Inside The Huskies

Huskies Aim Big, Try to Land Super-Sized Elijah Vaikona

The SoCal recruit will choose from among UW, USC and UCLA on Tuesday.

Dan Raley

Elijah Vaikona (72) sits next to fellow recruit Darius Afalava and Husky line coach Brennan Carroll on his official UW visit.
Elijah Vaikona (72) sits next to fellow recruit Darius Afalava and Husky line coach Brennan Carroll on his official UW visit. / UW

USC used to say its offensive line was so big, it could stand up and see Denver. The University of Washington football team, it seems, is aiming for an uninterrupted view all the way to Kansas City or Chicago if it can secure an extra-large commitment.

Should the Huskies convince 6-foot-8, 365-pound offensive tackle Elijah Vaikona to play his college ball in Seattle next year, he would give them three players listed at his skyscraper height, joining 6-foot-8, 295-pound redshirt freshman Soane Faasolo and newly arrived 6-foot-8, 323-pound freshman Justin "Moose" Hylkema.

All are California produced or stretched out.

That's potentially a lot of Montlake muscle, as the linemen coming out of high school these days appear to be getting larger and larger.

Next Tuesday, the super-sized Vaikona of the Class of 2025 will choose from among UCLA, USC and Washington, bringing his busy recruitment to a close.

A 3-star recruit, Vaikona now plays for Santa Margarita Catholic High School -- the same place that sent edge rusher Maurice Heims to the UW -- after transferring from Xavier College Preparatory School in Palm Desert, more than 100 miles away.

A three-sport athlete, he received a UW scholarship offer on April 20 and took his official visit this past weekend, with Jedd Fisch's staff getting a chance to host and sell him on the program last.

Serious about his football pursuits, Vaikona attended a host of football camps over the past few months, traveling to Alabama, Oklahoma and Dallas to show off and polish his skills. The recruiting analysts have noted how he looks much improved in a year's time, especially with his footwork, as he manages his big frame.

Vaikona appears to be a taller version of Ulumoo Ale, the former UW offensive and defensive lineman who came to the Huskies in 2018 as an oversized 6-foot-6, 340-pound prospect from Fife High School.

Whereas Kalen DeBoer's staff made Ale shed nearly 50 pounds and moved him to defense, Vaikona appears to have the frame to carry a lot of weight and be an effective blocker.

His decision comes on Tuesday out of Southern California, with the recruiting websites predicting the big guy will end up either at the UW or USC, but not likely UCLA. People will see if Vaikona can stand up and see Seattle.

Elijah Vaikona visited the UW this past weekend.
Elijah Vaikona visited the UW this past weekend. / UW

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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Dan Raley

DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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