Inside The Huskies

Huskies pick up another Oregon-Produced TE in Baron Naone

The latest commit hails from Elijah Molden's alma mater.

Dan Raley

Tight end Baron Naone has committed to the UW.
Tight end Baron Naone has committed to the UW. / UW

For whatever reason, the University of Washington football team briefly had shied away from the Oregon-produced recruit.

Currently, incoming freshman tight end Charlie Crowell from Bend and cornerback Elias Johnson from Tualatin are the only scholarship players from the neighboring state on the Husky roster, and they just arrived in Montlake.

Ah, but Jedd Fisch is finding more players south of the Columbia River that fit his football needs, gaining a commitment over the weekend from yet another tight end in Baron Naone from West Linn High School, south of Portland -- Elijah Molden's alma mater.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Naone, an inch shorter and 13 pounds lighter than Crowell, revealed his decision on Monday, picking the Huskies over California, Arizona State and Oregon State. He is the fourth player to commit to the UW from this past weekend, joining edge rusher Victor Sanchez Hernandez from Mukilteo, Washington; wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck from Marana, Arizona; and safety/LB Donovan Robinson from Wilmette, Illinois.

Naone is Oregon's No. 1 player for the Class of 2025 and considered a 4-star prospect, while Crowell, who recently enrolled, was a 3-star recruit for 2024.

The UW likes nothing better than to beat its arch-rival University of Oregon with Oregon kids interspersed in the lineup -- see Bob Schloredt and Sonny Sixkiller for a couple of notable examples.

The Huskies can thank Jonathan Smith for an assist in Naone's recruitment. The tight end was firm on a commitment to Oregon State and its former coach before Smith took the Michigan State job and everything changed.

Naone, considered a tough, rugged player, has enjoyed a lot of team success at West Lion, helping the Lions to an 11-0 record and a spot in the 6A state championship game this past season before a 12-7 loss to Central Catholic. He also was a productive edge rusher.

As a sophomore in 2023, he was a starting right fielder as West Linn won the 6A state baseball title.

While restocking Oregon players under Fisch, the Huskies in the distant future could send out a lineup that has those dual tight ends lined up together in Crowell and Naone, plus Johnson at cornerback and a talented running back in 2026 commit Ansu Sanoe, who's coming from Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

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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