Five-star forward includes Washington in top 10

The Washington Huskies are in the running for one of the nation’s top forwards in the 2025 class.

The Washington Huskies have seen a resurgence on the recruiting trail since head coach Danny Sprinkle took over. Not only has he put together a strong roster that should be able to compete in the Big Ten in 2025, but he’s preparing the Huskies for the long term too.

On Wednesday, five-star forward Tounde Yessoufou, the nation’s No. 20 player and No. 6 power forward in the 2025 class according to the 247Sports Composite, cut his list of potential suitors down to 10, and included the Huskies among some of the nation’s elite programs.

The 6-foot-5, 211-pound forward from St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria, California, is also considering the defending national champion UConn Huskies, Kentucky Wildcats, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans, and more, but could have the Huskies near the top of the list.

He took an unofficial visit to Seattle while Mike Hopkins’ staff was still in charge in September and the coaching change doesn’t seem to have lessened his interest in the program.

Yessoufou might need to grow a few inches to play power forward at the college level but could be sold on Sprinkle’s development plan for the position by watching Great Osobor’s progression during his time with Sprinkle.

If he remains around the 6-foot-5 mark in college, he could take a similar path to forward Dominique Diomande, who thrives around the rim as a slasher. Yessoufou averaged 32.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game last season and could thrive right away at the college level, just like Diomande has in France as a professional over the last few seasons.

Yessoufou’s interest in Washington is an extremely impressive feat for Sprinkle’s staff, which has done a great job developing relationships with some of the nation’s top prospects. Not only are the Huskies contenders for his services, but they’re also among the six finalists for five-star guard Darryn Peterson, the nation’s No. 1 combo guard and No. 3 overall player according to 247Sports.

If the staff is able to turn some of these highly-ranked interested players into commits, the Huskies could be closer to a return to prominence on the hardwood than some might expect.