Tag: Washington Huskies Recruiting

Former Arizona tight end commit receives Washington offer

The Washington Huskies extended an offer to a former Arizona commit who was released from his NLI earlier this week.

With just three scholarship players at tight end, the Washington Huskies coaching staff is looking everywhere it can to continue to add to the position. On Wednesday, tight ends coach Jordan Paopao extended an offer to Charlie Crowell, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound prospect at the position from Summit High School in Bend, Oregon.

Crowell had originally committed to Fisch’s staff at Arizona in June but asked to get out of his national letter of intent earlier this week. The three-star prospect was ranked as the No. 11 player in the state of Oregon by 247 Sports and his frame is eerily similar to players Paopao recruited during his first stint at Washington like Cincinnati Bengals tight end Drew Sample.

He recorded 32 receptions for 507 yards and 6 touchdowns during his senior season and is a promising player with intriguing potential for Paopao to work with. On film, Crowell displays solid athleticism and soft hands with good speed that allows him to run away from defenders.

As with most high school tight end prospects, he still has some room for development as a route runner and blocker, but during his time at Washington, Paopao displayed that he can help get the most out of his players in both those areas.

Coach Jedd Fisch and staff should be considered the favorites to land a commitment from Crowell at this point, who also held offers from California and Washington State before his initial commitment to Arizona.

Washington could turn to SMU transfers for offensive line help

The Washington Huskies could turn to a few SMU transfers for help along the offensive line.

During his signing day press conference, coach Jedd Fisch said he’s looking for four or five more scholarship offensive linemen to add to the Washington Huskies’ roster when the spring transfer portal window opens in late April.

“I think if we build it the right way there are some great opportunities there for guys to come in and compete to be starters,” Fisch said.

“Guys that are here will have a great opportunity to compete to be starters. We played freshmen… we feel really confident in playing true freshmen and redshirt freshmen… whoever we have will play and we will play the best five or six. There will also be an opportunity for a lot of good players to want to join one of the best teams in the country.”

On Wednesday, one talented option announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal, former SMU left tackle Marcus Bryant. He took to social media to state his intentions to leave the Mustangs to utilize his final season as a graduate transfer elsewhere.

The 6-foot-8, 318-pound left tackle started for three seasons at SMU and was named to the All-American Athletic Conference first team in 2023. He allowed just one sack on the season and would have an opportunity to compete for a starting spot with Washington after tackles Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten departed for the NFL Draft.

Bryant wasn’t the only member of SMU’s offensive line to announce his intentions to transfer either, as center Branson Hickman stated in late January that he will finish his degree and enter the portal in April for his final season.

After suffering a leg injury in December, center Landen Hatchett is expected to miss spring camp which would open up an opportunity for Hickman to fill in while the sophomore continues to rehab. Hickman started 33 games during his time at SMU and was honored on the All-American Athletic Conference second team last season, making him one of the best and most experienced options available at the position.

As Fisch and offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll continue their search to fill out the offensive line for the 2024 season, Bryant and Hickman appear to be two strong candidates to fill starting roles for the Huskies.

2025 running back Julian McMahan is among Washington’s top targets

The 2025 recruiting class is already heating up with Washington securing a visit from running back Julian McMahan, but what could he offer if he were to commit to the Huskies?

With the 2024 signing day now in the rearview mirror, coach Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies coaching staff have turned its full attention to the 2025 class. The staff secured an official visit from five-star cornerback Dijon Lee Jr., and on Monday, running back Julian McMahan also set his official visit for June 21. Fisch has made it no secret that he is looking to recruit at an elite level, something Washington was missing under former head coach Kalen DeBoer.

The running back room has clearly been an emphasis for the staff, which brought in Arizona transfer Jonah Coleman and earned a commitment from three-star Adam Mohammed. Pairing them with incumbent Cameron Davis makes Washington’s running game a formidable piece of its new-look offense.

McMahan has clearly become one of the top targets for the staff early on as they look to build the foundation of a dominant recruiting class. As a junior at Monte Vista High School in California, he rushed for over 1,100 yards and racked up 19 total touchdowns and will look to build on those numbers as he enters his final high school season.

