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UW Receives Commitment from Colorado Tackle, First Lineman of the Class

Zach Henning plays his high school football 15 miles from where UW's Roger Rosengarten did.
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Dipping into the Rocky Mountain region for a big body, the University of Washington football team received a commitment on Friday from Colorado offensive tackle Zach Henning, the Huskies' second pledge of the day as recruiting really begins to heat up around Montlake.

Hours earlier, showcase Texas edge rusher Anthony James II gave his word to the UW. 

Expect Henning and James to go head to head in practice beginning next year as they get each other ready for Pac-12 battle. 

Henning becomes the UW's eighth commitment overall for this class of 2023, the fourth this week, again the second of the day and the first offensive lineman. He joins James and cornerback Diesel Gordon, both from Texas; running back Tybo Rogers, wide receivers Rashid Williams and Keith Reynolds, and linebacker Deven Bryant, all from California; and edge rusher Jacob Lane from Washington.

The 6-foot-6, 275-pound Henning hails from the Denver suburbs, same as the Huskies' Roger Rosengarten. They play the same position.

Henning is a high school basketball player, too, same as Rosengarten, which adds to his nimbleness at Grandview High School in Aurora.

A 3-star pick in the Class of 2023, Henning is the same height and 19 pounds lighter at this point and comes from a neighborhood just 15 miles from Rosengarten's home in Highlands Ranch.

Considered a 3-star recruit, Henning had offers from Colorado, Utah, Indiana, Colorado State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oregon State, San Diego State and others. The local Buffaloes, of course, made a strong, prolonged push for Henning. 

He played for a Grandview Wolves team that finished 10-3, advancing to the state football final four. 

If there was an early hint that Henning was Washington-bound, it was this: the Grandview logo closely resembles an earlier variation of the Husky mascot once in use.

Henning is the second offensive lineman to commit to Kalen DeBoer's staff, which earlier added Arizona tackle Parker Brailsford for the previous class and had him come in early for spring football.

The Huskies can afford to be choosy after the previous staff signed five fairly accomplished O-linemen for the Class of 2020, which means each of them still has four seasons of eligibility remaining, counting pandemic provisions.

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