Inside The Huskies

Former Husky Lonyatta Alexander Jr. Transfers to Idaho

The receiver's younger brother previously played at Idaho and has since joined the UW.
Dan Raley|
Former Husky receiver Lonyatta Alexander Jr. has transferred to Idaho.
Former Husky receiver Lonyatta Alexander Jr. has transferred to Idaho. | Idaho

Lonyatta Alexander Jr. seemingly can run forever. Just consider the long-winding route of his college football career.

The wide receiver left the Seattle area in 2021 to play his first season at Arizona State, 1,430 miles away, and then back to the University of Washington to complete his second year in the college game.

In 2023, he moved to Montana State, 675 miles away from home, and he sat out that year as a transfer.

This past season, Alexander was a 14-game starter for a Bobcats team that advanced to the FCS championship game, only to lose 35-32 to North Dakota State in Frisco, Texas.

On Sunday, the veteran 6-foot-3, 320-pound pass-catcher announced he will play this upcoming season for Idaho, moving some 450 miles west from Bozeman to Moscow.

This Alexander is the third former Husky football player to commit to Idaho since Thomas Ford Jr. was named as the new coach, following edge rusher Maurice Heims and cornerback Zakhari Spears -- former UW teammates of his in 2022.

Alexander is the second in his family to play for the Vandals, following younger brother Xe'Ree, who spent the 2023 season as a starting linebacker. Ironically, Xe'Ree will play the upcoming season for the UW after going from Idaho to UCF to Montlake.

Emerging from Kennedy Catholic High School, Lonyatta was part of a prolific passing attack headed up by quarterback Sam Huard, who played at the UW for two seasons and has since transferred to Cal Poly, Utah and now USC.

In his final two Kennedy seasons, Alexander caught 138 passes for 2,525 yards and 34 touchdowns, most coming from Huard.

Alexander initially played at Arizona State, pulling action in two games as a freshman.

Alexander left the Sun Devils for the UW to play for Kalen DeBoer's team. He appeared in 11 games for the Huskies, mostly on special teams. Unable to make inroads in the receiving rotation -- he caught a solitary pass for 9 yards against Portland State -- he left for Montana State through the transfer portal.

This past season for a run-minded offense, Alexander caught 22 passes for 264 yards, with a long of 37 yards.

He twice played against Idaho, coming up with a 23-yard reception in a 38-7 victory during the regular season in Bozeman, and two more catches for 37 yards in a 52-19 win over the Vandals in the playoffs, also in Bozeman.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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