Recruiting Panic Meter

There is no sugar coating it, four star TE Vander Ploog flipping from UW to Oregon was the opposite of fun for Husky fans. The road to signing day is one filled with plenty of twists and turns for every program, but how many truly remain for Washington with signing day three weeks away? How much should you be worrying? Below is a ranking exploring that very question.

In-State Commits: Very Little Worry

There are currently five commits in the 2025 class from in-state prospects; Lowen Colman-Brusa (OL, Kennedy Catholic), Victor Sanchez-Hernandez (Edge, Kamiak), D’Aryhian Clemons (CB, Spanaway Lake), Jonathan Epperson (LB, Auburn Riverside), and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale (LB, Bethel). This is a very tight group of commits who have gone to nearly every home game together and have done a lot of bonding. Some of them weren’t as heavily recruited as the others, but it is tough to see any of them flipping elsewhere. Rainey-Sale is the highest rated recruit in the entire class so there may be concern there, but his other two finalists before he chose Washington were UCLA and Florida state. Suffice to say they are not having the on field success that would make him reconsider them.

Special Teamers: Very Little Worry

In general, it is very uncommon for ST players to flip their commitments and I expect the same to hold true for LS Hunter Solwold and P Tyler Prasuhn. Both of them live out of state and have still made it to multiple home games so there shouldn’t be much to worry about.

Desert State DBs: Very Little Worry

Safety Rylon Dillard-Allen (AZ) and CB Ramonz Adams (TX) have both been having great senior seasons and have still found the time to visit for at least one home game. They haven’t shown any signs of wavering such as visiting local schools so they should be viewed as locked in.

Quarterback Commits: Very Little Worry

Dash Beierly was the first commit in the 2025 class for this staff after flipping him from Arizona where they arrived from. He has been to many games as well as played recruiter since his commitment and I can’t see a scenario where he flips anywhere. Treston Kini McMillan was also a highly sought after quarterback prospect, but chose UW in the end. Kini McMillan is very tight with OL commit Champ Taulealea after they bonded on their official visit together. Unfortunately he was injured in the first game of his senior season and has had to miss the majority of it. There has been some quarterback flips in the 2025 class, but I don’t see Kini McMillan as one to do so.

High Upside DL Commits: Very Little Worry

Devin Hyde (Edge, CA) has been committed since June and it has been a long time in the making. Hyde was all but a lock to commit to UW before the new staff even arrived and after getting re-offered it was all but guaranteed. For those who love players who commit to a school/program, you will really enjoy Hyde. Dominic Macon (DT, OR) was a late bloomer who wowed the coaches at a camp in the summer. They decided to make their move and full court press him to commit before he blew up and would get a lot of offers that he would likely have earned had he held off. The staff has made him a priority from the jump and in turn, he has showed no signs of wavering.

California OL Commits: Little Worry

While Dash was the first commit for the class under the staff, he was a flip from Arizona. The first true commit to the class was Jake Flores (J Serra Catholic). He has been very dedicated in his commitment and has been playing recruiter for other talented prospects on his team and in the Trinity League. If one were to flip, it would be Champ Taulealea. He was heavily pursued by many great schools including USC, but he has a fantastic relationship with both Carroll and Fisch. Brandon Huffman from 247 posted a wonderful in depth interview with him and you could tell the genuine love he has for both the staff and the UW in general.

Out of Region Commits: Medium-Low Amount of Worrying

Normally the worry meter would be higher given the distance and lack of overall recruiting footprint where each of these prospects are committed, but the staff has been doing a very good job of staying on top of them and making sure they are staying committed. Donovan Robinson (LB, IL) flipped from Virginia to UW over the summer, but has been firmly committed since then. He has visited multiple times and has an excellent relationship with both Bala and Sunseri. Had Jack Shaffer (OT, ND) been playing his senior year there might be more competition for him, but he will get to remain an under the radar prospect as a result. The staff was able to flip him from Iowa State this fall and he has also visited campus at least twice this season. If there were a commit to raise the worry meter of this group, it would be Caleb Smith (Edge, AL). He missed attending the Michigan game because he was taking an OV to Memphis and he also took an unofficial to Michigan for one of their home games. Kaufusi and the rest of the staff have been on him though and it sounds like any worry of him flipping has cooled down, but it is something to keep an eye on.

