Tinae Leaves UW Football Team, Further Eroding 2021 Recruiting Class

Wide receiver Jabez Tinae is no longer with the University of Washington football team, disappearing from the roster over the past 24 hours, while Coach Kalen DeBoer confirmed the player's departure at Pac-12 media day in Las Vegas.

Tinae is the fourth of four highly rated players since 2020 who were signed by the UW from Kennedy Catholic High School in Seattle's south-end suburbs and have now left the program.

Quarterback Sam Huard and edge rusher Sav'ell Smalls, each a 5-star high school recruit, transferred to Cal Poly and Colorado, respectively, while wide receiver Lonyatta Alexander Jr., a 4-star prospect, joined Montana State, all since last season ended.

Tinae played in just one Husky game, against Arkansas State in 2021. DeBoer told Christian Caple of On Montlake that Tinae would continue to attend the UW without offering any detail, such as if he might have medically retired.

Injured much of the season, Tinae was in street clothes for the Alamo Bowl when the Huskies beat the Texas Longhorns 27-20 in San Antonio. He didn't participate in spring ball either.

Tinae's departure further stains Jimmy Lake's second recruiting class, which has seen more than half of the players either leave the program or never show up.

Of the 15 players Lake signed in December 2020, linebacker Will Latu never enrolled; cornerback Zakhari Spears never played and transferred to Connecticut; tight end Caden Jumper appeared in just one game and transferred to Murray State; running back Caleb Berry didn't play in a game and left for Incarnate Word; offensive lineman Owen Prentice never played in a game and quit in April before spring ball ended; defensive tackle Siaosi Finau played in three games and left after spring ball; defensive tackle Kuao Peihopa appeared in seven games as a sub, was suspended during last season and transferred to Hawaii; Huard played in five games and started once; and Tinae had just the one mop-up appearance.

Still on the roster from that class and entering a third season in the program are edge rusher Maurice Heims, who played in seven games last season, all as a reserve; safety Vince Nunley, who made one game appearance before suffering a season-ending injury; Husky hybrid Dyson McCutcheon, who has played in five games, all as a sub; JC transfer tight end Quentin Moore, who has played in 13 games and started once; defensive tackle Voi Tunuufi, who has played in 24 games, starting twice; and offensive tackle Robert Wyrsch, who hasn't played yet.

The Huskies later added two more to the 2021 class in cornerback Davon Banks, who has played in 12 games and started twice; before going down with a season-ending injury, and running back Emeka Mega, who neither played nor practiced for the UW because of a knee injury and transferred to Oklahoma.

Of those 17 players, just seven remain, and only three of the survivors have been starters, none on a full-time basis.

Tinae didn't appear long for the UW program once the latest class of players arrived last month. Three players — Sioux Falls transfer edge rusher Zach Durfee, new freshman wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons and Tinae — each were listed on the roster as wearing No. 15 when only two could do that.

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