Recapping Washington’s Early Signing Day

Happy Early Signing day Husky fans. The Huskies signed 5 recruits today during the first signing period for the 2022 class. The class is expected to grow quite a bit before the February signing period (I would expect the class to end up somewhere between 10-15 guys in total). Here is a breakdown of who the 5 signees are:

4-star wide receiver Germie Bernard, who has been committed to UW since 2020 finally signed his LOI. Rated as the 225th best player in the country Bernard is one of the best wideouts on the west coast in the 2022 class. Listed at around 6’2 and 200 pounds, Bernard can do it all on the field (run, catch, block). The Huskies beat out Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, and Miami for him. The 2022 Husky wide receiver room looks fairly stacked with Bernard joining Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze, and Terrell Bynum. I would expect Bernard to play a lot next season and he is set to enroll in a few weeks at UW. Bernard accounted for 53 receptions for 956 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also added 37 rushes for 452 yards and 4 rushing scores. Bernard is an important recruit for the Huskies and he should flourish in the new offense. Coach DeBoer described him as an electric and dynamic playmaker who is very durable during his press conference today.

4-star tight end Ryan Otton from Tumwater HS, WA officially signed and is the 2nd highest rated recruit in the class. 247sports has him rated as the 235th best player in the 2022 class and 9th best tight end in the country. With the departure of his older brother Cade Otton as well as Mark Redman transferring out, Otton has the potential the potential to play early and already has the size to make an early impact (he’s listed at 6’5” and around 225 pounds). The Huskies beat out Oregon, Stanford, and Oregon State for the commitment of Otton. Coach Deboer described him as a Dawg, who should be able to get his weight up to 250-260 easily.

3-star offensive lineman Parker Brailsford from Saguaro HS, AZ also signed his LOI today. Rated as the 29th best interior offensive lineman in the 2022 class, Brailsford is being recruited to play guard or center for the Huskies. Listed at 6’2 and around 280 pounds, Brailsford will remind a lot of Husky fans of former Husky Nick Harris. He doesn’t really wow you with his measurable’s but what he does do is get the job done each and every play. The Huskies were able to beat out Arizona, ASU, Michigan State and USC for the commitment of Brailsford. Brailsford is slated to join the Huskies in January with Bernard. Coach Deboer said that Brailsford is an athletic guard that plays to the whistle each and every play.

3-star wide receiver Denzel Boston from Emerald Ridge HS, WA signed with his hometown school today. Listed at 6’3” and around 185 pounds, Boston was offered a scholarship to UW after participating in their rising stars camp. The Huskies were able to beat out Arizona, ASU, and WSU for his commitment. With a loaded wide receiver class, the Huskies will probably try and redshirt Boston to get him ready to see the field for the 2023 season. This last season he accounted for 36 catches for 548 yards and 8 touchdowns. Today, when talking about Boston, Coach DeBoer described him as having an excellent catch radius and being a good compliment to Bernard in the class.

3-star outside linebacker Lance Holtzclaw from Desert Ridge HS, AZ was unsure if he was going to sign with the Huskies today, but after visiting with Coach Deboer and the staff he made the decision to sign. Listed at 6’4” and around 200 pounds, 247sports has Holtzclaw rated as the 52nd best edge player in the 2022 class. The Huskies hosted Holtzclaw back in June and were able to land him over Oregon State, Boston College, Boise State, and Vanderbilt. When you watch him play you can see how good of an athlete he is, and after a year in the weight room he should be able to push for playing time probably in 2023. This last season Holtzclaw accounted for 10 sacks and over 40 tackles. When describing Holtzclaw, Coach DeBoer described him as good locker room guy, who has a good frame for the outside backer position.

The Huskies also added a transfer cornerback from UC Davis today. Jordan Perryman a 3rd team all American at the FCS level committed to play at UW for his final season. Listed at 6’0” 200 pounds Perryman had a good season for UC Davis and should help the Huskies try and fill the vacated cornerback spots that Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon are likely to leave when they opt to head to the NFL.

That is all for now and as always follow me @asieverkropp.