Inside The Huskies

Huskies Offer Pittsburgh Prospect Who Hails From NFL Family

Jimmy Kalis is 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds ... and he's just a sophomore in school.

Dan Raley

Jimmy Kalis 'towers over a Tennessee staffer on a visit to Knoxville.
Jimmy Kalis 'towers over a Tennessee staffer on a visit to Knoxville. / Tennessee

Recruiting sometimes is a lot like the state lottery, whereas college football programs hand out scholarship offers much in the same manner someone stops by the local convenience store and plunks down a few bucks on the counter in hopes of securing a winning ticket.

On Tuesday, Jedd Fisch's University of Washington talent sleuths did just that, putting an offer in front of Jimmy Kalis, a member of the Class of 2027.

That's Kalis, as in a 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive tackle from Pittsburgh's Central Catholic High School.

He is the son and the brother of former NFL players.

Oh, and this Kalis just finished his sophomore season of football.

While schools lsuch as Penn State and Pittsburgh will do their best to make sure this kid never leaves the state, the Huskies at least threw their name in the hat for the kid's services.

Like they say, if you don't buy a ticket, you have no chance of winning.

He's the son of Todd Kalis, a former Arizona State offensive guard who spent eight seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals. Playing at 6-foot-6 and 296 pounds, dad started 67 of 103 pro games in his pro career.

The older Kalis, 59, can tell his son how he went 1-2 against the Huskies in his time, winning 36-7 and 34-21 in Tempe and losing 27-14 at Husky Stadium, with the latter game taking place in 1987 and the UW giving up a miserly14 yards of rushing that day.

Brother Kyle, 31, went from Michigan to two seasons in the NFL as a guard and center with the Indianapolis Colts and the Cleveland Browns. A 6-foot-4, 306-pounder, he appeared in seven pro games and started twice.

“Growing up in a football household definitely pushes me to be the best player I can be and definitely made me into the competitive athlete that I am today,” Kalis told Pittsburgh Sports Now.

He was a first-team all-conference selection for a 12-3 Central Catholic team that finished as the 6A state runner-up. He has 24 offers so far, counting the UW scholarship proposal.

Kalis seems to be enjoying the recruiting process.

In today's college football world of NIL and the transfer portal, players need to know how to promote their brand, and this young kid seems to fully understand that. He has his own website -- jimmykalis.com -- where he shares photos, videos and his deep thoughts.

His long-term dream, of course, is to become the third Kalis in the family to advance to the NFL.

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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