Tag: Washington Huskies Recruiting

Washington wins recruiting battle for Top 50 prospect JJ Mandaquit

Washington earned a commitment over BYU, Virginia, Creighton, Louisville, and others from four-star point guard JJ Mandaquit on Tuesday.

Danny Sprinkle and the Washington Huskies may be off to a slow start on the court, but the coaching staff is out to a big lead on the recruiting trail.

Four-star point guard JJ Mandaquit, who announced a top nine on Monday, chose Washington over Tennessee, Creighton, BYU, Virginia, USC, Louisville, Cal, and Hawaii on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Mandaquit is rated as the No. 6 point guard and No. 49 overall player by the 247Sports Composite rankings. 247Sports analyst Travis Branham had previously crystal-balled the point guard to the Huskies when he announced his top nine.

What ultimately won out were his deep ties to the area.

“I’ve always been a Washington fan because my grandma was from the area and we would always visit the campus when we would visit family in Seattle. Coach Sprinkle has been successful everywhere he’s coached and I believe in his plan for the program going forward,” Mandaquit told On3’s Joe Tipton. “I also believe in his vision for me within the program and his plan for me to develop individually. I feel like Coach Sprinkle and the staff can help me achieve my goals as a player while in college and in the future to one day play professionally.”

With DJ Davis, Tyree Ihenacho, and Luis Kortright all out of eligibility after the season, Washington needed to add more guards next to freshman Zoom Diallo, who will take over the keys to the Huskies offense in 2025.

A two-time FIBA gold medalist for Team USA on the youth circuit, Mandaquit started every game for USA Basketball and averaged 6.1 assists per game en route to a gold medal win in the U17 FIBA World Cup. That traditional point guard style should mesh well with Diallo, who is more of a playmaker and shot creator offensively.

Mandaquit does not profile as a player who can carry an offense, but his ability to distribute the ball and set the table for a team should be a perfect fit in Sprinkle’s system. His international experience is also a welcome presence for a Washington squad looking to end a five year NCAA tournament drought.

Four-star PG JJ Mandaquit names Washington to top 9

Ahead of his commitment on Tuesday, four-star point guard JJ Mandaquit listed Washington among his top schools.

Danny Sprinkle and the Washington Huskies are searching far and wide for a strong point guard in the 2025 class. After adding a commitment from four-star shooting guard Courtland Muldrew, it appears Washington’s coaching staff is hot on the trail of another one of the nation’s top backcourt prospects.

On Monday afternoon, four-star point guard JJ Mandaquit of Utah Prep Academy released a list of his top nine schools ahead of his Tuesday commitment. He included Washington alongside BYU, Cal, Louisville, USC, and others, but it appears Sprinkle and the Huskies may have separated themselves from the pack.

Ranked as the No. 6 point guard and No. 49 overall player in the 2025 class by the 247Sports Composite, Mandaquit received a crystal ball prediction from 247Sports analyst Travis Branham to choose the Huskies when he announces his commitment on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at noon PST.

The Huskies are preparing to lose three guards who are all out of eligiblity: DJ Davis, Tyree Ihenacho, and Luis Kortright. Mandaquit would be a perfect fit for Sprinkle’s scheme to fill the hole at the position.

“Mandaquit is a throwback true point guard who excels with his ability to run a team,” 247Sports’ director of scouting Adam Finklestein said in his evaluation. “He isn’t going to wow anyone with dynamic explosiveness or individual offense, but he makes his mark with his reliability, acumen for the game, and winning intangibles. He’s at his best in USA Basketball settings, where he’s surrounded by elite talent, and can be a table-setter and leader. Where he’s not as naturally suited is when he has to carry too much of the offensive load or be a primary creator.

“At right around 6-foot-1, Mandaquit is extremely strong with a nearly 200-pound frame. He has big hands, a broad upper body, and is physically tough. He’s poised and strong with the ball, using jab-steps and rip-throughs to create space. His head is constantly up, and he sees the game develop ahead of most others. He’s very reliable getting the team into their sets or actions, even against pressure, and had a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in FIBA play.”

Wassie Lugolobi gives Washington promising upside at linebacker

Washington’s latest commit brings immense upside to the 2026 class.

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.

Four-star Washington OL commit projected to flip to Oregon

Washington Huskies commit Zac Stascausky has been projected to flip to Oregon just hours after Vander Ploog made the same decision.

Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies may be in danger of losing another 2025 commit to Oregon.

Four-star tight end Vander Ploog flipped to the Ducks on Sunday after weeks of speculation and a snowstorm that stopped five-star Kansas State tight end commit Linkon Cure from making a trip to Eugene over the weekend. Now, the Ducks appear to have their sights set on offensive tackle Zac Stascausky.

