UW Could Be Landing Spot For Former Colorado Commit
With the early signing period opening in less than two weeks, wide receiver Aaron Butler from Calabasas High School in the Los Angeles area has reopened his recruitment after initially committing to coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.
Washington's coaching staff appears very interested in adding the talented pass-catcher to a recruiting class with two high-caliber wide-receiver commits. Butler took an unofficial visit to Seattle for the Huskies' Apple Cup matchup against Washington State and seems to have interest in the UW.
“I had a great visit and really loved it there,” Butler told 247 Sports' Greg Biggins. “I have so much respect for coach [Kalen] DeBoer as a coach and a person. There’s no fluff or frill with him."
Adding the 6-foot, 170-pound Butler to a class with 4-star commits Justice Williams and Jason Robinson Jr. would give wide-receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard a formidable trio of prospects for 2024.
However, obstacles remain. Not only are Arizona and Texas pushing hard to land Butler's commitment, the Huskies currently don't have a scholarship open for him.
“Right now, it depends on if a couple of receivers go pro early,” Butler said to Biggins. “If Ja’Lynn Polk were to leave early, that would open up a spot for me. If not, they would have to take a scholarship away from a defensive position. So there’s still things to work out there.”
Butler's comments suggest the UW coaching staff expects to lose junior receivers Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan to the NFL draft. If Polk followed suit, it would be an easy trade-off to add the 4-star prospect to balance out the scholarship numbers at the position.
Polk's departure would not only open a spot for Butler, but would force the Huskies to replace all three starting receivers along with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in 2024.
That would give Butler, who had 586 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns in four games for Calabasas before shutting down his senior season, a chance to make an impact in his first year on campus.
Butler is expected to enroll early at the school of his choice and could take official visits before the early signing period opens on Dec. 20. If the Huskies can secure his talents, they would land the highest-ranked recruit to sign with DeBoer's staff during its short tenure in Montlake.
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