SeaTown Sports Brew - UW Football Recruiting Heats Up

The Huskies landed 10 commitments for the 2025 class last week

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The Leadoff - UW Gains 10 commitments from the 2025 Class

I previewed the big recruiting weekend ahead for the Huskies a little under two weeks ago. At that time, the Huskies’ 2025 class consisted of seven players and ranked a measly No. 60 in the country. That big recruiting weekend happened, and boy was it big. The Huskies have secured ten commitments since that weekend and now have the No. 28 recruiting class in the country.

The latest ten commitments:

• Tight End Vander Ploog (Troy - Fullerton, CA)

• Tight End Baron Naone (West Linn - West Linn, OR)

• Athlete Jonathan Epperson (Auburn Riverside - Auburn, WA)

• Athlete D’Aryhian Clemons (Spanaway Lake - Spanaway, WA)

• Athlete Deji Ajose (Bishop O’Dowd - Oakland, CA)

• Linebacker Donovan Robinson (Loyola Academy - Wilmette, IL)

• Athlete Dezmen Roebuck (Marana - Marana, AZ)

• Defensive Lineman Caleb Smith (Parker - Birmingham, AL)

• Defensive Lineman Dominic Macon (Adrienne C. Nelson - Happy Valley, OR)

• Edge Victor Sanchez Hernandez (Kamiak - Mukilteo, WA)

Notably, Washington landed three four-star recruits: Tight End Vander Ploog; Tight End Baron Naone; and Athlete Jonathan Epperson.

Credit goes to Washington Tight End & Special Teams Coordinator Jordan Paopao for landing Ploog and Naone. Jedd Fisch brought Paopao over from Arizona with him, but Paopao is no stranger to Montlake. He coached under both Steve Sarkisian and Chris Petersen for nine years. Jimmy Lake did not retain Paopao (one of the many questionable decisions of Lake during his tenure). What is Paopao’s recruiting pitch to tight-end recruits? It is the same refrain as the rest of the staff: “Come Be A Pro”.

Paopao perhaps has the most evidence to support the Huskies’ recruiting pitch, that their program will help recruits get to the NFL. While at Washington, Paopao coached three tight ends who ended up in the NFL: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Will Dissly, and Drew Sample. He has credibility when it comes to the position, so it is no surprise that two of Washington’s best recruits are tight ends.

The Washington staff is not done yet. There are a handful of recruits who have the Huskies among their final schools under consideration. Some names the Huskies are hoping to close on:

• Four-star Edge Chinedu Onyeagoro (King Drew Medical Magnet - Los Angeles, CA)

• Four-star Wide Receiver Donovan Olugode (IMG Academy - Bradenton, FL)

• Four-star Edge C.J. May (Highland Home - Highland, Home, AL)

• Four-star Linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale (Bethel - Spanaway Lake, WA)

• Four-star Linebacker Mark Iheanachor (Narbonne - Harbor City, CA)

• Four-star Safety Madden Faraimo (J Serra Catholic - San Juan Capistrano, CA)

A few notes on the above recruits. I would consider Rainey-Sale a lock to Washington. He recently posted this customized recruiting video from Husky legend Lawyer Milloy, selling Rainey-Sale on staying home. Onyeagoro announces his commitment today at 4 p.m. PT. Washington, UCLA, Florida, and SMU are his final four. May announces on July 13th. He will choose between Washington, Syracuse, Auburn, and Louisville. Faraimo’s high school teammate, IOL Jake Flores has already committed to UW, which may be a selling point for Faraimo’s recruitment.

Winners and Losers

• Loser - Seattle Mariners (47-39) - If you want to hear how some (or most) Mariners fans feel right now, listen to the first five minutes of the latest episode of our podcast. The M’s dropped five of their last seven games to close the month of June. Things are bad bad right now.

• Winner - Seattle Storm (12-6) - Two wins against the Caitlin Clarks and the Dallas Wings. Things are clicking for the Storm, especially for Jewell Loyd who dropped 34 points on the Fever and 30 points on the Wings.

• Winner - Seattle Sounders FC (7-7-7) - Make that another comeback for the Sounders. Albert Rusnak netted the game-winning penalty for Seattle in stoppage time to secure the 2-1 victory.

• Winner- Seattle Reign FC (2-9-4) - I’m counting the Reign as a winner, when you’re struggling this much, you’ll take the points and count that as a success. A goal in the 99th minute helped the Reign “steal” a draw. The team has not lost their last three matches.

On-Deck

• Seattle Reign (2-9-4) host Utah Royals FC (2-11-2) on Sunday 7/7, 3 p.m. on NWSL+ and KONG. This could be the game to put the Reign in the win column.

• The M’s (47-39) host the Baltimore Orioles (53-31) for a three-game set and the Toronto Blue Jays (38-45) for a three-game set as well. Seattle hopes to restore hope in its fan base. I’d be happy with a .500 homestand.

• Sounders FC (7-7-7) host New England (6-11-1) on Saturday 7/6, 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV (MLS Season Pass). This is another chance for the Sounders to pick up three points and hopefully they do not have to come from behind to do it.

• The Storm get another gift of a game against the Dallas Wings (4-14) today at 7 p.m. on Fox 13+/Amazon Prime (Seattle)/NBA TV. They then host Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky (6-11) for a weekend two-game series at Climate Pledge Arena: Friday, July 5 at 7 p.m. on ION and Sunday, July 7 at 3 p.m. on Fox 13+/Amazon Prime (Seattle).

This Week in Seattle Sports History

Nelson Cruz turns 44 today. Cruz played four seasons as a Mariner, and despite spending eight seasons with the Texas Rangers, Cruz decided to retire as a Mariner, signing a one-day contract with Seattle last March. Per Baseball Reference’s WAR metric, Cruz ranks No. 18. He ranks No. 10 in OB% (.362); No. 3 in Slugging (.546); No. 6 in home runs (163).

Fast Break

Big Ten stadium rankings (CBS Sports)

2. Washington - Husky Stadium

I can already see the angry messages from Big Ten fans outraged that I'd include this newcomer so highly, but trust me. Once you visit the place, you'll get it. Husky Stadium's overall capacity of 70,138 ranks ninth in the league, but few buildings are as loud. The stadium's design keeps the sound from escaping, and the view of the bay and the sailgate scene are unmatched anywhere else in the league. It's a welcome addition to the league.

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