Great Osobor might be the most hyped player on Montlake since Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels joined the Huskies in 2019.
The Utah State transfer, who followed new head coach Danny Sprinkle to Washington over the summer, was already named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team and as a Preseason All-American by Blue Ribbon Yearbook earlier this month. One of the highest-paid players in the NIL era, Osobor is expected to be the focal point of Sprinkle’s first Huskies team.
On Thursday, the accolades continued to roll in, as Osobor was named the No. 15 player in the country by CBS Sports and a third-team Preseason All-American by ESPN’s Jay Bilas.
Osobor was the second-highest ranked player in the Big Ten by CBS Sports, behind Purdue point guard Braden Smith, who clocked in at No. 9. Smith was named the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year over Osobor earlier this month.
Smith also joined Osobor on Bilas’ third-team Preseason All-America, the only two Big Ten players to be named to one of the top three teams, and Rutgers wingman Ace Bailey was a fourth-team selection.
One of the nation’s top post players a season ago at Utah State, Osobor is expected to take on more of a creation role with the Huskies, as Sprinkle has hinted at the star taking the ball up the floor in some sets. That could result in some jumbo lineups, including Osobor, returning center Franck Kepnang, and Oregon State transfer KC Ibekwe, who would both take some interior defensive pressure off the senior.
Washington opens the season with an exhibition match against Western Oregon on October 29 at 7:00 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena.