Inside The Huskies

Full Moon for Huskies: Son of the Legend Commits to UW

The two-way back presumably is a preferred walk-on for Fisch's staff.

Dan Raley

Ryken Moon sits for a promotional photo at the UW.
Ryken Moon sits for a promotional photo at the UW. / UW

Fifty years after his father showed up at the University of Washington as a relative JC quarterback unknown, Warren Moon's son, Ryken, will give Husky football a try as a legacy player whose last name will count for a lot.

On Tuesday, the younger Moon announced he is committed to Jedd Fisch's coaching staff, presumably as a preferred walk-on, according to the recruiting websites.

This younger Moon is a two-way back from Bellevue High School in the Seattle suburbs who carries a 5-foot-11, 200-pound frame, which is some four inches shorter and nearly 20 pounds lighter than his famous father was as an NFL Hall of Fame player.

For those who have forgotten, Harold "Warren" Moon, 68, led the Huskies to a 27-20 win over Michigan in the 1978 Rose Bowl and was named game MVP. He then embarked on a 23-year pro career that took him to the Edmonton Eskimos, Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs.

While Ryken Moon has professed a past love for offense, same as his dad, he's done big things on defense, too.

Consider a 2023 3A playoff game against Monroe, when Moon rushed for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 49-7 Wolverines victory, yet also intercepted three passes.

This past season, he was named 3A All-State as a defensive back on two different listings.

On his 247Sports recruiting website, young Moon lists offers from Air Force, Arizona, Army, Nevada, Penn State and Rice, with the Arizona offer initially and ironically coming from Scottie Graham, now at Washington.

"I got a text from coach Scottie when he got there and he said he'll keep in touch," Moon told 247Sports' Brandon Huffman.  "An offer from Washington would be hard to pass up, especially being a hometown kid and a legacy, and Washington is definitely a place I could see myself going."

This past season, Moon finished with 22.5 tackles, a sack and a pair of interceptions. He also rushed for 1,297 yards and 13 scores, and returned a punt and a kickoff each for touchdowns.

While he played as a junior for an 11-2 Bellevue team that won the 3A state championship, Moon's Wolverines finished 12-1 this past season, going unbeaten until losing to O'Dea in the state title game.

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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