Sawyer Racanelli is a Husky!

Sawyer Racanelli, a three-star wide receiver from Southwest Washington, signed his letter of intent to play for UW today. Racanelli was a versatile HS prospect who played all over the field. He was designated as an athlete in his recruitment because he profiled as a possible OLB, though UW looks likely to keep him at WR. Racanelli tore his ACL over the summer, which caused him to miss his entire senior year. Nonetheless, Racanelli profiles as an exciting prospect for the Dawgs.

Racanelli is rated as the #745 national prospect and #42 athlete in the country by the 247sports consensus. 247 has him rated better by their own system at 403/20 and #9 in the state of Washington. Whichever system you use, Racanelli stands out due to his 6’2, 208 lb frame. He’s a physical receiver, but also has enough speed, especially in small spaces, to create separation from defensive backs. The injury sets back his timeline, but he was so well-developed physically that he was considered an early contributor before tearing his ACL.

Although the receiving corps created some consternation for Husky fans over the last couple years, Racanelli joins a position group that is suddenly more loaded with talent than it has been in a very long time. He rates as the #3 receiver in the class behind nationally renowned commits Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze. Terrell Bynum, Jordan Chin, and Ty Jones will return as the upper-classman leaders at the position. Redshirt freshmen Marquis Spiker and Austin Osborne started to see the field at times in 2019 and could have bigger roles with Aaron Fuller, Andre Baccellia, Quinten Pounds, and Chico McClatcher gone from the team. Puka Nacua should be back to 100% after a foot injury prematurely ended a thrilling start to his career. Taj Davis may also start to work his way into the rotation.

Racanelli’s health and the positional depth make it unlikely that he will burst onto the scene next year. But as a two-way standout in high school there’s a good chance that Racanelli makes an impact on special teams while he tries to work his way up the depth chart at wide receiver. Still, he is a very promising prospect in the long run and should leave his mark on the program before his career is done. Congratulations to Sawyer and welcome to UW!