What can McMahan bring to the Huskies?

McMahan plays on both sides of the ball, taking snaps at both running back and outside linebacker, but he is being recruited as a running back, and for good reason. He dominates high school competition with excellent contact balance and the willingness to put his head down and absorb contact. He is rarely brought down on first contact and easily sheds arm tackles.

Obviously, he will face much stronger, more technically sound tacklers at the college level but McMahan is far from developed from a physical standpoint. Based on his profile, he is somewhat similar to Jonah Coleman.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound prospect could be boxed into an early down role depending on the progression of his development. He wins in a north-south manner and will need to show that he can develop vision and patience if he is to become a full-time starter during his career. Due to a lack of long speed and an extra gear, McMahan will likely not be a player who breaks off a ton of explosive runs in his career. However, he has already shown some ability to be a solid pass-catcher and his high school team is very comfortable using him as a outlet man and on wheel routes out of the backfield.

As the 2025 recruiting cycle heats up it will be important to secure a commitment McMahan so that the staff can feel comfortable about the future of the running back room as it continues to shore up other positions of need.

Washington makes top five for three-star CB Dajon Hinton

The Washington Huskies made the cut for three-star cornerback Dajon Hinton, who cut his list to five on Wednesday.

The Washington Huskies appear to be interested in adding three or four talented defensive backs to the class of 2025 and show up in three-star cornerback Dajon Hinton’s top five, which he announced on Wednesday. Coach Jedd Fisch’s team appeared on the list, which Hinton released on Instagram, along with Tennessee, Oregon, Arizona, and Arizona State.

Hinton is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound prospect from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona who was made an early priority by coach Kalen DeBoer’s staff, which extended an offer to him in May 2022. He was quickly re-offered after Fisch’s staff took over and is ranked as the No. 5 player in the state by 247 Sports while playing on both sides of the ball at Saguaro.

On film, he possesses top-end speed and good footwork as a wide receiver which translates well as a defensive back. Hinton does an impressive job getting clean releases off the line of scrimmage and as he moves to cornerback full-time, his understanding of releases should help him in press coverage.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3lyGQ_ReNV/

Secondary coach John Richardson has shown to be one of the hardest working recruiters on staff and could be working to set up an official visit with Hinton soon. The Huskies have already scheduled official visits with five-star cornerback Dijon Lee Jr., and three-star safety Rylon Dillard-Allen among others and appear to be pushing to pull in a top-tier class of defensive backs.

Hinton’s athleticism would make him a promising addition to the secondary, but it won’t be easy to secure his commitment.

Five-star CB among prospects to set official visit dates to Washington

The Washington Huskies were one of the first to secure an official visit from five-star cornerback Dijon Lee Jr.

June’s final weekend of official visits is once again shaping up to be an important one for the Washington Huskies. Coach Jedd Fisch has scheduled visits from three prospects who have stated their intentions to take an official visit to Seattle from June 21-23.

The first and arguably most important target the Huskies have been recruiting is five-star cornerback Dijon Lee Jr., who also scheduled an official visit with Georgia from June 7-9. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound product of Mission Viejo High School in California took an unofficial visit to Washington for the Huskies’ 36-33 victory over No. 8 Oregon in October and has been very vocal about his interest in the school.

After he cut his list to eight in January, the nation’s No. 24 overall player on the 247 Sports Composite also had a lot of complimentary things to say about Fisch’s staff at Arizona, which was also included among his top schools.

“I’ve been to Arizona three times and they’re one of the schools on me the hardest,” Lee told 247 Sports’ Greg Biggins. “I would say I talk with them and Washington more than anywhere else. [Assistant director of recruiting Armond Hawkins] was the first guy to offer me when he was at Colorado and then he picked things right up at Arizona. I love their defensive backs coach [John Richardson] as well. He’s a phenomenal coach and they always keep it real with me.”

Alongside Lee will be another cornerback, three-star Trestin Castro from Upland High School in California. Upland also produced running back Cameron Davis and former Washington wide receiver Taj Davis and the 6-foot-1, 160-pound defensive back appears to be the school’s next talented prospect.

