Tag: Washington Huskies Recruiting

Addressing defensive backs is second(ary) to none in Washington’s 2025 class

The Washington Huskies coaching staff is pushing to add an elite recruiting class on the backend of the defense in 2025.

Washington’s cornerbacks coach John Richardson and safeties coach Vinnie Sunseri appear intent on bringing in an elite class of defensive backs in the Huskies’ 2025 recruiting class. The pair have scheduled official visits with eight defensive backs, by far the most of any position group set to take a trip to Seattle this summer.

The Huskies could see multiple experienced members of the secondary depart after the 2024 season, with seniors Kamren Fabiculanan and Thaddeus Dixon utilizing their final year of eligibility. Juniors Ephesians Prysock and Elijah Jackson could also test the waters of the NFL draft with successful campaigns.

Washington has some promising younger players waiting for an opportunity to prove themselves, but that won’t stop Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff from stacking recruiting classes.

If Richardson and Sunseri can secure commitments from a few of the blue-chip recruits they’ll be hosting in the coming months, it could be very beneficial for the future of defensive coordinator Steve Belichick’s scheme, which asks its cornerbacks to play a significant amount of man coverage.

The staff’s focus on the secondary seems to indicate that Belichick might have plans for Washington to build its defensive identity through the backend, preaching the theory that tight coverage gives what will be an inexperienced pass rush more time to get after the quarterback.

After the Huskies spent a good majority of their time under defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake attempting to establish themselves as “defensive back university” or DBU, the coaching staff Fisch has hired could help the Huskies return to their former glory.

All DB official visitors

Washington adds two new visitors to May schedule including an SMU commit

The Washington Huskies are attempting to load up in the defensive backfield, adding an SMU commit to the official visit weekend at the end of May.

Three-star safety Elijah Pratt announced his plans to take an official visit to Seattle to explore what coach Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies have to offer on Wednesday.

The former product of Timberview High School in Mansfield, Texas, transferred to powerhouse IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season, but is currently committed to return to Texas and play for SMU. Ranked as the nation’s No. 37 safety according to 247 Sports, he’s set to visit Seattle on May 31, when the coaching staff will be hosting a lot of its other top targets.

Safeties coach Vinnie Sunseri extended a scholarship offer to Pratt on February 23 and it took less than a month for him to set up a visit with the Huskies. Pratt holds 13 offers, including Auburn, Penn State, and Texas Tech and will join three other defensive backs on his trip to Seattle: five-star cornerback Dijon Lee, four-star cornerback Adonyss Currie, and three-star safety Rylon Dillard-Allen.

Pratt wasn’t the only prospect to announce his intentions to take an official visit, as three-star offensive lineman Peter Langi also scheduled his trip to Seattle for May 3.

The 6-foot-5, 330-pound prospect from Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco is ranked as the No. 38 interior offensive lineman in the nation by 247 Sports and is one of the most coveted recruits, holding 39 scholarship offers.

Alabama, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas are among the schools vying for his services and he has also announced his intentions to visit Arizona State on May 31. Langi is the third offensive line prospect to schedule a trip with offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll, following four-star Darius Afalava and three-star John Mills.

The coaching staff appears to be attempting to build a strong secondary and offensive line in the class of 2025 and both Pratt and Langi could emerge as big targets for the Huskies in the coming months.

Four-star TE sets official visit date with Washington

The Washington Huskies scheduled an official visit with one of the top tight ends in the country and the top ranked player in the state of Oregon.

The top prospect in the state of Oregon, four-star tight end Baron Naone, announced his summer plans on social media and included Washington as one of the four schools he scheduled an official visit with. Along with visiting coach Jedd Fisch and the Huskies, he is also slated take trips to Oregon State, Arizona State, and California.

Naone is ranked as the nation’s No. 15 tight end and is the first player that position coach Jordan Paopao has scheduled an official visit with this summer.

Set to arrive on June 21, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound product of West Linn High School will join some of Washington’s most coveted recruits on his visit, including four-star prospects safety Anquon Fegans, offensive lineman Darius Afalava, and linebacker Mark Iheanachor.

As a prospect, Naone has drawn high praise from 247 Sports’ recruiting analyst Greg Biggins.

“He plays in a run heavy offense so he doesn’t have a lot of opportunities as a receiver but has shown in 7 on 7 he’s a natural pass catcher with strong hands and is a smooth route runner,” Biggins said.

“Naone may not be the downfield threat of some other tight ends in the class, but is a solid possession catcher who can keep chains moving. As he continues to develop athletically and improve his speed and burst, he’ll take his game to another level. He’s highly competitive and possesses a really strong off field work ethic which should ensure that he’ll be an impact player at the next level.”

The Huskies are looking to take multiple tight ends in the 2025 class and if Paopao can secure a commitment from Naone, that would be a great building block for what Fisch wants to be the best recruiting class in school history.

