UW Offers Scholarship to SoCal Tight End Player with Extremely Short Name
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Kalen DeBoer's University of Washington coaching staff likes its tight ends as athletic as can be, in essence possessing a laundry list of football skills, which explains why Devin Culp, Jack Westover and Quentin Moore fit in so well to their offense.
A long name, however, apparently is not a prerequisite to playing this position in Seattle, if the latest Husky recruiting target is any indication.
On Wednesday, the UW offered a scholarship to AJ Ia, a 6-foot-6, 212-pound tight end and Class of 2025 player from Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California, or halfway between Anaheim and Santa Ana.
Ia, that's it. Two letters in his first name and last. He could sign autographs all day and not get tired.
His given first name is Aaron, which is a tad bit longer than his nickname, but it all pencils out to a player just beginning to get noticed.
He currently holds offers from Arizona State and California besides the Huskies.
The last player signed by the Huskies from Orange Lutheran was safety Brandon McKinney, who played 44 games and started once in four seasons in Montlake before finishing up his career in 2021 at Utah.
Ia comes off a sophomore season in which he caught 24 balls for 362 yards and 5 touchdowns, averaging 15.1 yards per catch, for the 7-5 Lancers.
His performance, which included diving catches in the end zone or perfectly timed routes over the middle, brought him second-team All-Trinity League recognition.
His Orange Lutheran football team often answers to the quaint nickname OLu,
Olu and Ia.
Short and sweet. No wasted breath here. Right to the point.
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