Castro is ranked as the nation’s No. 591 prospect according to the 247 Sports Composite and also holds offers from Colorado, Minnesota, and USC.

Three-star running back Julian McMahan also scheduled his official visit for June 21 and the nation’s No. 46 running back according to 247 Sports appears to be high on position coach Scottie Graham’s target list. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound prospect holds just nine offers, but the product of Monte Vista High School in Danville, California, looks like he could be a big mover before his senior season gets underway.

Rising Dawgs: Four-star quarterback Dermaricus Davis

The Washington Huskies have a massive hole to fill at the quarterback position and while Demaricus Davis likely won’t fill it this year, he could be the future.

With former star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. off to the NFL, the Washington Huskies will have big shoes to fill at the position. His succession plan was thought to be settled with either Austin Mack (now at Alabama) or 2021 starter Dylan Morris (now at JMU) taking over for the upcoming season. With both of those players not in the picture, new coach Jedd Fisch looked outside the program to retain former Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers who initially transferred to Washington in December, and supplemented the depth with two four-star freshmen in Demond Williams and Dermaricus Davis

Davis, a previous commit under Kalen DeBoer opted to stay with the new staff and potentially compete for a role in his first year after entering his name in the transfer portal following the coaching change. The Huskies will likely not be counting on significant playing time for him this season but with his talent, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he was a priority for the new coaching staff.

Former Washington TE Josh Cuevas commits to Alabama

Josh Cuevas announced his intention to transfer to Alabama, so where does this leave the Huskies and their tight end room?

Former head coach Kalen DeBoer continues to pillage the remains of the 2023 Washington Huskies team. Tight end Josh Cuevas becomes the fourth player to commit to DeBoer and Alabama, joining quarterback Austin Mack, wide receiver Germie Bernard, and center Parker Brailsford.

It was very possible that many of the offensive players that DeBoer recruited to play in his scheme would follow him to Alabama and that has held for the most part. All four of the players who moved on to Tuscaloosa are on the younger side and could potentially start for the Crimson Tide next season.

Cuevas was expected to take over the starting tight end position for the Huskies or at the very least split the role with senior Quentin Moore. After originally transferring from Cal Poly, Cuevas generated a fair amount of hype around his future due to his impressive movement skills and sky-high potential. Last season he caught 4 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown, evidence of his big play ability.

Cuevas’ departure will leave the Huskies with a large question mark at the tight end position with just Moore and sophomore Ryan Otton as the only players to take snaps in college. Jedd Fisch and company made heavy use of tight end Tanner McLachlan at Arizona last season, illustrating how much his staff values the position. There will likely be one or more additions to the room in the coming months, as the current options in the portal are very limited.

Four-star LB Mark Iheanachor puts Washington in his top seven

The Washington Huskies made the cut for the four-star linebacker out of Los Angeles, California.

Not long after Jedd Fisch hired Robert Bala as the Washington Huskies linebackers coach for the 2024 season, four-star linebacker Mark Iheanachor announced he is cutting his list of schools to seven.

The product of Narbonne High School in Los Angeles, California is ranked as the No. 27 prospect in the state by 247 Sports and would be a solid addition to Fisch’s 2025 class. Iheanachor has been very vocal about his interest in Washington since he was initially offered by Kalen DeBoer’s staff in May of 2023.

On the field, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Iheanachor is an impressive athlete who stars on both sides of the ball for Narbonne. While his future appears to be on the defensive side, he displays good speed and strength as a running back that translate smoothly while he’s at linebacker.

Iheanachor’s best trait on film is his ability in pass coverage. He sticks with running backs and receivers very well in man coverage, which is necessary to play in defensive coordinator Steve Belichick’s scheme.

If he commits to Washington and develops under Bala, Iheanachor might remind some fans of another linebacker from Narbonne who thrived on Montlake, Keishawn Bierria. As for his recruitment, the Huskies seem to be in a very good spot to land his commitment.

Alongside Washington, Iheanachor placed Central Florida, SMU, Arizona State, Mississippi State, Oregon State, and Maryland in his top seven, but after taking a visit in early February, the Huskies could be in the lead to secure his services.

