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The school record for players selected by the Wisconsin Huskies in a single (seventh) round of the NFL Draft is 10 players, set in 1998. Seven of those players signed as finalists in Don James’ 1993 recruiting class, redshirted during the ’93 season, and all five were retained for several years at UW.
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It remains to be seen whether the Wisconsin Huskies will break the 10-player record in 2024, although they already have 13 players invited to the NFL combine, a new program high. While these 13 players are relatively evenly spread across three different recruiting categories, this may be similar to the 1998 squad in the sense that most (though not all) of them spent time in Washington for at least four years.
Interestingly, the team only includes four blue-chip recruits, plus two former walk-ons. Of the 13, three came to Washington as transfers; another 10 committed to coach Chris Petersen in the 2018, 2019 and 2020 recruiting classes, per the 247Sports Composite statistic, each of their players ranks among the top 16 nationally.
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In order of composite rankings, here’s a look back at the recruiting status of UW’s 13 co-invitees — six who signed in 2018, two from UW’s 2019 class and five during the 2020 pandemic season Entering university.
WR Jalen McMillan
Class: 2020
Rating: 4 stars, No. 67
Background: In the biggest recruiting win of Peterson’s career, McMillon was a highly productive, borderline five-star recruit out of San Joaquin Memorial School in Fresno, Calif., who also starred in baseball and track and field. sprinter. He chose the Huskies over strong interest from USC, Oklahoma and Notre Dame and developed a friendship with Wisconsin signee Sam Huard, a five-star recruit in the 2021 class A top-level rookie, McMillan had 7-on-7 games with him.
Roger Rosengarten OL
Class: 2020
Rating: 4 stars, No. 171
Background: Blue-chip Valor Christian from Highlands Ranch, Colo., came to Washington State and Oregon State, and for a while, Rosengarten seemed to be leaning toward the Ducks. Ultimately, his relationship with former Wisconsin line coach Scott Huff won out. He also appreciates Peterson’s selective approach to scholarship. “If they offer one-fifth of the kids and another program offers four-fifths of the kids, I think UW is a better value,” Rosengarten said.
WR Roman Odunze
Class: 2020
Rating: 4 stars, No. 225
Background: Odunze’s recruitment improved after a big junior season at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, where he was ultimately named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. Given Odunze’s size, athleticism and prowess as a state champion sprinter, some at UW are surprised Odunze isn’t receiving more recruiting attention, even though he’s already a four-star prospect with reports of 30-plus a quote. In August 2019, he defeated the University of Miami and Duke University and transferred to the University of Wisconsin. Paired with McMillan, Odunze’s commitment secures an elite pairing for former receivers coach Junior Adams.
OL Troy Fortanu
Class: 2019
Rating: 4 stars, No. 367
Background: Perhaps Fortanu’s volleyball background explains his seemingly effortless footwork, which was demonstrated during the combine’s wave drills. A capable tackle at Henderson (Nev.) Liberty, Fortanu selected a top-eight selection out of Washington State, Oregon State, Utah State, USC, UCLA, Notre Dame, Cal and Duke. , and conducted informal visits to each university. His final trip was to the University of Wisconsin, where he joined the Huskies in September of his senior year. Fortanu, a former defensive lineman who was reluctant to play the O-line, quickly fell in love with the position after transferring from high school. He once said: “All I want to do is give people peace of mind.”
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RB Dillon Johnson
Class: 2020 (Mississippi State)
Rating: 3 stars, No. 430
Background: Johnson teamed up with Florida State’s Trey Benson in the backfield to help Greenville (Miss.) St. Joseph win three state titles, playing both quarterback and running back in college. Rushed for over 3,300 yards between his junior and senior seasons. He committed to play for Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead, but ended up playing in Mike Leach’s pass-heavy Air Raid system after Moorhead was fired. Johnson transferred to Washington after three college seasons and became the first Huskies player to rush for 1,000 yards since Salvin Ahmed.
