Recruiting roundup: Washington’s big weekend and a spring calendar primer
The Hotline is delighted to provide West Coast fans with a regular dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Phoenix-based national recruiting analyst for Rivals/On3. He submitted the following report on March 5 …
Quick primer: March through June
After all the hubbub of the coaching carousel, NIL, the transfer portal, FCS schools jumping to the FBS, eligibility lawsuits and everything else, the never-ending drama of college football shifts back to the original soap opera: recruiting.
The dead period is over; the quiet period is in effect. That means schools can host recruits on campus for unofficial visits, junior days, spring practice and the like.
Beginning April 1, schools can welcome Class of 2027 recruits for official visits, a process that lasts until late June.
Within that window is what used to be known as the evaluation period — it’s now called the spring contact period — with coaches hitting the road to assess recruits on their high school campuses.
Recruiting camps will ramp up in June.
Come the night of June 21, recruiting — both on and off campus — is on pause until September.
Oh, and coaches must mix spring practice into their busy calendars. Fortunately, the shift to an unlimited number of assistant coaches has allowed staffs to manage both the on- and off-the-field duties.
In many cases, the player personnel directors, recruiting staff and general managers do much of the heavy lifting with recruiting.
Big weekend on Montlake
While USC, UCLA and Oregon all hosted various junior days in the month of January, Washington decided to wait until March to stage its first major event of the spring.
The Huskies will host their junior day on Saturday, with talent expected both locally and from afar.
They have a pair of commitments from within the state in receiver Braylon Pope, the top-ranked prospect in Washington, and cornerback Maurice Williams. Both will be on hand.
Jedd Fisch and his staff likely will be busy recruiting fellow Evergreen State prospects like offensive lineman Gecova Doyal, tight end Zach Albright and quarterback Sione Kaho.
They also have two commitments from Bellflower, California powerhouse St. John Bosco: the Couch twins, Justin and Ethan, who play linebacker.
They’ll be in Seattle along with teammate Isala Wily-Ava, another primary target for the Huskies.
Also expected on campus are four-star safety Gavin Williams, four-star offensive lineman Lincoln Mageo, four-star defensive lineman Jon Ioane and linebacker Isaiah Leilua.
From Arizona, the Huskies landed a commitment from receiver Zerek Sidney back in January and he’ll be at his future school, joined by his Desert Edge High School teammate, four-star quarterback Blake Roskopf, who the Huskies are pursuing.
Most significant, though, is the addition of their elite 2028 teammate Jalanie George to the list.
George is the No. 3 overall player in the class of ’28, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, the highest-rated defensive prospect nationally.
The Huskies also will have running back Jeremy Adeyanju, lineman DaJohn Yarborough and receiver Dontay Tyson on hand. All three are from Arizona.
The No. 1 recruit in Oregon in the 2027 class is Josiah Molden, the brother of former Husky defensive back Elijah Molden, now a Los Angeles Charger. The older Molden spurned his father’s alma mater, Oregon, for Washington. Now the Huskies are hoping to snag another member of the family.
Washington also expects All-American receiver Osani Gayles, from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida — and a Fisch target for nearly two years — to visit campus.
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