Washington’s Class of 2027 is already taking shape, and the Huskies added another piece on Saturday.
Combo guard RJ Barhoum announced his commitment to Washington, giving the program its second pledge from the 2027 group in less than a week. The 6-foot-5 guard also revealed he had received an offer from the Huskies on the same day.
Barhoum plays at Clackamas High School in Clackamas, Ore., where he’s regarded as one of the state’s top 3-point shooters. He showed that scoring touch in the Oregon 6A state tournament, putting up 28 points in the Round of 16. According to his Prephoops.com player page, he also has offers from Air Force, Eastern Washington, Portland State and Western Oregon.
He is not currently ranked in the 247Sports Composite.
Barhoum’s commitment comes shortly after Washington landed four-star shooting guard Jimmie Haywood on Nov. 3.
Haywood is ranked 172nd nationally, 25th among shooting guards and 16th in Arizona by the 247Sports composite. He committed out of Compass Prep in Chandler, Ariz., but originally comes from Garfield High School in Seattle.
Washington had only one player in the Class of 2026, three-star small forward Lattimore Ford, who committed on April 24 out of Combine Academy in North Carolina. Ford originally is from Snoqualmie, Wash.
Barhoum also has a family connection to the college game in the Pacific Northwest. His sister, Sara Barhoum, graduated from Clackamas High School, initially committed to Oregon women’s basketball and played 14 games as a true freshman before transferring to Portland State, one of the schools that offered her younger brother.
The Huskies have also made changes off the court aimed at boosting their recruiting operation. This offseason, Washington hired former Syracuse general manager Alex Kline for the same role. At Syracuse, Kline specialized in Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) money management and recruiting.
Washington also brought in longtime Oregon assistant Mike Mennenga, who worked in recruiting and player development with the Ducks.
In Other News...
Washingtons Late Recruiting Push Just Got More Urgent
Washingtons late recruiting stretch has taken on a little more urgency as the early signing period approaches, with the Huskies trying to hold together the class they already have while still looking for a way to add more help. Losing a quarterback commitment always changes the tone of a finish, and it puts even more pressure on the staff to make sure the rest of the class stays intact while they assess what comes next at the position.
One option is to keep working the high school board, where Washington has already been active in trying to strengthen its backfield. The Huskies recently brought in three-star running back Terrence Grant Jr., a Maryland commit, as they continue to search for depth and flexibility on offense. Whether the answer comes from a flip, the portal or both, the next few days figure to matter a lot for how this class looks when the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]