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Paki Finau Informs Huskies He Will Stick with the Fisch Coaching Staff

The touted offensive guard had been in the transfer portal for just short of two weeks.
Dan Raley|
Paki Finau Informs Huskies He Will Stick with the Fisch Coaching Staff
Paki Finau Informs Huskies He Will Stick with the Fisch Coaching Staff

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Washington Huskies

Paki Finau, one of the headliners in the latest University of Washington recruiting class, said Monday he will stick with the Huskies after exploring his options in the transfer portal for 12 days.

The 6-foot-4, 265-pound offensive lineman from Hesperia, California, becomes the fourth 2024 signee to enter the portal only to reaffirm his UW commitment to Jedd Fisch's staff, joining safety Peyton Waters, quarterback Dermaricus Davis and linebacker Khmori House, with all four from Southern California.

Finau, a 4-star prospect who considers himself a guard, had expressed a strong desire to be coached by Scott Huff, the long-time Husky offensive-line guru who moved to Alabama as part of Kalen DeBoer's staff. In the end, the lineman realized couldn't make that happen.

“I really wanted to play for coach Huff but being that far from home wasn’t ideal for me,” Finau told 247sports. “Like I said, I trust the coaches that are here now and I like the plan in place for me."

Finau was so highly regarded he received 26 scholarship offers, building a list of suitors who included Auburn, Penn State, Miami and others before choosing the UW.

He made a solid connection with Huff, who proved so popular with his players he was retained as the Huskies moved from Chris Petersen to Jimmy Lake to DeBoer as coach.

With Huff now in the SEC, Finau will answer to Brennan Carroll, Pete's son and the UW's new offensive coordinator and offensive-line coach. 

Finau was part of the UW's 15-player class who signed national letters of intent in December with the DeBoer staff. 

While Finau is part of the group choosing to stay at the UW, edge rushers Noah Carter and Ratumana Bulabalavu, defensive tackle Keona Wilhite and safety Joshau Lair haven't come back to the Huskies after entering the portal. Carter is committed to Alabama.

A second wave of recruits will sign with the UW, beginning on Wednesday.

 

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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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