Huskies Get in Line with Offers for Elite 2026 Linemen
![PJ Carey, a recruit from New York and now at IMG in Florida, has a UW offer. PJ Carey, a recruit from New York and now at IMG in Florida, has a UW offer.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_1152,h_648,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/inside_the_huskies/01j5k68fm42g0b74jh36.jpg)
Scholarship offers from the University of Washington football program and everyone else playing the recruiting game, as one director of player personnel pointed out, are little more than distributed business cards, passed around to enable extended conversations between targeted players and the school.
Places such as the UW make offers in the dozens each year, with most of them, of course, not coming to fruition in terms of a commitment. It's merely a chance for the Huskies to get themselves out there as serious players in the annual talent grab while the elite recipients get a chance to say they have two dozen to three dozen offers.
That said, Jedd Fisch's guys got in line and extended offers on consecutive days this past week to two of the most sought after players in the Class of 2026 -- defensive lineman Preston "PJ" Carey originally from East Northport, New York, and now Florida's IMG Academy and offensive lineman Felix Ojo from Mansfield, Texas.
Carey revealed how the UW offer was his 37th from a Division I school, Ojo going him one better with the Huskies giving him No. 38 and counting.
Blessed and Grateful to receive my 37th D1 full scholarship โญ๏ธffer from The University of Washington!๐ @CoachJeddFisch @CoachKaufusi @CoachOmura @UW_Football #GoHuskies #AllAboutTheW #PurpleReign #rightbacktowork #grindneverstops #IMGNational @IMGAFootball @IMGAcademyโฆ pic.twitter.com/aX2JuHAnfP
โ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ผ๐ง ๐. ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ โ๐ฃ๐โ (@PrestonJCareyPJ) August 17, 2024
Generally in the past, the Huskies have shied away from pursuing a player that everyone bids on, considering the typical long-odds recruit something of a waste of time.
However for Fisch, and Kalen DeBoer before him, it's all good public relations in aiming high in competition against the nation's powerhouse programs, figuring you won't become a perennial Top 10 team and a consistent FBS presence unless you act like one.
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Carey and 6-foot-7, 283-pound Ojo each are just 16 years old, coming off sophomore seasons that helped stamp them with national reputations. Each could be a 5-star recruit before they exhaust the process.
#AGTG After talks with @CoachOmura I am blessed to receive my 38th D1 offer from @UW_Football thank you to the whole coaching staff for the opportunity! @brennanpcarroll @CoachJeddFisch @samspiegs @MikeRoach247 @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ @TheUCReport @BrandonHuffman #PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/paXWwx7r5s
โ Felix Ojo ๐ณ๐ฌ (@FelixTheOL) August 16, 2024
Carey, who looks a lot older than his 16 years, played his freshman and sophomore football seasons at St. Anthony's High School on New York's Long Island before deciding last December to take his game south to IMG in Bradenton, Florida, to what he has referred to in social media posts as "the national team."
For a 6-4 St. Anthony's entry, he appeared in six games and stacked up 33 tackles, which included a pair of tackles for loss and a sack. As a freshman, he had 57 tackles in nine games for a state championship team. Again, it's all about football potential right now.
#ออก9ออก9ออก
โ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ผ๐ง ๐. ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ โ๐ฃ๐โ (@PrestonJCareyPJ) November 30, 2023
๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฉธ
๐โ๐บ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
๐ฆ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ข๐ก ๐ฅ@adamgorney @Andrew_Ivins @JeremyO_Johnson @ChadSimmons_โฆ pic.twitter.com/A1jA0KmrQh
Playing for Lake Ridge High School halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth, Ojo drew the attention of the Huskies and 37 others in spite of playing for what resembled the Bad News Bears -- his Eagles team finished a dismal 0-10 in 2023.
It just shows how much more concentrated college recruiting has become, with the experts finding this talented kid amid all of the losses. Texas likes what it sees, already having Ojo in for an unofficial visit.
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