlake, but between the importance of safeties in defensive coordinator Steve Belichick’s defense and Sunseri’s prowess as a recruiter, Fisch’s coaching staff could put together a strong pitch for Hicks.