The Washington Huskies earned their third commitment of the 2026 class on Sunday afternoon when three-star linebacker Wassie Lugolobi of nearby Eastside Catholic High School announced his intentions to stay home.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound prospect is ranked as the No. 4 player in the state of Washington and the No. 46 linebacker in the class by 247Sports and brings a lot of hometown pride to coach Jedd Fisch’s class.
“Every time I visited the Washington campus, it always felt like home,” Lugolobi told On3’s Steve Wiltfong. “My relationship with the coaching staff, especially [linebackers] Coach [Robert] Bala, and the opportunity to play with my former teammates in front of my family made the decision easy. Being able to represent and play for the hometown Dawgs is an amazing opportunity that I’ll take great pride in.”
On the field, Lugolobi has that same passion. As both an inside linebacker and edge rusher, he shows great instincts, positional flexibility, and the size defensive coordinator Steve Belichick is looking for. He has impressive vision and is able to read plays quickly and break even faster, oftentimes making his way into the backfield just as the running back receives the handoff.
While he doesn’t possess the top-end speed, his play style is very similar to four-star 2025 commit Zaydrius Rainey-Sale. Lugolobi has said that Fisch’s coaching staff has recruited him at MIKE linebacker to mainly play inside, but with the versatility that he’s shown as an edge rusher, he could play a role similar to another local product, senior Alphonzo Tuputala.
Tuputala had strictly operated as an inside linebacker for the majority of his career, but Belichick has helped take him to a new level. Now, the senior from Federal Way splits his time between inside and outside linebacker, and it has turned into arguably the best season of his career.
When Lugolobi arrives on campus, he offers plenty of upside at a position that is quickly becoming a strength for the Huskies.