As a Recruit, Jumper Makes Some People Shrug, Others Try to Hide a Grin

At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, the unheralded athlete emerged from a small high school with few scholarship offers, including a singular Power 5 invitation from the University of Washington.

That fit former Husky tight end Will Dissley's recruiting profile.

It's also very similar to 2021 tight-end signee Caden Jumper's past outlook.

When UW coach Jimmy Lake was introducing his latest recruiting class, he discussed the players with a straight face throughout his press briefing.

Until he spoke about Jumper.

Lake couldn't hold back a grin.

If the coach had been playing poker, he would have tipped his hand.

Yet he was happy to show his cards when describing Jumper.

"Talk about tough, physical ballplayers," Lake said. "He's one of the tougher guys I've seen on film."

Lake went on to compare Jumper to a certain second-year tight end for the Seattle Seahawks — Dissly.

"He's going to mash people in the run game and then he's going to release and go out and make some big time catches for us," Lake said.

In other words, Jumper is the proverbial unsung recruit.

John Garcia, Sports Illustrated's All-American director of scouting, says there is a lot to like about the Eatonville athlete.

"Caden Jumper could be the true sleeper to watch in this class," Garcia said.

Husky Maven's Trevor Mueller liked Jumper's physicality.

"Jumper doesn't block, he punishes," Mueller said. "Even with the ball in his hands, he punishes tacklers. Late in games, tacklers weren't so keen on taking him on."

To the casual observer, Jumper is simply a 3-star athlete who played multiple positions at a small school.

Lake's smile would seem to indicate there is much more to this player than that.