Why WR Commit Flip Shouldn't Have Been That Surprising

Nearly a month before early signing, Dontay Tyson opted for Wisconsin.

Dontay Tyson, middle, is shown on a UW recruiting visit. | UW

Somewhere amid the gaggle of Saturday college games, while the University of Washington football team got ready to play at Nebraska on Halloween night, wide receiver Dontay Tyson revealed he had a change of heart.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound recruit from Peoria, Arizona, disclosed he was pulling out of his commitment to the Huskies in favor of Wisconsin, going from one Big Ten school to another -- becoming the first of two UW recruits to go elsewhere in five days, with 4-star quarterback Blake Roskopf de-committing on Wednesday.

Whereas Badgers followers were rightly enthused about the 4-star Tyson pledging to their program, UW supporters mostly shrugged at the news.

The Huskies are so overloaded with young, highly skilled receivers right now, with more on the way, that even if Tyson was a 5-star recruit his defection would hardly be that surprising.

After all, this UW position group is so well stocked right now that pass-catchers Raiden Vines-Bright and Marcus Harris transferred out over the winter following their freshman seasons in Montlake maybe looking for more prominent roles.

Jedd Fisch and receiver Dontay Tyson Jr. share a recruiting moment in March. | UW

Yet after ending up at Arizona State and in his hometown of Tempe, Vines-Bright hasn't improved his situation any. He's gone from a seven-game starter and 24-catch player for the Huskies to a two-game starter with 9 receptions for the Sun Devils.

As for Harris, he appeared in only the LA Bowl for the UW in 2025 and didn't catch any passes, and after joining UCLA hasn't played this fall.

The Huskies currently have a pair of sophomores starting and excelling at wide receiver in Dezmen Roebuck and Chris Lawson. They have three true freshmen serving as back-ups in Mason James, Jordan Clay and Trez Davis. They have three 4-stars recruits committed in Tre Moore, Zerek Sidney and Braylon Pope.

It would be easy to get lost in that depth chart, even with someone with the credentials of Tyson.

In his fourth season at Peoria High, he's piled up 164 receptions for 2,135 yards and 35 touchdowns, with 45 catches for 687 yards and 7 scores coming in his ongoing senior season.

Tyson initially picked the Huskies over Texas A&M and a whole host of others suitors.

In Wisconsin, he'll turn to a different UW that might provide him with a better opportunity to play wide receiver.