Washington offers graduate transfer DL from Indiana

The Washington Huskies extended an offer to defensive tackle Philip Blidi, who entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer.

Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch and director of player personnel Matt Doherty wasted no time extending a scholarship offer to former Indiana Hoosiers defensive lineman Philip Blidi after he announced he was entering the transfer portal on Monday. 

Blidi, a 6 foot-3, 295-pound defensive tackle spent just one season with the Hoosiers after transferring from Texas Tech where he appeared in 34 games. As a graduate transfer, he will utilize his final year of eligibility in 2024.

During his time at Indiana he made his first career collegiate start on September 2 against Ohio State. He played in all 12 games for the Hoosiers in 2023, tallying 20 tackles, 4 for loss, and 2 quarterback hurries. 

The product of Portales High School played on both the offensive and defensive line during his high school career in Portales, New Mexico. He was honored as the state’s Defensive Lineman of the Year during his senior year in 2019. 

Blidi can bring some much-needed depth at the defensive tackle position, which is light on experience. He can assist Montana State transfer Sebastian Valdez and senior Jacob Bandes and would be another weapon for defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi. 

One of Washington’s top OL targets names Huskies among his top six

The Washington Huskies made the top six for one of their top targets among the offensive line.

Three-star offensive lineman John Mills cut his list of 17 offers down to six on Monday night and the Washington Huskies made the cut along with USC, Texas, Nebraska, California, and Florida.

Mills is ranked as the nation’s No. 34 tackle prospect, but the 6-foot-6, 300-pound product of St. Ignacious College Prep in San Francisco, California, has a four-star offer list. He left some big name schools off his list, including Michigan, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Utah.

Offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll has made Mills a priority for a while after offering him in October while at Arizona, but his first offer came from former UW offensive line coach Scott Huff in June 2022.

He scheduled an official visit to Seattle for the May 31 weekend when the Huskies are slated to have a number of their top prospects on campus. The list of visitors on that weekend continues to grow, as it includes five-star cornerback Dijon Lee, four-star linebacker Matai Tagoa’i, four-star wide receivers Chris Lawson and Raiden Vines-Bright,. and three-star quarterback commit Dash Beierly.

Carroll has a tall task ahead of him in rebuilding Washington’s offensive line, but making the list for Mills is a good start after earning a commitment from interior prospect Jake Flores in February.

As he works to earn a commitment from Mills, who has also set trip dates with Texas, Cal, and USC, look for Carroll to set up more visits with offensive line prospects. A few names to keep an eye on in that department are three-star Peter Langi, three-star Demetri Manning, and four-star Jackson Lloyd.

Washington commit Dash Beierly stars at Elite 11 showcase

Washington’s quarterback commit Dash Beierly stood out against some of the nation’s top prospects at the Elite 11 showcase in Los Angeles.

Coach Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies appear to have a promising prospect in three-star quarterback Dash Beierly, who stood out among some stiff competition during Sunday’s Elite 11 showcase at Leuzinger High School in California.

Beierly, who recently announced that he would be transferring to national powerhouse Mater Dei High School, finished in the top five of all participants while also posting the top SPARQ athletic score of 97.26, eight points above the second place finisher who put up a score of 89.61.

“It was great to compete with all these top guys and taking home the top athlete rating was pretty cool,” Beierly told Max Torres of Sports Illustrated/Fan Nation’s Ducks Digest. “There’s so much talent out here and I feel like I had a great day out here.”

Even though four-star quarterback Husan Longstreet earned the top performer title for the day and punched his ticket to the Elite 11 finals, Beierly impressed evaluators and media members alike.

As he moves into the Trinity League to face a higher level of competition at Mater Dei, he should continue to showcase his impressive athleticism and ability to accurately deliver the ball to all three levels of the field.

“I’m ready to compete,” he told Torres of making the move to the defending high school national champions. “Everyone at Mater Dei has given me a warm welcome and I’m ready to compete and win games. It’s obviously really challenging to be a part of the Trinity League but I’m looking forward to being a part of it and hoping I can lead my guys to victory.”

Washington needs to bring in an elite wide receivers class in 2025

Wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings is looking to bring in an elite class of wide receivers in 2025.

Wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings has a big task in front of him in rebuilding Washington’s wide receiver corps. After the trio of Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja’Lynn Polk departed for the NFL and Germie Bernard followed Kalen DeBoer to Alabama, the cupboards were left somewhat bare at the position.

Cummings was able to retain the services of California transfer Jeremiah Hunter and the previous staff’s decision to utilize Giles Jackson’s redshirt paid off, giving quarterback Will Rogers some veteran targets as the Huskies replace all 11 starters from the 2023 season on offense.

While Cummings will spend the spring developing some promising players at the position, including sophomore Denzel Boston and true freshman Justice Williams, he will also need to hit the recruiting trail hard.

