Huskies bolster 2026 class with pair of Las Vegas recruits

By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter

Washington and coach Jedd Fisch began reaping the rewards of their big recruiting push hours before the weekend concluded. 

Dominic Harris, a 6-foot-7 1/2, 335-pound offensive lineman from Las Vegas, announced his commitment to UW late Sunday afternoon according to several posts on his social media accounts. Harris was joined by fellow Las Vegas native Gavin Day, a 6-3, 190-pound safety, around 70 minutes later when he also announced a pledge to the Huskies in posts on his social media accounts.

Harris and Day were among the 15 high-school prospects UW hosted for official visits during the past weekend. They will both join Washington’s 2026 recruiting class.

Considered a three-star recruit by the 247Sports composite rankings, Harris is the No. 4 player in Nevada, the No. 55 offensive tackle and the No. 662 player nationally entering his senior season at Ed W. Clark High, where he also does shot put for the track and field team.

“Harris is a massive lineman who not only played all three positions on the offensive line last season but worked in at defensive tackle as well,” Greg Biggins, 247Sports national recruiting analyst wrote in an evaluation May 11. “He relies on raw power and strength but will need to continue to refine his technique and play with better pad level and once he does, his game will really take off.”

Harris chose Washington out of a final group that included Auburn, Arizona, Oregon and UNLV, but also held offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, BYU, California, Florida State, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA and Utah. 

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He is the third offensive lineman commit for the Huskies. The Huskies and offensive-line coach Michael Switzer also hold pledges from composite five-star prospect Kodi Greene, a Renton native who plays for Mater Dei High in Southern California, and composite three-star recruit Ah Deong Yang, who plays at Puyallup High. 

Harris, Greene and Yang are all currently listed at 320 pounds or bigger. That’s heavier than 11 of the scholarship offensive lineman on UW’s 2025 roster. However, it also illustrates UW’s pursuit of bigger offensive-line prospects as Switzer and Fisch prepare for their second season in the Big Ten. Of the five scholarship offensive linemen listed heavier than 320 pounds, three of them — John Mills, Champ Taulealea and Jack Shaffer — are incoming freshmen. 

UW is only expected to lose newly arrived Kansas State transfer Carver Willis after the 2025 season, and adding Harris, Greene and Yang to the unit’s growing foundation in 2026 may be exactly what the Huskies need to build an offensive line that can compete in the Big Ten. 

Day became a composite four-star prospect, the No. 2 player in Nevada, the No. 30 safety and the No. 347 player in the country while playing at Faith Lutheran High in Las Vegas. Day made 110 tackles, hauled in two interceptions, deflected six passes and forced three fumbles during his junior season in 2024.

He’s the fourth blue-chip prospect to join UW’s 2026 class, and the fourth defensive back. The Huskies also have pledges from Mater Dei’s CJ Lavender, IMG Academy standout Ksani Jiles and Mount Tahoma High’s Elijah Durr. All three are listed as cornerbacks while Day is a safety.

“He’s rangy, covers a lot of ground and can really fly to the football,” Biggins wrote in an evaluation Feb. 28. “He’s a big hitter who gets downhill in a hurry and plays with the kind of enforcer mentality you love to have in your secondary. He’s quick to read and react, plays with high level awareness and shows a really nice burst when he triggers.

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“He’s a tough kid, a throwback-type defender who’s always looking for that knockout shot on a crossing receiver.”

Day chose Washington out of a final group of schools that included Arizona, Iowa, USC and Utah. He also had offers from Arizona State, Kansas State, Minnesota, Oregon State, Purdue and Texas A&M, among others.

The Huskies will potentially lose two safeties following the 2025 season, as sixth-year veteran Makell Esteen and FIU transfer CJ Christian are expected to exhaust their eligibility. Assuming no attrition, UW will enter the 2026 season with Northern Arizona transfer Alex McLaughlin, Vincent Holmes, Paul Mencke Jr., Rahim Wright II, Rylon Dillard-Allen and Day at safety. Holmes and Dillard-Allen were also blue-chip recruits out of high school.

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Harris and Day’s commitment may bode well for UW’s recruiting going forward, particularly in Nevada. They were joined on their official visit by Harris’ Clark teammate Dre Pollard, a composite three-star prospect and the No. 6 player in Nevada.

Pollard, a two-way standout who plays wide receiver, running back and defensive back at Clark, currently holds offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, BYU, Duke, Minnesota, Oregon State, Stanford and others.

Nevada, and specifically Las Vegas, can be a crucial recruiting region on the West Coast. Harris and Day are the first high-school prospects from the area to commit to Washington since Liberty High wide receiver Germie Bernard signed with the Huskies during the 2022 cycle, though he was eventually released from his letter of intent to join Michigan State following Jimmy Lake’s firing.

Sophomore wide receiver Audric Harris, another Las Vegas native, transferred to UW from Arizona, following Fisch and his coaching staff, after enrolling early with the Wildcats and burned his redshirt in 2024. 

Additionally, wide receiver Rome Odunze and left tackle Troy Fautanu signed with Washington from the Las Vegas area in 2020 and 2019, respectively, and played starring roles — along with Bernard following his transfer back to UW — in the Huskies’ run to the College Football Playoff championship game in 2023.

Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes.com. Seattle Times staff reporter Andy Yamashita covers UW football.