Coach Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies are preparing to host 16 prospects on official visits over the weekend and one of his biggest points of emphasis in the 2025 class is in the front seven. The Huskies have five 2025 prospects committed, all on the offensive side.
As Washington moves from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, upgrading the defensive front will be one of the most important things Fisch will need to worry about while building his roster. Between defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi, linebackers coach Robert Bala, and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, the Huskies have a great staff to help develop their front. Now, it needs to close on some of its top targets.
If the staff can secure all of those top targets, this is what its class could look like.
May, a prospect from Highland Home High School in Alabama took his official visit during Washington’s spring game and appears to be very high on the Huskies. The former Notre Dame commit has impressive athleticism and a very high ceiling, and at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, fits the profile of long-armed pass rushers the Huskies covet.
The product of Oaks Christian High School in California is another exciting athlete with lots of potential who could thrive in Belichick’s scheme. Set to visit on June 21, Fisch’s coaching staff has been in pursuit of Lowe’s services for a while and he would mesh very well with defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi.
“Lowe is extremely refined for just a junior in high school, he can occasionally win with true pass-rush moves rather than simply being a better athlete than everyone else on the field,” Huskies Wire’s Ben Glassmire said. “His quickness off the snap and when evading blockers is routinely one of the more impressive parts of his game.”
Onyeagoro had racked up sacks at a historic pace at the high school level, tallying 21 during his junior season at King Drew Medical Magnet in California. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound pass rusher has developed a strong relationship with Washington’s coaching staff and said that he followed the way it developed prospects at Arizona closely.
“The scheme fits my play style very well,” he told Huskies Wire in February. “The staff are all amazing genuine people and people who look like me, who are looking to develop guys and not just feed from the transfer portal.”
The 6-foot-5, 295-pound, one-time Washington commit is by far the highest-rated defensive tackle on the West Coast, displaying impressive potential on film, including a surprising pass rush arsenal for a high school prospect. After taking an official visit to Washington in April, he has trips set to Texas and Alabama before his decision.
Hammond is one of the more intriguing defensive line prospects in the country. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound product of Will Rogers High School in Oklahoma plays with an extremely high motor and has a promising skillset for Kaufusi to work with.
His frame and athleticism make him a promising prospect for the college level, which is why the Huskies are among the nine teams to offer him following just one year of high school football.
Another former Husky commit, the top prospect in Washington has the potential to be an impact player as a freshman all over the defense. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound product of Bethel High School lines up as both an inside linebacker and edge rusher and thanks to his elite speed, is one of the most coveted prospects on the West Coast.
Scheduled to take his official visit at the end of June, Rainey-Sale would be an impressive get for Bala and Fisch’s coaching staff.
One of Arizona’s top priorities during Fisch’s tenure, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound prospect from Arbor View High School in Nevada came close to committing to the Wildcats while Fisch was there and is very interested in joining him in Seattle. Another rangy linebacker who plays with great speed and can stay on the field for all three downs, Thatcher is one of the nation’s most coveted prospects at the position, holding 34 offers.
“I’m so thankful for the relationship that I’ve been able to build with coach Fisch and his staff,” he told Huskies Wire. “The fact that we’ve been talking since my freshman year and that they’ve always been so good to me is so important moving forward and is something that has put Washington really, really, really high on my list.”
Iheanachor has been high on Washington for a long time and the product of Narbonne High School in Los Angeles would be an exciting addition to Bala’s class. A fluid athlete with a high IQ and great vision, like Washington’s other prospects at the position, he would have a good chance to get on the field early since the Huskies have four linebackers set to graduate at the end of the 2024 season.