“They’re top three, but not three,” Iheanachor told SB Live’s Andrew Nemec. “My first time being there… the atmosphere is crazy! Way better than I expected. I had a bond with the players already and they made me feel at home.”

Washington locks in official visits with handful of coveted prospects

The Washington Huskies have a lot of work to do on the recruiting trail in 2025 and secured official visits with a few highly regarded prospects.

Coach Jedd Fisch has set some lofty expectations for himself and the Washington Huskies coaching staff on the recruiting trail. Fisch stated that he wants Washington’s 2025 recruiting class to be “the best in school history” and has taken steps to ensure that.

The Huskies already have two commitments in the class, three-star quarterback Dash Beierly and three-star offensive lineman Jake Flores, and are looking to add more talented high school prospects. After hitting the recruiting trail hard and handing out offers from Washington to Florida, the coaching staff is now starting to lock in official visit dates with some of its top targets.

Two coveted prospects from Arizona will be visiting at the end of May, wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright and defensive back Rylon Dillard-Allen. That makes four visits scheduled, as the pair join offensive lineman Darius Afalava and defensive back Aiden Manutai who have reportedly locked in visit dates in June.

Vines-Bright transferred to powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for his senior season after spending his first three seasons at Corona Del Sol in Arizona. Kalen DeBoer’s staff also displayed significant interest in the three-star receiver while it was at Washington and extended a scholarship offer to him after moving to Alabama.

He also set up an official visit to Notre Dame on Monday and holds 20 scholarship offers with Michigan, Florida, and USC also showing interest.

Dillard-Allen is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Arizona by the 247 Sports Composite. Secondary coach John Richardson will have some stiff competition to secure a commitment from the 5-foot-11, 165-pound prospect, who has also set up official visits to Nebraska and Arizona State and holds scholarship offers from Oregon and Texas A&M.

“Coach Jedd Fisch and coach Josh Omura have been loyal to me since my freshman year,” Manutai told On3’s Chad Simmons. “I have a lot of respect for what they have been doing and what I saw at Arizona. I look forward to meeting the new Washington staff and getting the feel of the school.”

Ranked as the No. 1 player in Hawaii by the 247 Sports Composite, the Huskies appear to be in competition with Penn State and Nebraska for his commitment, as he is set to visit all three schools in June.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Afalava would be a welcome addition to Washington’s offensive line, which is still light on scholarship players. Offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll made Washington the first school to lock in an official visit from the four-star prospect, who also holds scholarship offers from Michigan, LSU, Oregon, and Tennessee.

Predicting Washington’s 2023 roster rating on NCAA College Football 25

With the return of EA Sports’ College Football, Husky fans may be wondering how the Sugar Bowl champions’ roster would have looked in the new video game.

College football fans had their dream come true on Thursday with the announcement from EA Sports that their new game, NCAA Football 25, would be coming out on time, as planned, this upcoming summer. It has been over a decade since devoted Washington Huskies fans have been able to play as their favorite team and have missed some exceptional teams during that time.

While the 2023 Huskies might not appear in the upcoming game unless EA decides to bring back legendary teams as they have in previous installments, we would be remiss if we didn’t give them the recognition they deserve by predicting what the ratings could have looked like.

Quarterbacks

Michael Penix Jr.: 98

Dylan Morris: 72

Running Backs

Dillon Johnson: 88

Tybo Rogers: 68

Will Nixon: 65

Wide Receivers

Rome Odunze: 98

Ja’Lynn Polk: 90

Jalen McMillan: 83

Germie Bernard: 77

Tight Ends

Jack Westover: 84

Devin Culp: 75

Offensive Line

Troy Fautanu: 97

Nate Kalepo: 77

Parker Brailsford: 90

Julius Buelow: 75

Roger Rosengarten: 88

Defensive Line

Bralen Trice: 96

Zion Tupuola-Fetui: 79

Tuli Letuligasenoa: 75

Ulumoo Ale: 70

Linebackers

Edefuan Ulofoshio: 95

Carson Bruener: 80

Alphonzo Tuputala: 79

Secondary

Jabbar Muhammad: 91

Elijah Jackson: 76

Dominique Hampton: 74

Kamren Fabiculanan: 72

Mishael Powell: 71