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Can the Huskies Close a Four-Star Safety With Washington Ties?

The son of a former WSU quarterback will visit Washington in June
Roman Tomashoff|
Can the Huskies Close a Four-Star Safety With Washington Ties?
Can the Huskies Close a Four-Star Safety With Washington Ties?

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“No matter what, I’m going to be a Coug for life,” four-star safety Paul Mencke Jr. said to Cougfan.com after his father's alma mater extended an offer to him in December 2022. “Pullman is home, that’s my childhood, and half my family still lives an hour away in Spokane.”

While that's not something any Husky fan wants to hear, the product of Samuel Clemens High School in Schertz, Texas, has set up an official visit with Washington scheduled to begin on June 21. He's also supposed to visit Duke, Notre Dame and Stanford in June.

Whenever Washington is in the mix for a four-star Texas prospect, it should be considered a pretty big deal. It's even more significant when that prospect has ties to the Northwest, as the tight-knit community in the region seems to have an impact on his recruitment.

Washington's coaching staff has put a major emphasis on recruiting safeties in the class of 2024 and it has an  opportunity to close on multiple top players at the position. Along with Mencke, the coaching staff also has set up visits with two other Texas safeties, three-stars Dontae Carter and Joshua Lair. 

While four-star Kingston Lopa is also listed as a safety, there's a good chance he could play linebacker at the college level. Either way, Mencke is the highest-ranked safety scheduled to visit Washington in June.

Even though co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell extended Mencke Jr.'s offer at the end of March, the fact he's willing to take an official visit to Seattle is a very good sign for his recruitment. Now the big question is, will the coaching staff be able to seal the deal and earn his commitment?

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Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

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