Inside The Huskies

UW Lines Up Visit with OT Who Moved from Minnesota to Arizona

DaJohn Yarborough plays for Demond Williams Jr.'s high school in the Phoenix suburbs.
Dan Raley|
Basha High junior tackles Jake Hildebrand (left) and DaJohn Yarborough are both ranked in the top 40 in the nation.
Basha High junior tackles Jake Hildebrand (left) and DaJohn Yarborough are both ranked in the top 40 in the nation. | Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

DaJohn Yarborough is your typical college football recruit, which is someone willing to relocate just about anywhere to play the game if the situation is right for him.

Only the 6-foot-5, 330-pound offensive tackle has taken it one step further, by first moving from Minnesota to Arizona for high school -- specifically to Demond Williams Jr.'s alma mater in the Phoenix suburbs -- to draw even more attention to himself if not get sunburned.

So far, so good, for the transplanted Class of 2027 prospect.

Before even playing in Basha High's Aug. 28 opener against Brophy College Prep, Yarborough revealed he has six campus visits scheduled this coming season: Sept. 27 at Penn State, Oct. 10 at Washington, Oct. 18 at Wisconsin, Nov. 1 at Tennessee, Nov. 8 at Alabama and Nov. 28 at Arizona State.

If he hasn't met him already, Yarborough will be sure to get an introduction with Williams, who is the Huskies' starting quarterback this season as a sophomore and remains Basha's record-setting pride and joy with 10,035 yards and 93 touchdowns passing.

Yarborough currently holds 19 scholarship offers and others among his Power 4 suitors are Florida State, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska and North Carolina.

He began his career at Benilde-St. Margaret's School, west of Minneapolis in the St. Louis Park suburb. Before moving, he was expected to be rated as the state's top offensive lineman. He changed schools reportedly to increase his recruiting visibility.

Basha High offensive linemen, from left to right, DaJohn Yarborough, Tevita Kale and Jake Hildebrand.
Basha High offensive linemen, from left to right, DaJohn Yarborough, Tevita Kale and Jake Hildebrand. | Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Huskies have moved fast on Yarborough, offering him on Aug. 3 and then getting a school visit in place just over two weeks later.

According to the recruiting websites, the big kid moves well and plays in a powerful manner while carrying all of that weight.

Yarborough falls in line with the Huskies' stated mission to obtain offensive linemen as big as they can to compete effectively in the Big Ten.

UW coach Jedd Fisch's staff brought in John Mills, Champ Taulealea and Jack Shaffer this spring, with each weighing 350-plus when they enrolled, plus the UW holds a 2026 commitment from 6-foot-8, 335-pound Dominic Harris from Las Vegas.

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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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