On Sunday, On3 recruiting analyst Collin King logged a prediction for Stascausky to join Ploog in flipping to Oregon just hours after the tight end made his decision official.

Rated as the No. 1 player in Oregon by the 247Sports Composite, Stascausky made a second visit to the Ducks over the weekend to watch Oregon beat Maryland. The 6-foot-6, 275-pound tackle has been committed to Washington since early August, but a wave of recruiting interest from the likes of Oregon, Georgia, and Michigan since then has propelled Stascausky to a fourth star in the rankings.

Named Washington’s most likely early NFL Draft pick in the 2025 class by 247Sports on a recent podcast, Stascausky would be a huge loss for the Huskies, who desperately need offensive line help in 2025 and beyond. Stascausky is currently Washington’s second-highest-rated commit in the class behind linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, the No. 1 player in Washington.

Now, Fisch and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Brennan Carroll will need to redouble their efforts to keep Stascausky nailed down.

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Washington adds local three-star LB to 2026 class

The Washington Huskies added a commitment from a promising in-state prospect.

The Washington Huskies have done an excellent job recruiting in the state of Washington since Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff took over. On Sunday, the fruits of its labor paid off as linebackers coach Robert Bala officially picked up a commitment from three-star linebacker Wassie Lugolobi.

On Friday, Bala dropped a hint on social media that good news was coming on the recruiting trail as crystal ball predictions began to roll in for the No. 4 player in the state to stay home. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound prospect is also ranked as the No. 46 player at his position, and with his size and athleticism, has a chance to quickly rise in the rankings over his senior year.

He chose the Huskies over offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Louisville, and Tennessee, among others

“The opportunity to be coached by the best in college football and play at the level Washington does while staying home is second to none,” Lugolobi told Dawgman.com’s Scott Eklund. “My relationship with him is one of the big reasons why I am so high on Washington.”

Bala has done an excellent job on the recruiting trail since he arrived in Seattle, securing in-state four-star prospects Zaydrius Rainey-Sale and Jonathan Epperson, adding three-star Donovan Robinson to the 2025 class.

With his commitment, Lugolobi became the third player to join Fisch’s 2026 class alongside running back Ansu Sanoe and kicker CJ Wallace.

Washington commit Raiden Vines-Bright makes strong return from injury

One of Washington’s top commits made a massive impact after missing most of the season with an injury.

Raiden Vines-Bright’s senior season hasn’t played out quite the way he hoped. The four-star wide receiver prospect from Arizona committed to Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies coaching staff in April, shortly after announcing his transfer to Florida’s prestigious IMG Academy for his senior season.

After a strong start to the year, where he surpassed 100 receiving yards against Utah’s top team, Corner Canyon. Then, the nation’s No. 44 wide receiver prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite, suffered a broken collarbone that forced him to miss most of the season.

For a promising prospect who was looking to increase his stock against tougher competition, that injury was a blow to his notoriety as Vines-Bright had an opportunity to climb up the national recruiting rankings. He made his return on Friday against St. Thomas More and displayed a complete skillset.

He tallied over 100 yards and scored 2 touchdowns thanks to his impressive long speed, strong hands, and his ability to make plays after the catch. Vines-Bright could become a versatile piece for Fisch to deploy once he arrives on Montlake, much like true freshman Audric Harris.

“I love playing in the slot, and that’s where I’m at with IMG right now,” Vines-Bright told 247Sports’ Blair Angulo when he committed. “I think it fits me great, and I know they have a vision for me to be a huge part of their offense in the future.”

As Fisch continues to build for the future, Vines-Bright looks like he could end up as a contributor in Washington’s offense as a true freshman.

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Washington picks up crystal ball prediction for 2026 in-state LB

Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff picked up a crystal ball to earn a commitment from one of Washington’s top in-state prospects.

The Washington Huskies are looking to generate as much momentum as possible in the recruiting classes of 2025 and beyond. On Friday, Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff got some good news from a local prospect in the 2026 class when 247Sports national recruiting editor Brandon Huffman submitted a crystal ball prediction for the Huskies to land a commitment from three-star linebacker Wassie Lugolobi.

Lugolobi, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound product of Eastside Catholic High School, is ranked as the No. 4 prospect in Washington and as the nation’s No. 46 linebacker by 247Sports.

He’s taken several unofficial visits to Washington for game days during the 2024 season and has developed a strong relationship with linebackers coach Robert Bala.

“When the new staff got here, I really didn’t hear from them until coach Bala got hired,” he told Dawgman.com’s Scott Eklund following July’s Luau At The Lake. “Once he could start calling me and getting to know me better, we’ve been tight. He’s so easy to talk to, and he’s a really great coach and a great person. He demands a lot from his guys, but he also cares about them and their success on the field and off of it. I like him a lot.”

