Inside The Huskies

Huskies Trying to Tap IMG For More Football Talent

Zion White is a wide receiver from Hawaii who currently plays for the Florida academy.
Dan Raley|
Zion White is a UW target from Florida by way of Hawaii.
Zion White is a UW target from Florida by way of Hawaii. | Punahou

In recent seasons, the University of Washington football team has experienced a fair amount of success in bringing players from Florida's vaunted IMG Academy to Montlake.

In order, it's been edge rusher Jayden Wayne, wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright and more recently cornerback Ksani Jiles -- all 4-star prospects -- though the first two guys since have transferred to California and Arizona State, respectively.

Another possibility is 4-star wide receiver Zion White, a Class of 2027 prospect entering his second season at IMG who apparently is strongly considering Oregon, Tennessee and Washington, according to On3.

He's a worldly player who grew up in Hawaii and previously attended the private Punahou School in Honolulu, which is located roughly 4,700 air miles from IMG in Bradenton, Florida.

Last week, White backtracked and went home to the islands to appear in the annual Polynesia Bowl and was so impressive in the high school all-star game he picked up immediate offers from Nebraska and Penn State.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound White transferred to IMG last year for a bump in football competition and that's certainly been the case for him, maybe even in a humbling manner.

As a Punahou sophomore in 2024, he caught 42 passes for 680 yards and 7 touchdowns and was the main guy.

This past season, White had to share in a big way. He hauled in 10 just passes for 165 yards and 2 scores for a 9-0 IMG team that spreads the wealth around. That certainly didn't lower his high regard any.

White is a player who always has projected at a high level as a future recruit in his football career. The UW got in early on him, too.

The Huskies offered the pas-catcher way back on May 21, 2024 -- when he was finishing up his freshman year of school in Hawaii -- with Jedd Fisch's staff on the job at the UW for just five months and less than a month removed from spring ball.

White also holds offers from Arizona State, Iowa State, North Carolina, San Diego State and others.

While he made the commitment to go to Florida to elevate his football interests, White might be an even better basketball player, with that athleticism one of the driving forces for football recruiters.

As a Punahou sophomore, he was named 2025 Hawaii Player of the Year in basketball after averaging 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks per outing.

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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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