Despite a crushing loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Washington Huskies are still hitting the recruiting trail hard. On Monday morning, they got some good news from four-star wide receiver Vance Spafford, who included coach Jedd Fisch’s team among some of the nation’s elite programs in his top eight schools.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound prospect from Mission Viejo High School in California cut his list of 27 offers down to Arizona, Georgia, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, and TCU alongside Washington. Spafford, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 15 wide receiver and No. 105 overall player in the 2026 class by 247Sports, seems to know exactly what he’s looking for in his future school.
“How schools recruit me is really big because I take it you are prioritizing me,” Spafford told On3’s Chad Simmons. “In the decision, it’s very small but very big at the same time. Reaching out to me is showing me that you have me, that coaches have me on their minds and want to show me I am important to them.”
While wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings has done a good job keeping Washington in the race, it appears that the Huskies have some ground to make up, as Spafford has received a crystal ball prediction from 247Sports to choose coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.
But the Huskies have emphasized early playing time for a lot of members of their 2024 class, which is one of Spafford’s top interests.
“I’m definitely looking for an opportunity to play as a freshman,” Spafford said. “That’s the ultimate goal. I know I’m not promised anything, but that opportunity is what I’m looking for. I want to go somewhere I can set a legacy for myself. Going somewhere that my mom likes is big too, because if she doesn’t like it, I probably won’t be able to go there.”
Spafford wants to commit to a school before his senior season and is planning to take a handful of official visits before making his decision.