Washington Huskies expect more than 20 recruits at season opener
Washington head coach Jedd Fisch observes practice at Husky Stadium, April 3, 2025 in Seattle. (Ivy Ceballo / The Seattle Times)
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
It’s never too early to get a start on next year’s recruiting class.
As of Thursday, exactly half of the Big Ten has at least one prospect committed to its 2027 recruiting class. UW is not one of those programs.
But Washington will host a large group of prospects Saturday for its season-opening game against Colorado State. The group includes more than 20 recruits from the 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029 recruiting cycles, including several 2026 players who have already committed to the Huskies like Kennedy Catholic High edge rusher Derek Colman-Brusa, Puyallup High offensive lineman Ah Deong Yang, running back Ansu Sanoe from Oregon and safety Gavin Day out of Las Vegas.
However, there are several uncommitted prospects in the upcoming 2027 and 2028 cycles who will be intriguing names to watch as their recruiting begins to ramp up once the 2026 class signs in December.
So here are six notable — uncommitted — recruits who will be on Montlake this weekend:
6. Tycen Johnson — 2027 wide receiver, Chaparral High, Temecula, Calif.
The Huskies and wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings signed five players during the 2025 recruiting cycle: Raiden Vines-Bright, Dezmen Roebuck, Chris Lawson, Marcus Harris and Deji Ajose. UW has been more selective during the 2026 cycle, landing commitments from Mason James, the top player in Oklahoma, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and Blaise LaVista, a highly productive receiver from the Chicago suburbs.
UW can enter 2027 with all seven still on the roster assuming no attrition, so wide receiver spots may be limited again. Tycen Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound wideout at Chaparral High in Temecula, Calif., may be the right fit to step into UW’s crowded wide receiver room. He announced he will be at UW this weekend in a post on his social media accounts Wednesday.
Johnson, a three-star prospect according to the 247Sports composite ratings, has scholarship offers from Washington, Arizona State, BYU, Kansas and Utah among others. He had 374 yards receiving and four touchdowns on 24 receptions during his first season of varsity football as a sophomore according to MaxPreps.
His physical build also aligns with other receivers coach Jedd Fisch and Cummings have signed in recent cycles. Vines-Bright, Lawson, Harris and Audric Harris are all listed between 6-0 and 6-1 while weighing between 185 pounds and 200 pounds. Johnson also runs track, registering a 10.85-second 100-meter dash in 2025, according to Athletic.net.
5. Maurice Williams — 2027 cornerback, Graham-Kapowsin High, Graham
UW’s aggressive approach to wide receivers during the 2025 cycle has been replicated by its cornerback recruitment in 2026. The Huskies currently hold commitments from Ksani Jiles, CJ Lavender, Elijah Durr and Jeron Jones — as secondary coach John Richardson considers who will replace seniors Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock.
But UW has one of the country’s top 2027 defensive backs in its backyard. Maurice Williams, a 6-1, 180-pound cornerback at Graham-Kapowsin High, is a composite four-star prospect and the No. 6 player in Washington. Williams confirmed he will be on campus for the Colorado State game in a post on his social media accounts Wednesday.
Williams, who previously played at Yelm High, currently holds offers from Washington, Arizona State, Boise State, BYU, Oregon State and Washington State among others.
Advertising Skip Ad
4. AJ Tuivaiave — 2028 quarterback, Graham-Kapowsin High, Graham
Williams won’t be the only Graham-Kapowsin player on Montlake this weekend. AJ Tuivaiave, a quarterback in the 2028 cycle, will also visit UW this weekend according to a post on his social media account Aug. 22.
Tuivaiave, a 6-3, 240-pound quarterback, enjoyed a breakout freshman season. He accumulated 2,567 yards passing while completing 66.1% of his attempts, according to MaxPreps. Tuivaiave averaged 233.4 yards passing per game and passed for 28 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, leading Graham-Kapowsin to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Class 4A playoffs.
The young quarterback’s play has already earned him some recruiting attention. Tuivaiave has offers from Arizona State, BYU, California, Miami, Oregon and Washington among others. Current UW starting quarterback Demond Williams Jr. will be out of eligibility by the 2028 season.
3. Reis Russell — 2027 offensive lineman, Valor Christian High, Littleton, Colo.
There’s only a small sample size, but Washington’s had success with offensive linemen from Valor Christian High. It’s the same program that produced former Husky standout Roger Rosengarten, a second-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2024 NFL draft.
Reis Russell, a 6-3 1/2, 290-pound interior offensive lineman, has a chance to follow in Rosengarten’s footsteps. Currently a composite three-star prospect, Russell has an impressive offer list that includes Washington, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Duke, Illinois, Kansas State, LSU, Miami, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Purdue, SMU, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Washington State and West Virginia.
Russell, the No. 2 player in Colorado, confirmed he will visit Washington this weekend in a post on his social media accounts. He also has an offer from UW’s opponent, Colorado State.
Advertising Skip AdSkip AdSkip Ad
2. Sione Kaho — 2027 quarterback, Lincoln High of Tacoma, Tacoma
Back in 2018, Washington missed out on composite four-star linebacker Ale Kaho, who ended up at Alabama despite initially signing with UW. Now, the Huskies have a shot to land his brother.
Sione Kaho, a 6-2 1/2, 205-pound quarterback at Lincoln High of Tacoma, has been one of the top signal callers in the Pacific Northwest. As a freshman, Kaho compiled 2,296 yards passing and 18 touchdowns while completing 68.9% of his attempts, according to MaxPreps.
He replicated those numbers as a sophomore, tallying 2,192 yards passing and 17 touchdowns with a 62.1% completion percentage. Kaho was also an effective runner, adding 370 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on 61 carries.
Kaho confirmed he will be at UW this weekend in a series of posts on his social media accounts. He has offers from Washington, Arizona State, BYU, Cal, Oregon, Stanford, Utah and Washington State among others. Kaho is considered the No. 3 player in Washington and a composite four-star recruit.
“He’s very polished as a thrower with a smooth, easy delivery,” Greg Biggins, 247Sports national recruiting analyst, wrote in an evaluation April 22. “Spins it really well and has a nice touch and feel for throwing the deeper routes. He’s a fluid athlete who moves well, in and out of the pocket. He has some suddenness to him in how he eludes pressure and has some real twitch in his movement.”
1. Tytan McNeal — 2028 tight end, Eastside Catholic High, Sammamish
One of the best high school athletes in the country currently calls the Pacific Northwest home and will be in attendance Saturday, according to 247Sports Brandon Huffman.
Tytan McNeal, a 6-5, 210-pound tight end, is already considered a composite five-star recruit and the top player at his position in the country. He’s also a standout basketball player who played with Seattle Rotary during the Elite Youth Basketball League circuit.
McNeal, who is entering his sophomore season at Eastside Catholic, has offers from Washington, Arizona, BYU, Cal, Miami, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin, along with a few other programs. He has basketball offers from Arizona State, Oregon and San Diego among others.
“High major basketball player,” Biggins wrote in an evaluation Aug. 5. “And you can see the hoops background in his ability to box out smaller defensive backs and his timing to win jump balls.”
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.