Washington Football Ends Recruiting Drought With Linebacker Commit
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1080"]
The Washington Huskies added to their 2026 recruiting class by landing California linebacker Ezaya Tokio. Credit: Ezaya Tokio/Instagram [/caption]
All was quiet on the Washington football Class of 2026 commitment front for a couple of weeks, but the Huskies landed one of their top remaining targets with the verbal addition of Ezaya Tokio, a linebacker from Oceanside High School in California.
Washington wrapped up its summer visit weekends on June 29 without adding a commit, though the Huskies are in the running for a few athletes who are making public announcements over the next few weeks.
Tokio, a three-star prospect who lined up at inside and outside linebacker positions for Oceanside, displayed relentless pass rush skills as a junior. Playing in just four games due to transfer regulations, Tokio recorded 28 tackles, including 10.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. Though his technique will need some work, he seems to have the physical traits needed to rush Big Ten passers.
“I’m beyond blessed and excited to announce that I’m officially committed to the University of Washington to continue my academic and athletic journey!” Tokio said on his Instagram account.
In addition to Washington, Tokio took official visits to California, Colorado, UCLA, and Arizona State. He visited Washington on June 6 before taking some time to make his decision following his final visit to Colorado on June 16.
Tokio’s commitment ended a quiet few weeks for the Huskies. When four-star receiver Mason James announced Washington as his choice on June 12, the Huskies moved up to No. 14 in the 247Sports Class of 2026 composite rankings. Since then, some recruits who had UW listed as a finalist went elsewhere, including four-star edge Landon Barnes (Ole Miss) and Aaron Thomas (Ohio State), who punked viewers of his Instagram commitment by initially choosing a Washington hat from the table in front of him.
Since James committed, the Huskies also added four-star cornerback Jeron Jones, who announced Seattle as his future home on June 18. Jones, out of Mission Viejo (Calif.), chose Washington over Texas A&M, Cal, and Arizona State.
The Huskies drew visits and some interest from recruits such as 5-star cornerback Brandon Arrington (Texas A&M) and 4-star Vance Spafford (Miami), but came up empty on some of the more prominent targets.
UW also lost out on David Schwerzel, a local high three-star defensive lineman from O’Dea who committed to UCLA on June 14.
Even with the additions of Jones and Tokio, Washington currently sits at 23rd in the rankings, which factor in both the number of overall recruits and their individual ratings. A few additions would quickly bump up that ranking, as only four schools above UW have fewer commits. Washington, which has 16 so far, is expected to get to a number somewhere in the low 20s when most athletes sign in early December. They appear on pace to land a Top 20 class, but how they fill out their final spots will dictate that final ranking.
A push to best the program’s all-time top ranking of No. 15 is still possible, but somewhat unlikely at this juncture. Washington will likely land a few in July, while some programs may be closer to their planned number for this class. During the fall, the UW coaching and recruiting staff will work hard to keep their commitments in the fold, add a couple of uncommitted players, and perhaps steal a few from other programs.
At least two high three-star recruits will be announcing in July and have the Huskies listed as finalists. Ta’a Malu, a defensive lineman out of Annie Wright in Tacoma, plans to commit on July 4. Pulelei’ite Primus, an offensive lineman out of Midland, Texas, posted a July 19 decision date. Malu or a similar player would seem to be especially crucial for the Huskies, who do not yet have an interior defensive lineman in the class.
While it’s important for Washington to land players with potential greatness, it will be key for Jedd Fisch and his staff to avoid swings and misses from national recruits while perhaps not being as focused on high-end three-star types. As those players commit elsewhere, it can mean a program has to adjust toward athletes who are being recruited by non-power conference schools as they round out the class.
