Washington Huskies land three-star linebacker commit Ezaya Tokio

By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter

Washington’s defensive emphasis for its 2026 recruiting class has been clear.

The Huskies have been primarily focused on defensive backs. Five of the players currently pledged to UW are either cornerbacks or safeties. But Tuesday afternoon, Washington got some reinforcements for its front seven.

Ezaya Tokio, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound linebacker from Oceanside, Calif., announced his commitment to Washington in a post on his social media accounts. Tokio is the 16th player to join UW’s 2026 recruiting class and the seventh defensive recruit. He is the lone linebacker. 

He chose Washington instead of offers from Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Michigan State, Oregon State, UCLA and Washington State, among others. Tokio visited UW June 6. Tokio is the first player to commit to linebacker coach Brian Odom, who replaced former UW linebackers coach Robert Bala shortly after the 2024 season ended. 

Tokio, who plays at Oceanside High, is a three-star prospect according to the 247Sports composite ratings, which consider him the No. 118 player in California and the No. 139 linebacker. However, 247Sports’ own rankings are higher on Tokio, calling him the No. 91 player in California and the No. 79 player at his position. 

One explanation for Tokio’s inconsistent ratings from different recruiting services may stem from his limited availability during his junior season. 

Tokio was only able to play in four games at Oceanside during the past campaign because of transfer rules. He made 28 tackles including 10.5 for a loss and deflected a pass during his limited availability. Tokio also racked up 7.5 sacks as a junior. 

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He previously played at St. Augustine High in San Diego, where he made 98 tackles, deflected three passes and made 4.5 tackles for a loss in 12 games as a sophomore. Tokio played in nine varsity games as a freshman at St. Augustine, making 34 tackles. 

Tokio’s decision to join Washington fills an important hole in UW’s 2026 class. Bala and the Huskies landed an early pledge from local composite three-star linebacker Wassie Lugolobi, the state’s No. 6 player, on Nov. 4, 2024. However, the Eastside Catholic High standout flipped to Stanford in March, two days after Bala left for Florida. Lugolobi visited UW on June 20, but currently remains committed to Stanford. 

The Huskies also missed out on composite three-star linebacker Ramzak Fruean, a teammate of current UW linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale at Bethel High. Fruean, ranked the No. 4 player in the state, committed to UCLA June 9 and canceled his scheduled visit to UW. Washington was also unable to flip composite four-star linebacker and Texas A&M commit Samu Moala, who visited UW June 6 but reaffirmed his pledge to the Aggies June 27. 

Following Tokio’s pledge, the Huskies have at least one high school prospect committed for every position except defensive tackle.

At UW, Tokio will join an intriguing position group. Only sixth-year linebacker Anthony Ward, a walk-on and special teams contributor, is expected to exhaust his eligibility following the upcoming season. 

Jacob Manu, the 2023 first-team All-Pac-12 linebacker and former Arizona captain is also entering his final season of eligibility. However, Manu’s availability remains uncertain as he recovers from a season-ending knee injury suffered during the 2024 campaign. If he plays in four games or fewer in 2025, he can utilize his redshirt and return for a fifth season in 2026. 

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With Manu limited for the entire spring, Odom relied heavily on Washington State transfer Taariq “Buddah” Al-Uqdah, UCF transfer Xe’ree Alexander and Deven Bryant, a third-year sophomore linebacker from Southern California powerhouse St. John Bosco High who impressed throughout spring practices. 

The Huskies also have sophomore Hayden Moore, who transferred from Michigan before the 2024 season and spent the spring primarily playing edge, and a pair of local blue-chip freshmen: Rainey-Sale and Jonathan Epperson Jr. 

Rainey-Sale, the state’s top prospect during the 2025 recruiting cycle, spent the spring recovering from an ACL injury suffered at the end of his high school season. Epperson enrolled in time to participate in spring practices after spending his final three years at Auburn Riverside High. 

Tokio’s height and weight give him a comparable physical profile to Alexander, Rainey-Sale and Moore, who are all listed 6-2 or taller and weigh at least 220 pounds. 

UW’s 2026 recruiting class

*local recruit

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