Welcome to part five of this series where we look at OL. Normally, I would split the OL into OTs and IOL getting their own article, but since there are only 17 total offers between the two groups, I decided to combine them onto one list.
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 (2)
Benjamin Lowther (Peoria, AZ) Position Rank: 34 (OT) Committed to Stanford
Lowther is not afraid to use his superior size and strength to completely bully defenders. Stanford is a tough school to flip players from since they usually commit there for their academic prestige, but I have a feeling UW will still recruit him.
Tristan Dare (Southlake, TX) Position Rank: 39 (IOL) Committed to Michigan
Dare has an extremely strong lower body that he leverages well to drive defenders either down the field or into the turf. He committed to the Wolverines early and hasn’t waivered.
Tier 3 (5)
Kennedy Brown (Humble, TX) National Rank: 15 Position Rank: 2 (OT)
Phenomenal mobility, lateral quickness, and advanced pass blocking skills are some of the reasons many consider Brown a can’t miss OT prospect in the 2027 class. When you have that kind of talent at one of the most premium positions, everyone is going to want you. The Texas schools are going to pull out all the stops to prevent him from leaving the Lone Star state.
Jimmy Kalis (Pittsburgh, PA) National Rank: 195 Position Rank: 21 (OT)
Kalis is an old school strong, physical, play to the whistle OT that everyone wants on their team. Kalis appeared to be a heavy Penn State lean, but after Franklin was fired he appears to be taking a break from recruiting for the time being. Tons of major programs are after him including Alabama, Clemson, and Texas among 40+ other offers.
Sidney Rouleau (Bullard, TX) Position Rank: 30 (OT)
If he gets a hand on a defender at the initial point of attack, it is over for them. Rouleau plays angry and tries to take defenders to the turf on every play. Originally from Quebec, Rouleau also played in NJ before transferring to Texas for his junior season. He likes Penn State early and even with the coaching vacancy they are a school to watch for him. He has also picked up major offers including Florida, Michigan, and Texas to name a few.
Jayden Dean (Fort Lauderdale, FL) Position Rank: 47 (IOL)
Extremely strong in both the lower and upper body, once he gets his hands on a defender they are done. Michigan, Oklahoma, and Oregon are setting the pace in Dean’s recruitment.
Gabriel Villalobos (Bellflower, CA) Position Rank: N/A (IOL)
Primarily playing center, Villalobos shows great vision and football IQ after he snaps the ball to take on the most threatening defenders. The Huskies are his only offer to date, so they are able to take their time to properly evaluate him and his development.
Tier 2 (4)
Lucas Rhoa (Orange, CA) Position Rank: 37 (OT)
It is one thing for OTs to win one-on-ones, but this might be the first film I have seen an OT win against two defenders at the same time. One for each arm. Yeah, he’s that strong. There is major competition for Rhoa including Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, and USC among many others.
Lincoln Mageo (Oceanside, CA) Position Rank: 28 (IOL)
If he got another growth spurt, Mageo has all the makings of a premier LT. Great lateral quickness, bend, and power. For the record, he isn’t short (6’4 285), but most programs are projecting him inside. He could enter a lot of programs as the best pass blocking IOL on the roster from the moment he steps on campus. The Huskies offered Mageo back when Carroll was still the OL coach, but coach Switzer picked up right where things left off. The Huskies really like him and would love to add him, but will need to beat Michigan, Texas, Ohio State, and local USC to name a few.
Lex Mailangi (Santa Ana, CA) Position Rank: 35 (IOL)
With how fluid he is and how well he moves, you would be surprised that he is 6’3 330 Lbs. He moves like players half that size. He plays like a traditional mauler who dominates in run blocking and getting to the second level. UW has been all over him, but he appears to be favoring other schools like Alabama and USC, but Oregon is currently separating themselves from the group.
Calvin Moala (Temecula, CA) Position Rank: 48 (IOL)
Moala clearly knows how to leverage his body well and uses his powerful legs to drive defenders back, drive them to the ground, or take out LBs as he pulls. The Huskies offered him shortly after they arrived in Seattle and have stayed on him since then. They will be competing with schools like Arizona St., BYU, and Utah for the talented OL.
Tier 1 (6)
Jackson Roper (Englewood, CO) National Rank: 160 Position Rank: 7 (IOL)
For most IOL, they usually excel at run blocking, but can have trouble in pass blocking early on in their development. Not Roper though, he excels at both as well as getting to the second level of the defense with ease thanks to his athleticism. The Huskies made a strong early impression on Roper and he definitely has a strong interest in them. That said, schools like Alabama, Notre Dame, and Ohio State are not gonna make it easy to land him. Fortunately for the Huskies, they have a commitment in the 2026 class from his teammate (TI) to help sell the program.
Jake Hildebrand (Chandler, AZ) National Rank: 199 Position Rank: 22 (OT)
Hildebrand is nimble, strong at the point of attack, and is excellent at mirroring for his age. He is frequently asked to be put on an island and he delivers excellent pass protection every time. The Huskies aren’t in his top favorite schools right now, which has consisted of schools including Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M to name a few. You may be asking yourself, well if he isn’t all that interested in UW why is he in tier 1? That would be because he is the only four star OT out west in the 2027 class. Let me repeat that, the ONLY ONE. That puts an even larger premium on an already premium position. The Huskies need to do what they can to work their way up his list and be a contender for the talented tackle.
DaJohn Yarborough (Chandler, AZ) Position Rank: 24 (IOL)
Playing the RT on Hildebrand’s OL, Yarborough is a physical, strong, and nasty blocker who is always looking to leave a defender on the ground. Playing RT he has a lot of experience in pass blocking, but with his strength and superior run blocking, he is expected to slide inside at the next level. He has the size and the ability to play RT though and could certainly still play there in college. This is Yarborough’s first year in Arizona after moving from Minnesota and has been visiting school across the nation including Tennessee, Penn State, and UW. He really liked his UW visit and hopefully coach Switzer can land him.
Gecova Doyal (Puyallup, WA) Position Rank: 25 (IOL)
Since he was a freshman, Doyal has been a dominant force on the OL. Playing primarily at LT for his team, he has shown strong pass blocking skills to go along with supreme athleticism to pull and get to the second level of the defense. He is projected to slide inside at the next level, where he has the potential for an all-conference guard. Doyal has visited UW for many games and seems to really like the staff and the program. The Huskies will need to fend off Oregon among other out of state programs to keep him home, but early signs look promising that they will be able to do it.
Reis Russell (Littleton, CO) Position Rank: 43 (IOL)
Playing everywhere on the IOL, Russell is very mobile and aggressive in run blocking. His best position at the next level might be center, but it is a good problem to have if he is talented enough to play guard or center. Russell has really been liking UW a lot and as long as they stay after him, early signs are looking like his is going to wind up a Dawg.
Tye Kennedy (Mesa, AZ) Position Rank: N/A (OT)
The son of legendary Husky OT Lincoln Kennedy, Tye appears to have inherited his dad’s size, but is a little more raw than his dad was at his age. It is very obvious he has a high ceiling due to his size, athleticism, and bend, but don’t put unrealistic expectations on a kid to immediately live up to his father’s legacy. Especially when that father is arguably the greatest OL to ever wear the purple and gold.