EDGE Braylon Trice
Class: 2019
Rating: Three stars, No. 447
Background: Tris may not be a blue-chip newcomer, but he’s shown a keen interest in major projects. Prior to his commitment date, it was uncertain whether Trice would choose the Huskies over finalists Notre Dame and Oregon. He also reported offers from the likes of Alabama and USC as star Sandra Day O’Connor in Phoenix.
WR Jalin Polk
Class: 2020 (Texas Tech University)
Rating: Three stars, No. 461
Background: Polk, a productive receiver (131 catches, 2,412 yards, 24 touchdowns) at Lufkin (Texas) High School, chose the Red Raiders over Arkansas, Baylor and Arizona state. He entered the field as a true freshman in 2020, but entered the transfer portal and ultimately chose to play for coach Jimmy Lake at Wisconsin, effectively joining McMillan and Odunze in the 2020 class. It helps that Lufkin has teammate running back Caleb Berry committing to Washington in the 2021 cycle.
you are guilty
Class: 2018
Rating: Three stars, No. 476
Background: Culp was a versatile athlete who played ball carrier and receiver at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane and initially played at Oregon State before retiring in January 2017, just before the Washington College Football Playoff Shortly after debuting, he joined the Huskies as a tight end.
QB Michael Penix Jr.
Class: 2018 (Indiana)
Rating: Three stars, No. 548
Background: The Tampa Bay Tech product signed with Tennessee in April 2017, before completing his junior season. After Butch Jones was fired, though, the new coaching staff told Penix there was no longer a place for him in Knoxville, and he ended up at Indiana, where Nick Sheridan — who had helped recruit Penix as Tennessee’s Analyst – just accepted an internship report there. Job coaching quarterbacks. It was in Bloomington that Penix formed a connection with Kalen DeBoer, who served as the Indians’ offensive coordinator during the 2019 season, and that connection helped DeBoer bring Penix to Washington in 2022.
EDGE Zion grows
Class: 2018
Rating: Three stars, No. 811
Background: A student admissions assistant named Benny Feinsilber was watching film of a high school game in Hawaii and editing clips of different prospects when he couldn’t help but notice Tupao La Fetuy is playing game after game. At the time, the ZTF didn’t even have recruitment materials. Early evaluations at the University of Wisconsin led to acceptance letters from Cal and Vanderbilt.
Dominique Hampton
Class: 2018
Rating: Three stars, No. 855
Background: Although Hampton signed in the same class as four-star DB prospects Julius Erving and Kyler Gordon, Hampton’s arrival sparked similar excitement among those watching his first fall training camp. Hampton was originally a cornerback and was listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds in his recruiting profile. He also excelled as a sprinter at the Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial Meet and, as a senior, finished third in the 200 meters and fourth in the 100 meters at the state championships. Hampton chose Wisconsin over finalists Colorado and Oregon.
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
Class: 2018
Rating: Not applicable
Background: Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Ulofoshio moved to the Las Vegas area with his family before his junior year of high school. He enrolled at national powerhouse Bishop Gorman, where he produced huge numbers (100 tackles, 15.5 TFL, and 5 sacks as a senior), but only received a scholarship offer from an FCS school. Then-UW tight ends coach and Las Vegas-area recruiter Jordan Paopao offered Ulofosio a preferred backup spot. Ulofosio, a top-achieving student who planned to pursue a career in medicine, chose Washington University over a scholarship, although he received one after his first two collegiate seasons.
TE Jack Westover
Class: 2018
Rating: Not applicable
Background: Westover doesn’t really recruit. He played basketball but didn’t return to football until his senior year when he transferred from O’Dea to Sishan High School, where a broken collarbone limited him to two games. Paopao followed Westover closely and invited him to join the show as a walk-on. Like Ulofosio, Westover was offered a scholarship before his third season in college.
This article originally appeared on OnMontlake.com, the home of Christian Caple’s complete UW Huskies football coverage. Subscribe in Montlake Get comprehensive coverage of the University of Washington.
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