2021 Husky Signing Day Recap

Happy signing day Husky fans. The bulk of what is expected to be the 2021 class has signed their letters of intent with the Huskies today. Coach Lake and his staff are bringing in 15 commits in the 2021 class. As has been typical for the last couple of years the class has been wrapped up for a while with relatively no drama. With a smaller senior class the Huskies were expected to have a smaller class this year.

Overall the class is well balanced and it is headlined by 5-star quarterback Sam Huard from Kennedy Catholic HS, WA. Had Huard, who is ranked as the #1 pro style quarterback by 247sports, not committed to UW during his sophomore year he would’ve had offers from every top school in the country. In the end the Lefty signal caller choose to play for his father’s alma mater and rep the purple and the gold. Huard brings great intangibles, accuracy, arm strength, and deep ball ability to a Husky offense that is trying to be more explosive. I expect Huard to compete with Dylan Morris for the starting QB job in 2021.

Joining Huard on offense are 4-star offensive guard Owen Prentice from O’Dea HS, WA who is one of the top guards in the country and chose UW over offers from Stanford and LSU. It sounds like the Huskies are bringing Prentice in as a center, but he can also play guard. The Huskies were also able to nab 4-star wideout Jabez Tinae from Kennedy Catholic HS, WA who has sneaky elusiveness and a bond with Huard that should help him play early for the Huskies. The Huskies beat out USC, Oregon, and several other Pac 12 schools for his commitment.

At tight end the Huskies are bringing in the #1 Juco tight end in Quentin Moore from Independence HS, KS. Moore, who is originally from the Seattle area is a big time pass catcher who chose UW over offers from Miami, Tennessee, Florida State, and Oklahoma State and should be able to play right away in 2021. The Huskies are also bringing in a H back/tight end in 3-star Caden Jumper from Eatonville, HS WA who will play a similar role to current Husky players Devin Culp and Jack Westover.

The Huskies are also bringing in 3-star offensive tackle Robert Wyrsch from Soquel HS, CA. Wyrsch has a good frame for the position and has just started adding weight and lifting. He looks like a potential hidden gem for the Huskies. Filling out the offensive class is 3-star running back Caleb Berry from Lufkin HS, TX who is a bigger back that can move the chains. Berry chose UW over Arkansas and Nebraska (he also was starting to be heavily recruited by Penn State, and LSU in the last several months).

After taking some big-time players on the defensive side of the ball last year, the Huskies appear to have honed in on players who have lots of potential and are just starting to hit their strides as players. There isn’t a headliner in this class but there are solid players who should compete for playing time pretty soon.

On defense the Huskies are bringing in some big boys on the defensive line led by 3-star defensive tackle Voi Tunuufi from East HS, UT who chose UW over offers from Utah, Michigan, and ASU. Tunuufi is a quick twitch defensive tackle that can sack the quarterback and disrupt running plays. The Huskies are also bringing in 3-star defensive tackle Kuao Peihopa from Kamehameha HS, HI. Peihopa is a bigger defensive tackle that has size and strength to play inside. He also has a great motor and is just scratching the surface of how good he can be.

The last defensive tackle in the class is somewhat of a sleeper. 3-star defensive tackle Siaosi Finau from Renton HS, WA committed to UW after being offered this summer and prior to that point was a complete unknown. Finau has gained tons of weight the last couple of years and he is really starting to come into this own. The Huskies may have landed another gem along the defensive line if Finau can spend a couple of years in the system to get stronger and learn technique from Coach Malloe.

At edge rusher the Huskies are bringing in 3-star defensive end Maurice Heims from Santa Margarita HS, CA. Heims just started playing football in the last couple of years but he has the size to develop down the road into a force at rush end. The Huskies were able to beat out Penn State, ASU, and Illinois for his commitment.

The Huskies are only bringing in 1 linebacker in the class in 4-star Will Latu from Bethel HS, WA. When you watch him play you can see how violent of a hitter he is at middle linebacker. The Huskies could use more violence inside and Latu could compete to play early for the Huskies. The Huskies beat out Oregon, USC, and Michigan for Latu.

At DB the Huskies are bringing in 3-star cornerback Zakhari Spears from Loyola HS, CA. Spears is a longer corner who chose UW over offers from Oregon, ASU, and Utah. Joining Spears at defensive back is 3-star nickel back Dyson McCutcheon from Bishop Amat HS, CA. McCutcheon is a smaller defensive back who plays offense and defense for his team. McCutcheon committed to UW over offers from USC, Michigan, and Notre Dame. Rounding out the defensive back class is 3-star safety Vincent Nunley from Freedom HS, CA. Nunley is a longer safety who can play free safety for the Huskies and roam the back end. The Huskies beat out Kansas and Utah for Nunley.

The 2021 class was a weird class for Huskies who weren’t able to host prospects or see them in camp. It was also the first class for Jimmy Lake who changed up some of the recruiting that UW had been doing (mainly personnel changes). The Huskies missed out on some of their top targets including 5-star wideout Emeka Egbuka from Steilacoom HS, WA and 4-star wideout Troy Franklin from Menlo Atherton HS, CA. Both committed to other schools after heavily considering UW.

Overall, I’d give the class and B or a B- due to some misses on some of their bigger targets. However, the Huskies added arguably the best quarterback in the country who should shine at UW sooner, rather than later. Looking back at some recent classes I tend to think that this class will look a lot like the 2014 class that was brought in (where a lot of players will over-achieve their recruiting rankings as of now).

Let me know what you think about the class and how you would grade them. As always follow me @asieverkropp.