Brock Huard reacts to UW Huskies’ high-ranking 2025 recruiting class
Dec 5, 2024, 12:24 PM | Updated: 3:57 pm
Head coach Jedd Fisch of the UW Huskies during a 2024 game. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The first early signing period of the Jedd Fisch era opened Wednesday for the UW Huskies.
Caple on UW Huskies: What to know about Dawgs’ recruiting class
The Huskies’ 2025 recruiting is forming into a massive one with 28 high school products already signed, according to 247sports.com.
Various sites have UW’s with a top-25 recruiting class in the country thus far. The Huskies are ranked 22nd by 247sports.com, 24th by rivals.com and 18th by ESPN.com.
The early signing period runs through Friday.
FOX college football analyst and former UW quarterback Brock Huard shared his thoughts on the Huskies’ incoming class during his Blue 88 segment Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
“They’re not Texas. They’re not Oregon. They’re not Alabama. They’re not Georgia. They’re not at the top of that list, but they also are not in the 40s and 50s,” Huard said. “They were 48th last year in a short period. Remember Jedd Fisch had to come in after (former head coach) Kalen (DeBoer) left so late and it was kind of messy.”
In an interview with Brock and Salk in February, Fisch highlighted the importance of the 2025 class – his first full one at UW – and said his goal was to make it “the best recruiting class Washington has ever had.”
“That’s not happened, but the (transfer) portal also will play a part of this – a big, big part of this,” Huard said. “So this was kind of buttressing that portal with 28 dudes, including eight four-star guys (according to ESPN). … So I would say (the class is) like a B-plus (to an) A-minus. You don’t get an A because you said (you wanted it) to be the greatest in the history of the school. That didn’t happen. But it’s also not a C or D because there was a whole bunch of achievement in there and some really good high school players.”
Five highlights from UW Huskies’ early signings
• The Huskies have landed just five in-state high school recruits thus far, but they’ve secured three of the state’s top-five recruits, according to 247sports.com. The group is highlighted by top in-state product Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound, four-star linebacker from Bethel High School. It also includes three-star Auburn Riverside linebacker Jonathan Epperson (ranked third in the state) and three-star Spanaway Lake cornerback D’Aryhian Clemons (ranked fifth in the state).
• The mass exodus of players to graduation or transfer following DeBoer’s departure affected the Huskies in many facets, but none greater than the offensive line. Fisch’s first full recruiting class currently has six signings on the O-line, headlined by four-star Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.) interior offensive lineman Chap Taulealea.
• The Huskies were unable to land the state’s No. 2 recruit in four-star Bellevue offensive lineman Demetri Manning, who signed with Oregon. But they returned the favor in nabbing the state of Oregon’s No. 2 recruit: four-star West Linn tight end Baron Naone.
• UW signed 11 players out of California, the most of any state. The group is led by several well-regarded prospects, including Taulealea, four-star athlete Dylan Robinson, four-star wide receiver Chris Lawson, three-star wide receiver Marcus Harris and three-star quarterback Dash Beierly.
• Fisch’s connections to Arizona paid off with four-star safety Rylon Dillard-Allen, the state’s No. 2 recruit, giving his pledge to the Huskies. Dillard-Allen is one of three UW signees ranked in the top 200 nationally by 247sports. The others are Rainey-Sale and Robinson.
Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
