Inside The Huskies

Huskies Continue to Load Up on Local Linebackers, Get Commit from Lugolobi

The 2026 prospect had offers from Tennessee, Colorado, Louisville and others.

Dan Raley

Wassie Lugolobi has committed to the UW as a 2026 linebacker.
Wassie Lugolobi has committed to the UW as a 2026 linebacker. / UW

After a rough weekend in Pennsylvania, the University of Washington football team returned home on Sunday and turned their attention to future manpower by picking up a 2026 commitment from touted local linebacker Wassie Lugolobi, further enhancing the reputation of a position area that very well could become the team strength.

A 6-foot-1, 226-pound junior from Eastside Catholic High School, Lugolobi ultimately will join a Husky linebacker crops that includes current freshman starter Khmori House, redshirt freshman and one-time Los Angeles Player of the Year Deven Bryant and soon to sign 4-star recruits Zaydrius Rainey-Sale and Jonathan Epperson, the latter two also homegrown talent.

Lugolobi settled on the Huskies after receiving offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Louisville, Nevada, San Diego State and Tennessee.

"“I’ve been up to Washington five or six times for their home games. ... The ‘ah-ha’ moment was last game -- it felt like my home," he told Andrew Nemec of SB Live and Sports Illustrated., referring to the Huskies' 26-21 win over USC. "I knew everybody there and it’s my home away from home.” 

Lugolobi currently plays for an Eastside Catholic team in suburban Sammamish, Washington, one that is 8-1 and coached by former Husky offensive guard Dominic Daste .

As a freshman in 2022, Lugolobi started for the Crusaders while they were the state's No. 1-ranked team and, as a sophomore, he was named as a first-team All-Metro linebacker after finishing with 68 tackles, including 12.5 tackles for loss.

With the UW coaching change from Kalen DeBoer to Jedd Fisch's staff, Lugolobi had to be a little patient as the process worked its way out. DeBoer's guys had offered him right away.

The linebacker had to wait until May to be re-offered by the new staff.

That was more than enough time to get acquainted with Husky linebackers coach Robert Bala, who paid him the ultimate compliment.

"They bridged the gap, built a relationship and coach Bala said, ‘I don’t need to go to Florida to get guys that I can get in the home state,' ” Lugolobi said.

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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