Sm Huard, Kennedy Catholic High School, Washington Huskies.
Last Wednesday, February 3, was the final day for prospects to commit to the Washington Huskies 2021 recruiting class. Fifteen of the seventeen players committed during the early signing period on December 16; the rest came on board last week.
The class headliner is quarterback Sam Huard, son of Husky quarterback great Damon Huard and nephew of former Husky Brock Huard. He’s the number one pro-style QB recruit in the nation.
Sam enrolled at UW early to get in extra practice time before camp begins. But he still plans to play this spring for Kennedy Catholic in Burien, Washington, for his senior year. The Lancers have a great shot at winning a state title. Huard wants to be a part of that.
Whether it’s in April or August, Huard will compete for the Huskies’ starting quarterback against last year’s starter Dylan Morris. UW also brought in Patrick O’Brien from Colorado State. The grad transfer signed on with Washington on December 31, 2020. O’Brien played two seasons at Colorado State after moving over from Nebraska after the 2017 season.
To help ease Huard’s transition, wide receiver and Kennedy teammate Jabez Tinae will come with him to UW. ESPN has Tanae as the #27 ranked receiver in the country.
Former Texas Tech receiver Ja’Lynn Polk of Lufkin, Texas, was the only undergraduate transfer to sign with Washington this year. Polk caught 28 passes as a freshman for 264 yards and two touchdowns in his only Red Raiders season. There was an open spot for him after Ty Jones left UW for Fresno State.
Polk played his high school ball with running back Caleb Berry (6-0, 215-pounds), who committed to Washington during the early signing period. Aside from being an outstanding football player, Berry is a standout sprinter. His size and speed will work nicely for UW for years. With all the incumbent running backs returning to Washington next season, he is likely to redshirt in 2021.
At the always talented tight end position, the Huskies have two in this year’s class. Both are local players. Quentin Moore played for Inglemoor; however, in 2019, he played JUCO football in Kansas for Independence Community College of Last Chance U fame. Moore comes to UW as the number one junior college tight end in the nation, according to 247Sports.com.
There is also Caden Jumper from Eatonville. In 2019, he was an Associated Press 2A All-State selection as an all-purpose runner. With his abilities, he can be a Jack Westover-type hybrid tight end/ fullback.
Of course, UW added to the hog mollies along their offensive line. They signed Robert Wyrsch from Capitola, California, and Owen Prentice out of Seattle’s O’Dea High School. Wyrsch only played one year of high school football. At 6-7 and 285-pounds, he is a big boy. So the Huskies will work to make him a viable Pac-12 competitor. 24/7 Sports ranks Prentice as the number seven guard in the country and fourth-best prospect in Washington State.
Another one of Huard’s high school teammates, defensive lineman JT Tuimoloau is a top-five national recruit. He hasn’t committed to any school thus far. Alabama and Ohio State are the favorites, but UW is still in the race. So there is always a chance that Tuimoloau sticks around to play for his local college.
The Huskies have three other defensive linemen they did sign. The new men in the trenches are Von Tunuufi out of South Jordan, Utah, Siasoi Finau, a Hawaiian native who played his high school ball at Renton, and Kuao Peihopa from Makakilo, Hawaii.
An interesting project joining the program is outside linebacker Maurice Heims out of Hamburg, Germany. Heims hasn’t played any organized football for a couple of years, so he won’t make an immediate impact. Expect U-dub to redshirt him in 2021, so he can back into football condition.
Another exciting player on his way to Washington is safety/inside linebacker Will Latu out of Bethel in Tacoma. A fantastic athlete, Latu played safety and running back in high school. Although he was all-state safety in 2019, he was also an honorable mention at running back. Those are talents UW can take full advantage of.
The rich got richer as the Washington Huskies signed two highly touted cornerbacks to their talented group of defensive backs. Zachari Spears is from Loyola High School in Los Angeles, California. He comes in as the number 29th ranked cornerback in the nation and 37th best prospect in California by 247Sports.com.
The other cornerback is Dyson McCutcheon. He is the grandson of NFL great running back Lawrence McCutcheon. Safety Vincent Nunley from Oakland is the only other D-Back to sign this year.
Those are the players who make up the incoming class of 2021. The Huskies did have three in-state players they gave offers to but decided to go elsewhere. They are receiver Emeka Egbuka out of Steilacoom (Ohio State), Julien Simon from Lincoln in Tacoma (USC), and Arizona State-bound receiver Lonyatta Alexander, from Burien.
We wish the best to this talented group of athletes. Now that the 2021 recruiting cycle is over, the Washington Huskies can work on the class of 2022. Go Dawgs!