The Washington Huskies are in the running to get their hands on an heir to Demond Williams Jr.
Jayden Wade, 247Sports' top player and quarterback for the class of 2028, has narrowed down his recruitment to seven schools -- and Washington cracked the list. The 6-foot-3 sophomore attends the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where he's averaging 151.8 passing yards per game while throwing 17 touchdowns to only two interceptions.
Alongside Washington, Wade's final contenders are Florida, Texas, Michigan, Georgia, Ohio State, and Oregon. He will announce his commitment on Nov. 16, according to Rivals. It's certainly a list crowded with the most recognizable programs in college football, and it may be a longshot that Wade takes his talents to the opposite corner of the country, but the fact that Washington is even on the list is a positive sign.
According to 247Sports, Wade shows “warm” interest in five of his seven potential destinations -- all except Washington and Michigan, which are listed as “cool.” Based on his Instagram activity, Oregon and Georgia are the only schools Wade has visited in person, although Washington appears to be among the programs that's been recruiting him longest -- offering shortly after those two and before the rest of his finalists.
It's also been reported that Wade may possibly reclassify to the class of 2027, which could be an indicator of where he's leaning based on each program's timeline at quarterback. Georgia and Texas both have five-star quarterbacks waiting in line in the class of 2026, while Michigan has four-stars in the 2026 and 2027 -- and of course, current freshman Bryce Underwood.
Ohio State's timeline lines up pretty well, as Julian Sayin can pass the torch to Wade if he reclassifies to 2027. Oregon has no clear future quarterback after Dante Moore, with only four-star Bryson Beaver committed to them in the class of 2026. The same can be said about Florida, however the Gators currently don't have a long-term coach after firing Billy Napier.
That leaves Washington with one of the best timelines for Wade to start immediately if that's what he wants, as the Huskies don't have a clear heir to Williams, who will likely go to the NFL in 2027 or 2028. Additionally, Williams could serve as a fantastic model for Wade, who is also a dual-threat quarterback, to follow -- as Jedd Fisch has done a great job developing him into a Heisman-caliber player.
So don't count the Huskies out, they could be a dark horse for Wade's services. We'll see for sure in 10 days.