Early on, it appears he has done a great job creating relationships with some of the nation’s top receiver prospects in the 2025 class. Three four-star wide receivers have announced their intentions to take an official visit to Washington, with Cooper Perry scheduled to take a trip to Seattle on May 3, and Chris Lawson and Raiden Vines-Bright expected to arrive on May 31.

The Huskies also appear to be interested in four-star prospect Phillip Bell from Mission Viejo High School in California and need to find a way to secure a commitment from at least two of their top targets at the position. With Jackson and Hunter out of eligibility following 2024, Cummings is looking for the next wave of Huskies in what is a thin, inexperienced room.

As those players develop this year, a significant amount of depth is still going to be needed going forward. If the Huskies can put together a class of three blue-chip prospects, it could make life easier on freshmen quarterbacks Demond Williams and Dermaricus Davis in 2025 and beyond.

Former Washington DL commit to return to campus on an official visit

The Washington Huskies are still in the mix for a top defensive line prospect who decommitted following Kalen DeBoer’s departure.

When Josiah Sharma committed to Kalen DeBoer and the Huskies hours before Washington beat Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl, the old coaching staff earned the pledge of a promising defensive tackle prospect who was still somewhat unknown among national recruiting circles.

Sharma decided to decommit following DeBoer’s departure for Alabama and in the last two months has become a nationally sought after recruit, ranked by the 247 Sports Composite as the nation’s No. 30 defensive tackle and the best interior defensive lineman west of Texas.

He now holds 17 offers, including Alabama, Miami, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and Texas, and is ranked as a four-star prospect by the 247 Sports Composite.

The fact that there are not a lot of high-caliber defensive line recruits was not lost on coach Jedd Fisch’s staff, who quickly re-offered the 6-foot-5, 295-pound product of Folsom High School in California. Defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi became the first to schedule an official visit with the former Washington commit, who will take a trip to Seattle on May 11.

With a projectable body type and promising frame, Sharma displays very good athleticism for his size on tape and has potential to be an impactful pass rusher from the interior as he refines his pass rushing technique.

As the Huskies continue to explore every corner of the country looking for reinforcements at defensive tackle, Sharma has emerged as one of the most important recruits for Fisch’s staff in its first recruiting cycle.

Five-star 2026 QB to take unofficial visit Washington

The Washington Huskies are hosting one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in the 2026 class on an unofficial visit.

Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies coaching staff are working hard to set up official visits for 2025 prospects, but have wasted no time in developing relationships with underclassmen too. Five-star quarterback Brady Smigiel announced his intentions to take an unofficial visit to Montlake this spring and appears to have a strong relationship with Washington’s coaching staff.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound product of Newbury Park High School in California is ranked as the nation’s No. 2 quarterback in 2026 and No. 3 player in the state. The sophomore holds 30 offers from some of the nation’s top schools, including Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State.

Along with Washington, Smigiel will also take a trip through the state of Florida with stops at Florida State, Florida, and Miami for unofficial visits.

On film, Smigiel is an impressive prospect with very good mobility for his size and top-tier arm talent. He throws with velocity and touch at all three levels of the field and also displays the accuracy needed to back up his five-star rating.

Smigiel has a long way to go before committing to a school, but Washington could be in a good spot with the signal caller. Fisch’s coaching staff has been recruiting him for a while, as it was the first to extend a scholarship offer to him during its time at Arizona.

Four-star DB Adonyss Currie sets official visit to Washington

The Washington Huskies are gearing up for a massive recruiting weekend beginning on May 31.

Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies coaching staff is setting up a busy summer of official visits and it appears that the most important weekend could be beginning on May 31.

Four-star defensive back Adonyss Currie released his official visit schedule for the summer months and will take a trip to Seattle along with five-star cornerback Dijon Lee Jr., four-star linebacker Matai Tagoa’i, four-star wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright, and three-star offensive lineman John Mills.

The 6-foot-2, 165-pound prospect from Quartz Hill High School in Lancaster, California, is ranked as the nation’s No. 23 cornerback and No. 17 player in the state. Along with Washington, his official visit scheduled includes Texas A&M, Nebraska, Miami, and Utah.

“I really like [cornerbacks coach John Richardson] a lot,” Currie told 247 Sports’ Greg Biggins. “He was recruiting me at Arizona and hit me up right when he got to Washington and said, ‘we need you over here.’ He was the first coach I locked in an official visit with and I know I’m pretty high on their board and I hope to stay up there. I also have family in the Washington area too so it’s a good all around fit.” 

Currie becomes the fifth defensive back to put an official visit to Washington on his summer schedule, which is a testament to Richardson’s recruiting ability. The coaching staff is investing heavily in the secondary in the 2025 cycle and could end up with three or four blue chip prospects in the class.