If Lugolobi does announce a pledge to Washington soon, he would be the third player to join Fisch’s 2026 class, including running back Ansu Sanoe and kicker CJ Wallace. He also will have chosen the Huskies over offers from Arizona State, Colorado, and Tennessee and would become the sixth in-state prospect between the 2025 and 2026 classes to stay home.

Washington extends an offer to four-star 2026 California RB

Running backs coach Scottie Graham extend an offer to a promising 2026 prospect.

Even though Scottie Graham and the Washington Huskies already have four-star Ansu Sanoe committed to the 2026 class, the running backs coach is looking to add another player to the position. On Wednesday, in search of that second back, Graham and Jedd Fisch extended an offer to four-star prospect Victor Santino.

A 6-foot, 190-pound prospect from Inglewood High School in California, Santino is ranked as the nation’s No. 26 running back and the No. 32 player in the state by the 247Sports Composite. He also holds 11 offers, including Colorado, Miami, Michigan State, and Oregon, and was previously offered by Fisch’s staff during its time at Arizona when Graham extended an offer to him in February 2023.

“He’s a decisive, downhill runner with a burst and runs with speed and power,” 247Sports’ Greg Biggins said in his evaluation.

“He rushed for 1,028 yards on 102 carries and 10 touchdowns last season, showing plenty of wiggle, make-you-miss ability in the open field, and the long speed to run away from a secondary. Where he really impressed us at the Under Armour Camp was during the receiver drills, where he made several acrobatic catches in the one-on-ones and looks capable of playing in the slot as well as running back at the next level.”

With Santino’s versatility and ability as a pass catcher, he could be an intriguing fit for Fisch’s offense and could emerge as a priority target at the position as Washington moves into the offseason.

Washington offers elite 2026 safety recruit Jireh Edwards

Washington offered 2026 safety Jireh Edwards, a top 100 recruit who could form an intriguing pairing with recent visitor Bralan Womack.

The Washington Huskies made a strong impression on 2026 safety Bralan Womack over the weekend, bringing in the five-star recruit for a visit to watch the Huskies triumph over USC in a 26-21 win that extended the team’s home winning streak to 19.

On Tuesday, the Huskies offered another top-five player at the position in 2026.

Four-star safety Jireh Edwards, out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, announced his offer from coach Jedd Fisch on social media. Rated as the No. 5 safety and No. 3 player in Maryland by the 247Sports Composite, the 6-foot-1, 194-pound Edwards is the latest top 100 recruit to garner an offer from the Huskies.

Edwards holds offers from most of the Big Ten and SEC, including his hometown Maryland. Tennessee, Oregon, Auburn, and Ohio State have been major players as well, as he has visited or plans to visit all four schools this season.

Ranked as the No. 54 player in the country by the 247Sports Composite, Edwards is the sixth true safety to be offered by the Huskies, who have dipped into five different states, most of which are outside the school’s normal recruiting footprint, to make those offers.

Washington has a veteran safety group on the roster in 2024, with Kamren Fabiculanan, Cameron Broussard, Makell Esteen, and Justin Harrington all in their fifth or sixth years of eligibility. While a group of freshmen are already on Montlake, the Huskies will be undergoing a significant change in that room in 2025 and 2026.

Bringing in Edwards to potentially pair with Womack would go a long way towards smoothing that transition.

Washington commit Dash Beierly voted On SI National Boys Athlete of the Week

Dash Beierly was voted as the nation’s top high school football player for his performance in Mater Dei’s win over St. John Bosco.

Three-star Washington Huskies quarterback commit Dash Beierly transferred to Mater Dei High School to prove that he can perform at the highest level against the nation’s toughest high school competition in the Trinity League.

In a matchup of the nation’s top two teams, when the top-ranked Monarchs took on their rivals, No. 2 St. John Bosco, Beierly was at his best. He’s ranked as the nation’s No. 27 quarterback but looked like a top-5 prospect against the Braves.

He threw for 308 yards and 4 touchdowns, adding a 40-yard rushing score as he led his team to a 59-14 victory. For his efforts, he was voted as the Sports Illustrated National Boys Athlete of the Week in a poll that received over 60,000 votes on High School on SI’s website.

Beierly has been stellar all season, leading the No. 1 Monarchs to a 9-0 record while also showing off why coach Jedd Fisch was so invested in making sure the one-time Arizona commit followed him to Washington.

The Huskies’ coaching staff has done an impressive job putting an impressive supporting cast around him as part of the nation’s No. 18 recruiting class in 2025. Beierly is expected to enroll in January and participate in spring practice, where he’ll compete for the backup job behind presumed starter Demond Williams Jr.