UW's California Recruiting Efforts Likely Received Boost from Harsh Riley Comments
The Washington Huskies, under Kalen DeBoer's coaching lead, have shown they want to build their recruiting classes with a heavy California influence.
In 2023, 13 of the 21 recruits who signed with DeBoer's coaching staff were from the Golden State.
Washington's 2024 class is built in a similar fashion, with nine of the 15 commits from California.
And now, the Huskies are pushing hard to add commitments from some of the top players in the state in the 2025 class — and they might have got an unexpected boost from USC coach Lincoln Riley.
On Thursday, Riley had some cutting words for California prospect that recruiting staffers across the country will almost certainly use against the Trojans head coach in the recruiting push.
"I think in my evaluation of the program, when we got here and started looking at the roster, I think that there were a lot of players from the state of California that, in my opinion, should not be on the USC roster for one reason or another," Riley said.
"Hiding behind the curtain of 'Well, at least we're recruiting California kids,' doesn't do the program any good. Yeah, we want to get California kids. We want to get local kids. We want them to be the right kids, the right kind of students, the right kind of players that fit what we're building."
In the 2024 class, just two of the state's top 15 prospects are committed to Riley's Trojans. California has produced a long line of talented collegiate and NFL players over the years — and should continue to do so — which is one reason Washington wants to build its class around the state.
As Washington's recruiting staff has shifted much of its focus to the 2025 class, while still working on a few more 2024 targets, Riley's comments could end up driving recruits to look at other options on the West Coast.
The Huskies are pushing hard to acquire the services of some of the best players in California for 2025, headlined by 5-star cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. and 4-star receiver Phillip Bell III.
Expect the UW coaching staff to continue to recruit the state heavily and try to close on a few more prospects in the coming months.
After receiving their first 2025 commitment from 3-star Laguna Beach High quarterback Jackson Kollock, the Huskies now have an additional recruiter in him to help state their case.
Riley's comments won't hurt their sales pitch either.
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