Washington may be on the verge of its first major recruiting win in the Class of 2028.
Five-star edge rusher Jalanie George is set to announce his commitment on Oct. 1, according to Hayes Fawcett of Rivals, and the Huskies are in the thick of it. George’s final four includes Washington, Auburn, Miami and Wisconsin.
For Washington, this has been trending in a promising direction for weeks. On3 Sports’ prediction model gives the Huskies a 94.2% chance to land George, with Auburn the only other school listed at 1.2%.
Still, Wisconsin’s late push has added a little more intrigue to the race after the Badgers were not part of George’s earlier top teams list. Their official visit earlier this month appears to have made an impression.
George has become one of the most closely watched defenders in the class. The 247Sports composite has him ranked as the No. 27 player nationally, the No. 7 edge rusher and the No. 3 player in Arizona. Rivals Industry rankings slot him even higher, at No. 23 overall, No. 6 among edge rushers and No. 2 in Arizona.
He plays at Desert Edge High School in Goodyear, Ariz., a program that has already sent multiple commitments to Washington. Two Class of '27 Huskies pledges, four-star quarterback Blake Roskopf and three-star wide receiver Zerek Sidney, also came from Desert Edge.
Jedd Fisch and his staff have already built momentum on the recruiting trail since arriving in the Pacific Northwest. Washington’s Class of 2026 finished 12th nationally, the highest ranking in program history, and the Class of 2027 currently sits 24th in the country, per 247Sports.
If George chooses the Huskies, he could be the first commitment in what may turn into a special 2028 class. Washington is also after another elite name in the cycle: Cass Technical High School (Detroit) offensive tackle Antijuan Wilkes Jr., the top offensive tackle in the class.
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The matchup also brings back a long-dormant series, one that dates to 1936 but has spent much of the modern era gathering dust. For Washington, the appeal goes beyond the conference opener and the national window, because this is the kind of cross-division game that carries a little extra curiosity when a familiar name finally reappears on the schedule after so much time away. [Read more 🡒]
