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Inside The Huskies

Huskies Prepare to Host Multiple VIP Recruits

A dozen or so targets will be in attendance for the Apple Cup.
Dan Raley|
Edge rusherJalanie George will visit the UW for the season opener, according to the recruiting websites.
Edge rusherJalanie George will visit the UW for the season opener, according to the recruiting websites. | Georg

While a full house is expected for Sunday's Apple Cup against Washington State at Husky Stadium, the University of Washington will make room for a number of notable recruits to have a good seat, in particular 5-star edge rusher Jalanie George, rated among the nation's top players for 2028.

From among a dozen or so visitors, the Huskies also will host, according to the recruiting websites, 5-star linebacker Tahj Gray from New Jersey, 4-star quarterback Hunter Fujikawa from Hawaii, 5-star offensive tackle Antijuan Wilkes from Michigan and locally defensive tackle Aedyn Havili and tight end Titan McNeal from Eastside Catholic High. both 4-star players.

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound George from Goodyear, Arizona, is the headliner, ranked No. 2 nationally as a pass rusher and as the No. 9 player overall, according to Rivals.

In early August, he listed his six finalists as Auburn, Florida, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Washington. He'll visit Auburn in two weeks. The Huskies offered him on January 27th of this year.

However, more than one recruiting analyst has predicted George will align with the Huskies in the end, mostly because his current Desert Edge High School teammates in quarterback Blake Roskopf and wide receiver Zerek Sidney from the Class of 2027 already are committed to the UW.

George comes off a productive sophomore season in which he finished with 54 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, plus 2 pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for his 11-1 Scorpions team.

As a freshman, he came up with 63 tackles, including 11 TFLs and 5 sacks, for a 10-4 5A state championship team.

The Huskies should put him in the President's box.

Jedd Fisch's also will make sure Wilkes, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound offensive tackle from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, and Gray, a 6-foot-3, 233-pound linebacker from St. Regis Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey, are comfortably seated. Again, both are rated as 5-star players for 2028.

Gray will accompany his brother, edge rusher and UW 2027 commit Chaz Gray, to the game, according to Husky Wire. He had a monster sophomore season in which he piled up 102 tackles, including 10.5 TFLs and 4 sacks, and batted down 4 passes.

The 6-foot-2, 320-pound Havilli comes off a sophomore season in which he finished with 33 tackles, which included 7.5 sacks, and 2 kick blocks and a punt block.

Fujikawa, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound QB, hails from Mililani High School, the same place that sent quarterback Kini McMillan to the UW last year. The latest guy opened the season with an 11-for-14, 212-yard, 3-touchdown passing perfomance in his team's 42-0 victory over Saint Louis.

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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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