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University of Washington Huskies Football

Analysis: How UW uses the transfer portal to address previous prep recruiting misses

Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. throws against Washington State during the second half of the Apple Cup Nov. 26 on Gesa Field in Pullman. The prolific QB helped the Huskies win 51-33.  (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
By Mike Vorel Seattle Times

SEATTLE – On Dec. 16, 2020 – early signing day for the 2021 class – Jimmy Lake was asked in a virtual news conference to assess the Huskies’ haul … as well as a handful of high-profile misses.

“Every single year there’s players from other states or even our own state that decide to sign somewhere else. That’s recruiting. That’s how this thing goes,” said Lake, who was fired as head coach less than a year later.

Pause.

(Lake is largely referring to a pair of five-star recruits, Eastside Catholic defensive lineman JT Tuimoloau and Steilacoom wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who have since developed into standouts at Ohio State.)

Play.

“All we’re going to do is continue to develop these guys. We’re going to continue to pump out more NFL draft picks than anybody else in the Pac-12 conference. We’re going to continue to try to win North Division championships and Pac-12 championships and go to bowl games and win those bowl games. We’re excited about the people that want to be a part of this program.

“There’s always things we can do better. But we’re extremely excited about this class. The future will tell what this class will do here in the next few years.”

The last two-plus years have been telling.

On Wednesday, a UW spokesperson confirmed that Owen Prentice – a former four-star recruit from O’Dea High School, who Lake called “one of the best offensive linemen in the country” – has left the program, after failing to see the field in his first two seasons.

Of UW’s five blue-chip signees (four- or five-star prospects) in the 2021 class, four have either departed or never enrolled, with the lone exception being wide receiver Jabez Tinae – who has yet to catch a college pass. Eight of UW’s 17 2021 signees are no longer with the program.

2021 UW recruiting class

Prospect | Star rating | Status

QB Sam Huard | Five stars | transferred to Cal Poly this offseason after starting one game at UW.

OL Owen Prentice | Four stars | Left team this spring after appearing in zero games in 2021 and 2022.

WR Jabez Tinae | Four stars | Has appeared in one career game, with zero catches.

LB Will Latu | Four stars | Never enrolled at UW.

RB Emeka Megwa | Four stars | Entered transfer portal last offseason after not playing in 2021, resurfaced at Oklahoma and did not play in 2022.

DL Voi Tunuufi | Three stars | 28 tackles and eight sacks in 24 games and two starts as a contributing rotational defensive lineman.

TE Quentin Moore | Three stars | Five catches for 61 yards in 13 games and two starts as a depth tight end.

DB Dyson McCutcheon | Three stars | One tackle and one pass defended in five career games.

CB Zakhari Spears | Three stars | Transferred to UConn this offseason after failing to appear in a game in 2021 or 2022.

DL Kuao Peihopa | Three stars | Transferred to Hawaii this winter after being suspended during the 2022 season, logged two tackles with a tackle for loss in four career games.

Edge Maurice Heims | Three stars | Three tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in seven career games.

RB Caleb Berry | Three stars | Transferred to Incarnate Word last offseason after failing to appear in a game in 2021.

S Vince Nunley | Three stars | Was expected to be a rotational safety last fall before sustaining a season-ending injury in the opener against Kent State, did not appear in 2021.

OT Robert Wyrsch | Three stars | Has yet to appear in a game, practicing as UW’s second-team left tackle this spring.

TE Caden Jumper | Three stars | Entered transfer portal this offseason after appearing in one career game.

DL Siaosi Finau | Three stars | Has yet to record a tackle in three career games.

CB Davon Banks | Three stars | 18 tackles, two passes defended, one forced fumble and one interception in 13 games as a rotational cornerback and special teams contributor.

  • Megwa technically reclassified into the 2020 class, but based on age is essentially a 2021 recruit.

Of course, two seasons are an insufficient sample size, and the remaining 2021 Huskies can still succeed. Tunuufi, Banks and Moore were reliable reserves in last season’s 11-2 turnaround, while Heims, Wyrsch and McCutcheon still have the time and talent to develop into starters. The intention here is not to categorize the 2021 class as an all-encompassing bust.

But it’s also undeniable that, in a previous era, a similar onslaught of prep recruiting misses could land a program neck-deep in a consuming quicksand. That 2021 class was ranked 30th in the country and fourth in the Pac-12 by 247Sports. A year later, as Lake’s program sank into the Puget Sound, UW’s 2022 ranking fell to 11th in the Pac-12 and 96th in the nation.

And yet, in the transfer portal era, UW’s depth potholes can be expediently addressed.

UW coach Kalen DeBoer found an instant answer at quarterback last offseason, as Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. led the nation in passing (357 yards per game) and enters his final season as a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender this fall. The departure of Huard (and before that, 2020 four-star Ethan Garbers) left the Huskies with just two scholarship quarterbacks this spring, but four-star freshman Austin Mack will join the fray this summer and Garfield of Seattle’s EJ Caminong is committed in the 2024 class.

The transfer portal has transformed quarterback recruiting, with constant movement each offseason. Penix-level additions more than make up for prep recruiting misses … but more often, the results are mixed.

At wide receiver – where Puka Nacua, Marquis Spiker, Austin Osborne and Trey Lowe previously transferred and Tinae has yet to emerge – portal additions of Ja’Lynn Polk, Giles Jackson and Germie Bernard have provided sustained stability, with each offering multiple years of eligibility on Montlake. Sophomore tight end Josh Cuevas, who joined the program from Cal Poly this offseason, should also contribute for years to come.

With Berry, Megwa and Jay’Veon Sunday transferring out in the last two offseasons, DeBoer has rapidly reshaped the running back room – adding Virginia’s Wayne Taulapapa, Nebraska’s Will Nixon and New Mexico’s Aaron Dumas in 2022, plus Mississippi State’s Dillon Johnson and Arizona State’s Daniyel Ngata this winter. Taulapapa instantly emerged as the 2022 starter, and both Johnson and Ngata are expected to be factors this fall.

UW’s linebacker depth has been similarly ravaged by defections – with Latu, Jackson Sirmon, MJ Tafisi, Josh Calvert, Daniel Heimuli and Miki Ah You transferring or retiring in the last several cycles. The portal has offered more band aids than sustained solutions – with sixth-year seniors Cam Bright (Pittsburgh), Kristopher Moll (UAB) and Ralen Goforth (USC) lending temporary leadership and productivity.

While DeBoer has used the transfer portal to fill inherited holes, prep recruiting remains the priority. UW’s 2023 class, which featured 20 high school signees, ranked fourth in the Pac-12 and 25th in the nation. But prep recruiting is no longer everything. In this era, prep misses yield portal opportunities.