In the modern recruiting era, the Washington Huskies have managed to land just six five-star recruits. Many of the past coaches including Kalen DeBoer, Chris Petersen, and to some extent, Jimmy Lake, had their way of recruiting that often was contrary to players inside the top 100.
There is no doubt that head coach Jedd Fisch also has his preferences in terms of players that the school is targeting, and he appears to want nothing short of the best. His coaching staff recently scheduled an official visit with elite cornerback Dijon Lee who hails from Mission Viejo High School and is ranked as the No. 23 player in the country according to the 247 Sports Composite.
Cornerbacks coach John Richardson, who followed Fisch from Arizona, has already has shown an ability to develop his position extremely well. Ephesians Prysock, who is now also at Washington, and Tacario Davis were two of the best cornerbacks in the country last season at Arizona and if he were to secure a commitment from Lee, he could follow a similar development path.
Richardson has shown an affinity for much longer and taller corners than average, criteria that Lee fulfills at nearly 6-foot-4. Securing his commitment would give Richardson a new project with a wildly talented player who could play an enormous role in the future of the Washington defense.
Lee possesses all of the traits you could dream of in a cornerback. At his size, he is extremely fluid and shows excellent instincts, especially in zone coverage. Lee is a screen destroyer who can blow up plays before they get going.
His wide receiver background shows up on defense as he runs routes for receivers and stays attached to their hip at all times. Not only does he have the mental aspects needed to play the position, his athleticism explodes off the screen.
Twitchy defensive backs at his size are extraordinarily rare and he could be a ball hawk at college that teams are terrified to throw at. Getting him into defensive coordinator Steve Belichick’s system could be a great fit for both sides.