Welcome to part nine of this series where we look at the CB position.
As a reminder, prospects can fall into four tiers:
Committed: Just as the name implies, these are prospects that have already committed
to other schools and the staff is no longer actively recruiting them.
Tier 1: Would accept their offer no matter when they are ready to commit. Reserved for the prospects at the very top of their board.
Tier 2: Prospects they are actively recruiting and would really like to have. If they were forced to choose between a prospect in tier 1 and 2 they would select tier 1, but tier 2 are very talented players who UW would have a good shot at.
Tier 3: Prospects that UW are not seriously in the running for or they are still evaluating more than actively recruiting.
Committed (1)
Mikyal Davis (Goodyear, AZ) Position Rank: 36 Committed to Oklahoma
A quick and aggressive CB, Davis relishes shutting down opposing WRs. He made an early commitment to the Sooners.
Tier 3 (9)
John Meredith III (Euless, TX) National Rank: 6 Position Rank: 1
A truly complete modern CB, Meredith III has size (6’2), speed, instincts, and ball skills. Every team in the nation is after him with Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, and Texas A&M among his early favorites.
Hayden Stepp (Las Vegas, NV) National Rank: 23 Position Rank: 4
Stepp has a 6’4 frame that he uses to his advantage. He is adept at press coverage as well as zone. It will be tough to keep Stepp away from LSU even after the coaching change, but Oregon may be the school who would be able to do it.
Duvay Williams (Gardena, CA) National Rank: 40 Position Rank: 7
Williams completely blankets opposing receivers and he is already advanced at press coverage. Williams is a lean to USC.
Aaryn Washington (Santa Ana, CA) National Rank: 50 Position Rank: 8
An extremely instinctual and twitchy corner, Washington has great top end speed and short area burst as well. Washington is down to a top two of Georgia and USC, with the Trojans looking like the pick.
Danny Lang (Santa Ana, CA) National Rank: 56 Position Rank: 9
Another dynamic Mater Dei CB, Lang is slightly bigger (still 6’1), but he still plays with the same ferocity, instincts, and ball skills. USC is also doing very well with Lang.
Taelyn Mayo (Lewisville, TX) National Rank 111 Position Rank: 14
A long and lanky CB, Mayo leverages his impressive 6’4 frame as well as his elite speed to smother opposing receivers. Many of the nation’s top programs are after Mayo including Georgia, Ohio State, and Texas among many others.
Zayden Gamble (Fort Lauderdale, FL) National Rank: 171 Position Rank: 19* (Rated as a safety by 247)
A versatile stud in the secondary, Gamble is able to play multiple positions thanks to his football IQ, closing speed, and ball skills. LSU, Notre Dame, and Ohio State among others are after him.
Tavares Harrington (Chicago, IL) National Rank: 180 Position Rank: 22
Skilled at both man and zone coverage, Harrington uses his impressive 6’3 size to shut down opposing WRs. He has earned offers from schools including Alabama, Georgia, and Miami among many others.
Will Rasmussen (Orem, UT) Position Rank: 85
On the smaller side for typical CBs that Richardson goes after, Rasmussen plays much bigger than his size with a nasty streak that opposing receivers don’t want to be on the other end of. He has early offers from Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Utah among others.
Tier 2 (2)
Jacob Whitehead (Bellflower, CA) Position Rank: 40
A strong and physical corner, Whitehead not only blankets opposing receivers, but he also uses his strength to redirect them while they are trying to run their routes. Whitehead took trips to Tennessee, Texas, and USC during the season so the Huskies will need to get him on campus if they want to have a shot at him.
Darius Johnson (Murrieta, CA) Position Rank: 46
In addition to his impressive length, Johnson also has excellent closing speed that he can use to bait QBs into trying to throw on him. With his brother signing with Oklahoma this past year, they appear to have the inside track early on.
Tier 1 (5)
Jailen Hill (Bellflower, CA) National Rank: 119 Position Rank: 16
Already a tall CB at 6’2, Hill also possesses a +4 wingspan to make him an even more effective DB. In addition to being good at coverage, he hits like a safety adding to his versatility and effectiveness. Richardson has been all over Hill and got him to visit for the Illinois game. The Huskies will have to fend of Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and USC among others if they hope to land him.
Censere Gaylord (Bradenton, FL) National Rank: 122 Position Rank: 17
Gaylord is a silky smooth CB who is already excellent at mirroring and flipping his hips. He also displays a tremendous football IQ. The Huskies are once again making their presence known at IMG Academy in Florida. They had Gaylord on campus this season and have been among his favorites for awhile now. He is originally from California and the UW staff is hoping to bring him back to the west coast like they did this past cycle with Ksani Jiles. Georgia, Notre Dame, and Tennessee are just a couple of the schools that UW will have to beat to land Gaylord.
Jerry Outhouse Jr. (Fort Worth, TX) National Rank: 144 Position Rank: 15* (247 has him rated as a safety)
He may be rated as a safety, but Outhouse Jr. is a tremendous ballhawk that always seems to be able to read a QB’s mind. He doesn’t get beat off the line easily, but when he does he has tremendous closing speed and ball skills to make plays. It will prove difficult to pull him out of Texas, but Outhouse Jr. clearly has a good connection with coach Richardson. If he takes an official visit to UW over the summer, then the possibility of landing him increases dramatically.
Josiah Molden (West Linn, OR) National Rank: 181 Position Rank: 23
Yes, he is Elijah’s younger brother and may be an even better prospect when they were at the same age. It is hard to say whether he is better in man or zone coverage because he is so excellent at both. Having a family of CBs appears to have helped sharpen his football IQ from a very young age. The Huskies are going all out to try and have Josiah follow in his brother’s footsteps. Oregon is making their appeal for him to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, he may choose to blaze his own path and go to Ohio State. Those three appear to be his top choices at this time.
Evan Mack (Irvine, CA) National Rank: National Rank 186 Position Rank: 24
Coach Richardson certainly has a type at CB and the 6’3 Mack certainly fits the bill. He is a lockdown corner who can thrive in man, zone, or press coverage. He is also a big hitter who plays with intensity. All that to say, it is like Richardson made him in NCAA Football to play for him. The Huskies have the early lead for Mack, but they can’t afford to take their foot off the pedal with Arizona, Arizona State, and Miami all in hot pursuit.
