Huskies make late addition to 2026 class, signing TE Kekua Aumua

By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter

Washington still had plans in the works when it landed a late commitment from local linebacker Ramzak Fruean on Monday. 

UW and coach Jedd Fisch weren’t done when they flipped blue-chip wide receiver Jordan Clay from Baylor on Tuesday. Or when the Huskies added Louisiana native Trez Davis, a longtime Tulane wide receiver commit, early Wednesday morning. Or when they signed local O’Dea defensive lineman David Schwerzel late Wednesday evening. 

But Friday afternoon, Fisch and the Huskies pulled the final trick from their sleeves. Against the UW coach’s alma mater. 

Kekua Aumua, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end who also goes by the nickname Rhino, signed with Washington. He’s the 25th player to join the Huskies during the early signing period, giving UW the No. 12 class nationally, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Aumua had been committed to Florida since June 9. 

A composite three-star prospect, Aumua spent his senior season at Kahuku High on O’ahu’s North Shore after previously playing at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He’s the No. 4 player in Hawai’i, the No. 49 tight end and the No. 771 player nationally. 

“He showed strong hands, uses his frame to box out smaller linebackers and safeties and catches the ball well through contact,” Greg Biggins, the former 247Sports national recruiting analyst, wrote in an evaluation July 25. “He’s a dominant run blocker on tape and can maul opposing linebackers or even edge rushers at the (high school) level.”

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Aumua also held offers from Arizona State, Auburn, BYU, Florida State, Illinois, Louisville, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, UCF, Wake Forest and Washington State, among others, but pledged to join Florida out of a final group that also included UW, North Carolina and California. 

He stayed committed after the Gators fired coach Billy Napier on Oct. 19 but took late official visits to Auburn and Washington. Aumua then delayed signing Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period, before officially joining UW on Friday. 

“He’s a physical player with a nice edge in his game,” Biggins wrote, “and shows the ability to play as an in-line tight end in run-heavy situations or move out in the slot and be a focal point of the passing game.”

Aumua is the second tight end to sign with the Huskies, joining Lake Oswego, Ore., native Sam Vyhlidal. UW has now signed two players at the position during each of the past three recruiting cycles. The Huskies added Decker DeGraaf and Charlie Crowell during 2024, then landed Oregon natives Baron Naone and Austin Simmons in 2025. 

Yet Washington and coach Jordan Paopao have needed every healthy body they can muster. In 2024, starting tight end Quentin Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury minutes into UW’s season-opening game against FCS Weber State. With former composite four-star prospect Ryan Otton and Crowell already out for the season before Moore’s injury, UW relied heavily upon senior Keleki Latu and DeGraaf.

Paopao said he felt better about the group’s depth during fall camp before the 2025 season. But Otton sought medical retirement and Crowell suffered an injury setback and missed the entire season. Then, UW lost sophomore USC transfer Kade Eldridge to a season-ending foot injury against Michigan on Oct. 18 — the same game Moore exited early with a concussion. 

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So the Huskies had to improvise. DeGraaf once again carried the load, and UW burned Naone’s redshirt while it waited for Moore to return. The Huskies also utilized sophomore offensive lineman Zachary Henning as an emergency tight end at times this season. 

Moore, a seventh-year senior from Kenmore, exhausted his eligibility in 2025. DeGraaf, a true junior in 2026, will return as the most experienced player in the group. His 31 catches and 353 yards receiving in 2025 were both career-high marks. Eldridge, a fourth-year junior in 2026, and Naone, a true sophomore, will likely contend to become the team’s second-choice tight end, while Eldridge will return to his fullback role when healthy, too. 

Yet the past two seasons have shown UW’s plans at tight end rarely go as expected, and adding Aumua gives the Huskies another option going forward. 

UW’s 2026 recruiting class

*: local recruit
(): signed with UW
(☒): signed with another team

Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.