Welcome to part six of this series where we look at the edge position. While there are not that many offers at edge, I chose not to combine them with the DL position like I did with OL, because DL alone has about 20 offers.
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 (0)
Tier 3 (4)
Zane Rowe (Denton, TX) National Rank: 92 Position Rank: 12
With how quick and fast he is I assumed he was a long and slender speed specialist. Nope, turns out he is a very well built 6’4 255 Lbs. that does specialize in speed, but is also incredibly strong and also packs a punch to beat opposing tackles. The former Oklahoma commit will have his choice of schools between Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, and Texas A&M among many others.
Aidan O’Neil (Ramsay, NJ) Position Rank: 23
O’Neil plays well with both one or two hands on the ground and has a nose for the ball on every play. He appears to be taking a patient approach with his recruitment, but keep an eye on who Penn State hires. They could be a major player for him.
Chaz Gray (Montvale, NJ) Position Rank: 24
Gray’s biggest calling card is his speed off the edge, but he also shows tremendous vision in the backfield to not get fooled easily. It is still early in his recruitment, but Notre Dame appears to be making a strong early impression.
Brian DeMoss (Chicago, IL) Position Rank: 42
Long and lean, DeMoss has excellent bend to go with his impressive speed and football IQ. He has already picked up offers from schools like Michigan, Nebraska, and Ole Miss among others.
Tier 2 (1)
Miles Schirmer (Corona, CA) Position Rank: 36
Depending on how he grows, Schirmer may develop more towards an IDL, but with how much speed he has he is a force off the edge. He has a good blend of speed, power and quickness. Schirmer is taking his time in his recruitment, but has drawn early offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Texas, and USC among others.
Tier 1 (4)
Krew Jones (Millville, UT) National Rank: 156 Position Rank: 18
Jones has been been garnishing national attention since his freshman season with his rare blend of size, speed, and power. He is believed to be a heavy Oklahoma lean at this time, but the Husky coaches were able to get him on campus for a game this season. If they are able to get him back on campus one more time before he commits anywhere they are still very much in it for him.
Troy Bowens (Sutter, CA) National Rank: 173 Position Rank: 22* (247 has him rated as a DL)
Bowens looks like a future SDE/DL hybrid who can play stout and disciplined run defense while also being a huge pass rush threat as well. He is an every down edge and those are always a need for any team. Bowens has outright said that UW is his favorite which is music to our ears. Oregon is the biggest threat followed by schools like Kansas and Tennessee.
Troy Mailo (Denver, CO) Position Rank: 40
A pass rushing speed merchant, Mailo plays exclusively in high gear. He gets to his top speed incredibly fast and uses his strong lower body to power through anyone who gets in his way. The UW coaches appear to have made a good early impression on Mailo. Some other schools that have also done that include Arizona, Arizona St. and Kansas St.
Ty Tautolo (Lake Stevens, WA) Position Rank: 50
With the speed off the edge and the flow coming out of the helmet I thought I was watching Hau’oli Kikaha highlights. Tautolo is too fast for most opposing tackles and causes major headaches in the backfield for offenses. He has already been to a handful of Husky games and UW is doing well with him early. They will need to fend off Notre Dame, Oregon, and Texas A&M among others if they want to keep him local.