Inside The Huskies

Huskies Receive First 2027 Commit From Local Receiver

Braylon Pope from Sumner High School revealed his decision on Monday afternoon.
Dan Raley|
Braylon Pope is shown with his family members on a visit to USC, which was hosted by Luke Huard.
Braylon Pope is shown with his family members on a visit to USC, which was hosted by Luke Huard. | USC

Fresh off a 4A state championship victory at Husky Stadium, Braylon Pope must have felt he looked good running around the place, that it was an ideal fit or him.

So on Monday, the wiry 6-foot-3, 195-pound wide receiver from Sumner High School revealed that he had become the University of Washington football team's first committed player for the Class of 2027.

Jedd Fisch's staff has conducted a relatively long courtship with Pope, first offering him on May 22, 2024, when he was a freshman.

He's only gotten better since that time, going from 36 catches, 603 yards and 11 touchdowns as that ninth-grader to 68 receptions, 952 yards and 2 scores in 2024 to 52 catches, 869 yards and 12 scores as a juinior this fall.


“I’m very excited about my decision,” Pope told Rivals' Greg Biggins. “Staying close to home was big for me. I have a strong connection with the coaches as well and I’ve been around them a lot.

“When you’re around a school that often, it helps you to see how they run the program. I’m very comfortable there and excited about what they’re building.”

He and his Spartans teammates recently emerged from Husky Stadium with their second consecutive 4A state championship, this time beating Lake Stevens 41-35.

Pope is rated as a 4-star prospect, the No. 110 player nationally and the top 2027 player in Washington state by Rivals.

Pope holds 13 scholarship offers, with ASU, BYU, California, Miami, Oregon, Oregon State, San Diego State, USC and WSU among his suitors.

If there's a comparison to be made, he has a frame very similar to Denzel Boston, the UW's leading receiver who is expected take early entry into the NFL Draft.

Both Pope and Boston hail from the Pierce County suburbs surrounding Tacoma.

Pope similarly is a Sumner track athlete who runs with a long stride. Last spring, he had personal bests of 11.12 seconds in the 100-meter dash, 22.17 over 200 meters and 51.44 over 400 meters.

His speed and size combined proved to be a big draw for the Huskies, who have worked hard to bring receivers who are compatible with sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr.

Considering the plusses, Pope felt no need to wait any longer.

“Timing wise, it just felt right," he told Rivals. "I know Washington is the place where I want to be so there really wasn’t any reason to put it off.”

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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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