The Oregon Ducks are just a few days removed from an embarrassing loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff. Now that the season has ended, the Ducks have watched a good number of players enter the portal and seek new college homes. Washington should waste zero time working to bring in a few of the players and make the Ducks regret letting them leave. These six specifically: Jerico Johnson, Tionne Gray, Xadavien Sims, Ashton Porter, Blake Purchase, and Tobi Haastrup.
While you may think it would be fun for the Huskies to go after tight end Vander Ploog, considering Jedd Fisch worked hard to get him to Washington out of high school. However, Washington isn't really looking for a tight end right now. So it could be a luxury, but it's not needed.
The five players that Washington needs to chase down are in areas of great need for the Huskies. They won't be able to land them all, as some will follow their defensive coordinator, Tosh Lupoi, to Cal, and some might be swayed to come to their rival.
Oregon is losing a ton of defensive line talent and Washington should try to nab a few of them
Related: Jedd Fisch isn’t finished in the portal — 2 crucial spots still loom for Washington
Jerico Johnson, Tionne Gray, Xadavien Sims, Ashton Porter, Blake Purchase, and Tobi Haastrup are all either defensive tackles or edge rushers. All of them are former top recruits, and every single one has at least one more year of eligibility left. Washington needs edge and defensive linemen to finish off their portal plan. At least two more defensive interior players and one or two more edge rushers.
Any or all of them would be huge additions for the Huskies and would help with immediate depth and talent on the defensive line. Here's a quick snapshot of each:
DT Jerico Johnson - True freshman last season and was able to use his redshirt. He's 6'4 and 342 pounds. He was a 4-star recruit out of high school.
DT Tionne Gray - Redshirt freshman this season and appeared in 10 total games and had 18 tackles. He's 6'6 and 336 pounds. He's also a former 4-star recruit and was a top-10 defensive tackle in his recruiting class.
DT Xadavien Sims - Redshirt freshman only played in one game this season, former 4-star recruit. 6'3 and 305 pounds.
OLB Ashton Porter - He was a redshirt sophomore this last season and was one of their primary edge rushers. He had 20 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 pass defense. He knows how to put pressure on a quarterback and still has two seasons left. He's 6'3 and 290 pounds.
OLB Blake Purchase - Purchase was a monster this last season with 32 tackles, 2 sacks, and even an interception. He just finished his sophomore year and will have two seasons left to play. He's listed at 6'3 and 245 pounds.
OLB Tobi Haastrup - Used his redshirt this season as a true freshman, only appeared in one game. He's a former 4-star recruit and listed at 6'4 and 240 pounds.
Let's steal a few from our rival and make Dan Lanning wish he kept them from ever leaving.