Prediction: Washington Huskies poised to land 5-star quarterback

Andrew Nemec | Mar 10, 2025

Newbury Park prolific junior quarterback Brady Smigiel, in the pocket during his team's 48-20 win over Calabasas on Oct. 10. / Photo: Rene Morales

There's a lot of buzz coming out of Seattle after the Washington Huskies hosted their Junior Day event.

Jedd Fisch's program has already secured commitments from a pair of rising defensive backs - Mount Tahoma (Washington) three-star cornerback Elijah Durr and IMG Academy (Florida) three-star cornerback Ksani Jiles - but they may not be done.

The gem of this weekend's visitor list was Newbury Park (Washington) five-star quarterback Brady Smigiel, the nation's No. 20 overall prospect and No. 5 quarterback according to Rivals.

The Newbury Park star committed to the Florida State Seminioles last February and remained committed for nearly a year, reopening things in January.

One of the programs that continued to recruit Smigiel during his commitment was Washington, who hosted him on an unofficial visit in mid-December.

Last month, HuskiesWire asked Smigiel about his favorites with Florida State falling back and Ohio State losing offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

Washington was mentioned first.

"Relationships are probably my number one," Smigiel told the site. "You want the offense to fit, you want to love the city and the university, but I would say the biggest thing is going somewhere where I'm going to grow as a human being...I think these schools will all do that for me."

So, it's not hard to come to the conclusion that last weekend's visit was crucial.

Prediction: Brady Smigiel to Washington Huskies

Smigiel mentioned how important relationships are now that he's entering what feels like the homestretch of his recruitment.

And Washington has made him a massive priority, investing time and energy into making him a focal point of the 2026 class.

Overall, it sounds as though Washington's weekend got a lot of recruits talking.

About building an early core. About the family feel. And what a quality group could accomplish in Seattle.

Smigiel remains a focal point of that vision - and it sounds as though he's leaning toward becoming the leader of that program push.

While the Newbury Park star has not formally set a commitment date, it does feel as though Washington has significantly widened the gap over the field.

On3 agrees, as multiple picks have come in for the Huskies in the past 24 hours.

Here's what 247Sports had to say about Smigiel as a prospect:

"Smigiel is a big, strong armed pocket passer who has put up huge numbers since his freshman season. At the recent Under Armour Next Camp in SoCal, he had a very strong showing, with a tightened release and his usual trademark accuracy to all three levels of the field. He’s very accurate down the field, knows how to change speeds and throws with really nice touch but can put plenty of heat on his throws when he needs to. He’s a tough kid, will stand in and take a shot and not flinch. Great natural leader, locker room guy and teammate. Very high football lQ, dad is his coach so he has been around the game and has a good natural feel for playing the position. Has decent pocket mobility, not a great runner but can buy time and is good making throws outside the pocket. Projects as a high major Power 4 prospect with Sunday potential."

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