Some of the best Washington Huskies to ever wear the purple and gold were homegrown talents. Names like Bishop Sankey, Danny Shelton, Budda Baker, and Myles Gaskin, among others, have shined for their hometown team.
In recent years, under Jimmy Lake and Kalen DeBoer, the team struggled to take advantage of some of the talent right in their own backyard.
2021 was the biggest disappointment when two of the nation’s top ten players, Emeka Egbuka and J.T. Tuimoloau, hailed from the state of Washington, and Lake’s coaching staff couldn’t secure either, with both choosing Ohio State.
The next cycle offered no reprieve as they missed out on five-star Josh Conerly, who has gone on to become one of the nation’s top offensive tackles for the Oregon Ducks.
Under Jedd Fisch, the Huskies seem to be turning that trend around. The two top players in the state in the 2025 class, four-star linebackers Jonathan Epperson and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, both chose to stay home in what appears to be the start of a trend. Fisch’s coaching staff has five in-state commits for 2025, the most Washington has had since 2021.
The state of Washington has long been a steady producer of elite football talent, and while it might not be at the rate of some of the country’s traditional powerhouse, for the Huskies, who are geographically isolated from the traditional top-tier football schools, it makes securing top local talent even more important.
The Huskies have not stopped at Washington, though, as Fisch and company have secured commitments from three of the top five players in the state of Oregon, including its top player, four-star tight end Baron Naone. Stealing talent out from under the Ducks’ noses should be a strategy that Husky fans will appreciate.
Washington’s 2025 in-state class is already turning the tide on the recruiting trail, and the coaching staff is looking for it to carry over into 2026. There is good news on that end too, as the Huskies appear to be in the lead for top in-state talent, four-star edge rusher Derek Colman-Brusa, whose brother, three-star offensive lineman Lowen Colman-Brusa, committed to the 2025 class.
Running backs coach Scottie Graham also earned an early commitment from the No. 2 player in Oregon in 2026, four-star running back Ansu Sanoe.
If the Huskies can re-establish the wall around the state and keep the top local talent at home, it could be key to a lot of future success. Fisch clearly understands this concept and has done an impressive job making it a priority on the recruiting trail.