> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Saturday’s Junior Day Crucial for Washington Football - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/saturdays-junior-day-crucial-for-washington-football/ - Published: 2025-03-08T17:04:06.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:00:26.000Z - Author: Aaron Coe - Tags: Huskies, Jedd Fisch, Recruiting, Brady Smigiel \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="810"\] ![ Washington Huskies recruit Brady Smigiel throws on the run during a prep game for Newbury Park. Credit: Brady Smigiel/Instagram ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/472803598_1558338084877721_5192198347533043840_n-format-original.jpg) Washington Huskies recruit Brady Smigiel throws on the run during a prep game for Newbury Park. Credit: Brady Smigiel/Instagram \[/caption\] Washington Huskies football coach Jedd Fisch is hosting a big party on Saturday with the hopes that some of the guests will eventually become household residents. Saturday is “Junior Day” at Husky Stadium, and over 40 class of 2026 high school football players are expected to attend. They include players already committed, along with those who are checking out UW and those the Huskies coaches would like to check out a little more for potential scholarship offers. Some will drive a few miles from nearby neighborhoods, while others will fly across the country. Some are or were committed to other college football programs, including Florida State, Georgia and Texas A&M, among others. “We've got an incredible Junior Day, a full group of people that are in town and we're really looking to showcase the University of [**Washington**](https://247sports.com/college/washington/?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) and why we should have the top recruiting class,” Fisch said Friday on KJR Radio. “This is the first time we've been able to do this since we've been here, so it's really fun." It’s typical for a few players to verbally commit during or shortly after Junior Day. Beyond that, it’s a day for senior director of play personnel Matt Doherty, Fisch, and his assistant coaches to sell the football program and the university to players and their families. The commitments are not binding, and the days of signing a “National Letter of Intent” are also gone. Instead, athletes will eventually sign scholarship and financial aid agreements. Once they get those verbal commitments, UW’s coaching staff and newly [revamped personnel department](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/jedd-fisch-huskies-announce-coach-staff-additions) will work to hold on to them in perpetuity. It’s still a big day, though, as a good chunk of UW’s 2026 class is likely to be at Husky Stadium on Saturday. According to [247Sports](https://247sports.com/college/washington/article/washington-expecting-huge-crowd-with-weekend-junior-day-246452672/?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fmedium=email), two quarterbacks out of California will be in attendance. Newbury Park’s Brady Smiegel, who had previously committed to Florida State, will be there along with Class of 2027 QB Caden Jones out of Crean Lutheran. The top three rated recruits from the state are expected to attend — defensive linemen Derek Colman-Brusa out of Kennedy Catholic and O’Dea teammates Fameitau Siale and David Schwertzel. We won’t go over every player on the 247Sports list in this story, but rest assured, there will be a lot of very good football players walking around UW, including several four-star-rated offensive linemen the Huskies will need to load up on to compete in the Big Ten a few years down the road. Fisch and his [expanded staff](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/jedd-fisch-huskies-announce-coach-staff-additions) will undoubtedly sell recruits on the NFL model they’re employing at UW. “Our messaging is very clear to high school recruits,” Fisch said on Feb. 26\. “You come here if you want to go play in the NFL. You come here if you want to be treated like a pro. You’re going to graduate from one of the top 10 academic institutions in the country. You’re going to compete for championships.” Though the transfer portal has become a key component in college football recruiting, Fisch believes the core of the team — in particular, the offensive line — must be built through high school recruits and development. Though he was speaking to the media on Feb. 26, it sounded like he was talking to a room full of high school recruits who may hear similar words on Saturday. “We’ll continue to recruit elite high school players,” Fisch said. “…They know that if they come here they’re going to be coached at a very, very high level. They’re going to be prepared. They’re going to be viewed in a manner of being ready to play at the next level.” Saturday will serve as a big day new UW offensive line coach Michael Switzer to impress the big boys up front after former OL coach Brennan Carroll took off to join his father, Pete Carroll, with the Las Vegas Raiders. Keeping the linemen Brennan Carroll had made progress with and gaining the interest of others will play a role in how well the Huskies block for the quarterbacks and running backs who eventually sign with the Dawgs.