Inside The Huskies

3-Star DL Keona Wilhite Commits To Washington

The Huskies add another talented defensive lineman to an already deep group in 2024.

Roman Tomashoff

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As the Washington Huskies prepare to move into the Big Ten, the coaching staff has invested a lot of resources into recruiting defensive linemen. 

On Monday, the UW earned a fifth Class of 2024 commitment to help bolster the defensive front, this one coming from 3-star edge rusher Keona Wilhite.

A product of Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Wilhite originally pledged to the University of Arizona in June before re-opening his recruitment earlier this month.

Wilhite took an unofficial visit to Seattle for Washington's matchup with Oregon on Oct. 14 and was sold on what edge-rushers coach Eric Schmidt had to offer.

"I love the development program for their edges," Wilhite said. "Coach Schmidt explained each step to me during my unofficial visit and showed me how they're able to get such elite edge play. I believe committing to Washington will help me reach my end goal of the NFL."

He posted his commitment online a few hours after the Huskies received a 2025 pledge from Jackson Kollock, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback from Laguna Beach High in Southern California.

Wilhite, the 12th-ranked player in Arizona, according to 247 Sports, brings a promising combination of power and speed to Washington's recruiting class. He also loves to study film from some of the NFL's best pass rushers of the past and present — among them, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor.

Outside of being dominant NFL pass rushers, one thing all those players have in common is the ability to line up all over the field, and the Huskies ask that from their players, too.

Wilhite said that he likes the way the UW coaching staff has deployed junior edge rusher Voi Tunuufi in a similarly flexible role and thinks he would thrive on the interior if he were asked.

"I can line up on the inside and I believe that makes me an even greater threat," he said.

While he plans to sign in December, Wilhite is unsure if he'll be able to enroll early at Washington. Either way, he's going to do his best to make an early impression on the coaching staff.

"With the seniors leaving, I think that I'm going to have every opportunity to get on the field early," he said. "But of course, I know that I'm going to have to prove myself before that can happen."

Wilhite's commitment gives the Huskies 15 members in the 2024 class and moves it up to 40th in the country, according to 247 Sports. As the class begins to fill up, the UW coaching staff is working on yet another  edge rusher from Salpointe Catholic in 5-star Elijah Rushing, who recently re-opened his recruitment.

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Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

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