As one director of player personnel pointed out, scholarship offers from the University of Washington football program and all other players in the recruiting business are little more than business cards passed around to facilitate longer conversations between the eligible players and the school.
Places like UW make dozens of offers every year, most of which don’t translate into commitments, of course. It’s just a chance for the Huskies to showcase themselves as serious players in the annual talent competition, while the elite receivers get a chance to say they have two dozen to three dozen offers.
Nevertheless, Jedd Fisch’s guys lined up and made offers on two consecutive days last week to two of the most coveted players in the 2026 class – defensive end Preston “PJ” Carey, originally from East Northport, New York, and now playing at IMG Academy in Florida, and offensive lineman Felix Ojo from Mansfield, Texas.
Carey revealed that the UW offer was his 37th from a Division I school, and Ojo went one step further: The Huskies gave him number 38 and counting.
I am blessed and grateful to receive my 37th D1 full scholarship โญ๏ธ from the University of Washington!๐ @CoachJeddFisch @CoachKaufusi @CoachOmura @UW_Football #GoHuskies #EverythingAboutTheW #PurpleReign #straighttowork #grindneverstops #IMGNational @IMGAFootball @IMGAcademyโฆ pic.twitter.com/aX2JuHAnfP
โ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ผ๐ง ๐๐๐ซ ‘๐ฃ๐’ (@PrestonJCareyPJ) 17 August 2024
In general, the Huskies have historically shied away from signing a player that everyone is bidding on, believing the typical low-win recruiting to be a waste of time.
For Fisch and Kalen DeBoer before him, however, pursuing high goals in competition with the strongest teams in the country is purely a PR exercise, because they are aware that the only way to become a permanent top 10 team and a consistent presence in the FBS is to behave like one.
The 6-foot-5, 295-pound Carey and the 6-foot-4, 295-pound Ojo are both just 16 years old and have gained national exposure in their sophomore year. Both could become 5-star recruits before they complete the process.
#AGTG After discussions with @CoachOmura I am blessed to receive my 38th D1 offer from @UW_Football Many thanks to the entire coaching team for this opportunity! @brennanpcarroll @CoachJeddFisch @samspiegs @MikeRoach247 @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ @DerUCReport @BrandonHuffman #PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/paXWwx7r5s
โ Felix Ojo ๐ณ๐ฌ (@FelixTheOL) 16 August 2024
Carey, who looks significantly older than his 16 years, played his freshman and sophomore seasons of football at St. Anthony’s High School on Long Island, New York, before deciding last December to move his game south to IMG in Bradenton, Florida, to what he refers to in social media posts as “the national team.”
He appeared in six games for St. Anthony’s 6-4 team and collected 33 tackles, including two 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
๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ป ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ป
๐๐ก๐ผ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐ป ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ป.
๐๐ก๐ผ๐ผ๐ป ๐ ๐ฎ๐น ๐ ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฅ@adamgorney @Andrew_Ivins @JeremyO_Johnson @ChadSimmons_โฆ pic.twitter.com/A1jA0KmrQhโ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ผ๐ง ๐๐๐ซ ‘๐ฃ๐’ (@PrestonJCareyPJ) 30 November 2023
As a player for Lake Ridge High School, halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth, Ojo caught the attention of the Huskies and 37 other players despite playing for a team that resembled the Bad News Bears – his Eagles team finished 2023 with a dismal 0-10 record.
This just shows how much more focused college recruiting has become, and that the experts found this talented kid despite all the losses. Texas likes what it sees and has already scheduled Ojo for an unofficial visit.
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