Julian McMahan: Zero Worries

RB commit, Julian McMahan, out of Danville, CA is probably the lowest risk to flip out of anyone in the class. He is considered the most proactive recruiter of the commits in the class and is fully locked in to become a Dawg.

Underrated Receivers: Little Worrying

A huge credit to the scouting team of the support staff at UW because Dezmen Roebuck (AZ) and Deji Ajose (CA) both look like they have great careers ahead of them. Roebuck was virtually unknown to a lot of fans before he took his official to UW and has still managed to fly under the radar despite breaking the state of Arizona’s all time receiving records. The UW staff was one of the first to really believe in him and push for him so it is tough to see him wavering at all. Deji Ajose was more highly sought after, but frankly is still being overlooked in the rankings. He is another player the staff made a big priority and it showed in his commitment to them and his numerous return visits since then.

Raiden Vines-Bright: Little Worries

Sadly Vines-Bright is yet another player who was injured near the beginning of his senior year and has had to sit out. Had he played it is likely he would have earned a fourth star and programs would be trying very hard to flip him. Notre Dame is still trying to do so, but Vines-Bright has stayed true to his commitment. It is something to monitor, but I believe his relationship with Cummings will still be the winning factor to land his signature.

Baron Naone: Very Little Worries

Hopefully this is a sigh of relief for some on here. I know that losing a four star is always hard and even harder when it is to your rival, but having another four star at the position can help relieve some of that worry. Naone has been a big fan of the Huskies for a long time and after his decommitment from Oregon State when Jonathan Smith left, it felt like only a matter of time before he would commit to UW regardless of the coaching staff in place. With Ploog no longer in the class he also likely sees a much clearer path to seeing the field early in his career.

Chris Lawson: Medium-Low Amount of Worrying

Lawson is the highest rated receiver in the class and is someone who can come in and compete for playing time early in his career. That kind of talent is highly sought after though. Despite him showing no signs of wavering, there are likely some schools that are still trying to reach out to him. The school to really watch out for is Oregon. I know Husky fans don’t want to hear it, but it is something to keep an eye on. Oregon and Washington were his top two schools before his commitment and if the Ducks were to have a receiver decommit they could try and circle back with Lawson late.

Zac Stascausky: High Amount of Worrying

When the highest rated offensive commit and a player at a premium position like OT is being recruited so heavily by other top schools it is worrying to say the least. Some might call it a good problem to have since your recruits are so desirable, it can be a little nerve wracking too and is part of the reason recruiting isn’t for the faint of heart. There are three major schools that are the biggest contenders trying to flip Stascausky; Oregon, Georgia, and Michigan. Georgia got into the picture a bit late and hasn’t gotten confirmation of him visiting. With signing day being only 21 days away his time to visit there is quite short so they may not be a huge factor. Michigan on the other hand recently got him to agree to take an official visit later this month. That is where the alarm should start ringing to worry. Michigan only two weeks ago, but still made enough progress in that time to get him to take a visit. While that is concerning, on the plus side it does take time away for him to visit Oregon. Oregon is the biggest threat of the three schools due to local proximity and the fact that he has family that are Oregon graduates as well as a sister who is currently enrolled there. He visited Oregon when they hosed Ohio State so the interest is certainly there. Carroll and the rest of the staff will have to fight hard to keep him in the class.

Dylan Robinson: Little Worry

I thought I would end on the lighter side instead of leaving that Stascausky news. Robinson is one of highest rated recruits in the class and was arguably the biggest win as well. He has shown no signs of wavering and has been in regular attendance at home games this season.