NorCal Duo’s Joint Husky Recruitment Tour
Junipero Serra High School safeties Jeovanni Henley and Malakai Taufoou have trimmed their college lists, both including Washington alongside heavy hitters like BYU, Penn State and Cal (with Taufoou swapping Texas for Oregon). Henley, a 6-foot, 165-pound prospect, overcame a broken ankle to post gaudy numbers last fall — 65 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 5 sacks and two defensive touchdowns — while his 6-foot-2 running mate amassed 46 tackles, 6 TFLs and 4 picks. The pair will visit Montlake together June 19, giving the Huskies one last shot to land a safety pairing that already knows how to work in tandem.
Watching two high-school besties tour your campus is like being the final two on a reality dating show: you’re charming, witty and just cool enough to win, but there’s always that nagging fear they’ll choose the bachelor pad down the street. Washington’s coaching staff will juggle accents, campus coffee tastings and a dubious sushi bar tour to prove that Montlake is the only place to bond over spilled Gatorade and late-night film sessions. If they can’t sell a cafeteria burrito bar and the promise of double-header spring practices, well, Yale is one click away.
Safety Sorrow: Christian’s Achilles Drama
Senior safety CJ Christian, fresh off a transfer from FIU, was meant to strut his NFL aspirations during a Huskies spring session at Seattle’s VMAC. Instead, he tore his Achilles in a non-contact drill, ending his 2026 season before it began. Already sidelined by a turf-toe injury in 2025, Christian now confronts a third straight setback with no clear roadmap back to the gridiron. His 20 starts, 151 career tackles and five picks are collecting dust while he debates whether Husky football has become more minefield than dream path.
Forget spring football—welcome to Husky obstacle courses! UW’s new recruiting slogan should read “If you can survive Jedd Fisch’s practice, you can survive anything.” Christian’s rehabilitation might include motivational crutches, rain-soaked locker rooms and mandatory tear-jerker training montages. Somewhere, the Seahawks are handing out tissues and popcorn. But don’t worry: UW’s sports medicine bill is already through the roof, so why not add a few more broken dreams to the tab?
Grey Hairs & Game Day Grit: Veterans Return
After two seasons of youth experiments, Coach Jedd Fisch’s Huskies are leaning heavily on experience in 2026. Washington boasts 31 players with at least one college start — totaling 401 career openings — led by safety Alex McLaughlin (36), linebacker Jacob Manu (32) and tackle Drew Azzopardi (30). Even marathon starter Xe’ree Alexander counts coast-to-coast stints at Idaho, UCF and UW. Fresh faces like redshirt freshmen Quaid Carr and Champ Taulealea await their turn in a lineup that’s one starter shy of a full veteran squad.
It’s official: Washington is now the senior prom of college football. Forget redshirt freshmen — the Huskies are recruiting retirement-age warhorses. Expect canes at practice, early-bird dinner specials and pepper-sprayed warmups for optimal joint mobility. These guys have so many starts they could autograph your textbooks. And if the youngsters dare complain, they’ll be met with war stories about tackling Wyoming in 2018 or how they once wrote hand-drawn playbooks on the walls of their dorm.
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