Washington Earns Commitment From Top 2025 In-State Prospect

Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff posted a significant recruiting win in UW's backyard.

Roman Tomashoff | Jan 8, 2024

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Washington Huskies

HOUSTON — As the Washington Huskies prepare to take on Michigan on Monday night in the CFP national championship, coach Kalen DeBoer's staff received a notable win off the field with the commitment of 4-star linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale.

A product of Bethel High School in Spanaway, Washington, Rainey-Sale is ranked by 247 Sports as the 72nd overall player in the 2025 class and the top player in the state. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker chose the Huskies over 10 other scholarship offers that included Florida State, Oregon, Miami and Penn State.

After not taking any in-state prospects in the class of 2024, the Huskies in convincing the top player from Washington to stay home so early in the recruiting process can be considered a big win.

On film, it's easy to see why Rainey-Sale was at the top of recruiting general manager Courtney Morgan's priority list.

Rainey-Sale has top-tier athleticism, elite closing speed and physicality at inside linebacker. While Bethel likes to utilize him as a delayed pass rusher off the edge, his skill set would fit seamlessly in the middle of co-defensive coordinator William Inge's front seven.

He rarely lets ball carriers escape his grasp and could end up receiving playing time early in his Husky career.

After taking just one linebacker in the 2024 class, the coaching staff could be looking to acquire the services of two or three players for the position in 2025. One of its other top targets is 4-star Mason Posa from La Cueva High School in New Mexico.

Earning a commitment from Rainey-Sale sets a great pace for DeBoer's staff as it attempts to close on other top-tier prospects in the 2025 class in Washington state and around the country.

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Published Jan 8, 2024

ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios.