After Kalen DeBoer’s coaching staff departed for Alabama in January, it appeared the Washington Huskies might take a backseat in the recruitment of four-star linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale. The product of Bethel High School in Spanaway, Washington, had committed to the Huskies on the morning of the national championship but backed off following DeBoer’s departure.
Now, the nation’s No. 112 overall prospect and top player in the state has confirmed that he is still interested in his hometown school, scheduling an official visit with Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff for June 7. Rainey-Sale also set trips to Florida State, Arizona State, and UCLA on Tuesday.
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Rainey-Sale is an extremely explosive athlete on film. He lines up all over the formation for Bethel and displays impressive speed that helps him get after quarterbacks as an edge rusher and blow up running plays before they can develop at inside linebacker.
Spanaway (Wash.) Bethel linebacker Zaydrius Rainey Sale is setting up his spring official visits, with four of them already locked in https://t.co/G81xuOtm1w pic.twitter.com/nIhwEUfQSF
— Brandon Huffman (@BrandonHuffman) April 2, 2024
Rainey-Sale appears to have a future at either position but would probably be most effective at inside linebacker, while lining up on the edge in certain packages or acting as a delayed blitzer. Defensive coordinator Steve Belichick would be able to do a lot of different things with the four-star prospect and it appears the Huskies might be the favorites to land his commitment once again.
247 Sports insider Tom Loy put in a crystal ball projection for Rainey-Sale to commit to Washington on March 27 and although the Huskies have some strong competition, the selling point of early playing time could be what gets him to reaffirm his commitment.