When quarterback Dash Beierly flipped his commitment from Arizona to Washington in January, just seven days after Jedd Fisch took the job in Seattle, he became the first high schooler to commit to the Huskies during the new head coach’s tenure.
Beierly, who transferred from California’s Chaparral High School to powerhouse Mater Dei for his senior season, isn’t Washington’s only quarterback commit, since Fisch and position coach Jimmie Dougherty wanted to add extra depth to the room moving forward. The Huskies also added three-star Treston Kini McMillan in early May, but Beierly is the favorite to be the heir apparent to Demond Williams, who is expected to take the reigns in 2025.
Beierly bought into Fisch’s plan for him early on and also trusted the head coach to put a strong recruiting class around him.
“If you saw what he did at Arizona, turning a team that was 1-11 to one of the best teams in the Pac-12, that takes a lot,” Beierly said on the Locked On Huskies podcast. “He did a great job with that recruiting class and I think he’s here at Washington to chase a national championship.”
Much like at Arizona, Fisch’s staff has done an impressive job building its first full recruiting class at Washington and has emphasized the skill positions to build around Beierly.
The speedy receiver transferred to IMG Academy before his senior season and has plenty of upside to offer Beierly and the Huskies.
“Vines-Bright is a smooth, high-level athlete,” Huskies Wire’s Ben Glassmire said. “As a downfield burner and field stretcher, he routinely reeled in huge chunk plays by beating defenders with his elite speed. By the end of his college career, he may be considered as someone who could run a sub 4.4 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.”
The product of Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, California, has a top-notch frame to play X receiver at the college level. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, Ajose is a talented athlete that moves very well for his size and tallied 8 touchdowns during his junior season. After also starring at both linebacker and safety, he should move solely to receiver for his senior year which could help his development before he gets to Montlake.
Although he’s listed at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, Roebuck holds the Arizona record for most receptions in a single season after hauling in 121 during his junior year. He could develop as an exciting slot target for Beierly if he can put on some good weight in Seattle and adjust his body to the college level.
Listed at 6-foot-6 and 223 pounds, Ploog is a promising pass catcher who has a very high ceiling at the position and already has chemistry with Beierly thanks to their time playing 7on7 together.
“He is a fluid and smooth mover who can escape smaller defenders who want to get their hands on him,” Glassmire said. “He’s also able to move extremely well with the ball in his hands and accelerates well for such a large player.”
The top player in Oregon is a dual-threat tight end, as he’s already a high-level blocker and has demonstrated his impressive receiving skills which could make him a candidate to see the field early in his career under position coach Jordan Paopao.
“Playing primarily as an inline tight end is a valuable skill that many high schoolers have little experience with,” Glassmire said. “For Naone, he is well-versed in the area and shows excellent effort as a blocker. The strength he carries on his underdeveloped frame will only continue to improve but he is already able to bury defenders when he gets the chance.”
Running backs coach Scottie Graham loves big, physical players at the position and has found just that in McMahan. Like freshman Adam Mohammed, he has an impressive frame at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds and can succeed between the tackles and as a receiver out of the backfield at the college level. He could form an exciting option tandem with Beierly, who has shown off impressive mobility that will make defenses keep a close eye on him anywhere on the field.
“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,” Glassmire said. “He has already shown some ability to be a solid pass-catcher and his high school team is very comfortable using him as an outlet man and on wheel routes out of the backfield.”
The Huskies are still pushing hard to add another wide receiver. Four-star wide receiver Chris Lawson is set to announce his commitment on Sunday, and position coach Kevin Cummings has kept Washington in the running for top-100 prospect Andrew Marsh.