Why Washington's recruitment of 4-star DL Jericho Johnson looms large
Blue-chip defensive linemen are in short supply out west. The Huskies have a shot with one of the precious few.
As they did a year ago, the Washington Huskies will bring several of their key recruiting targets to campus for official visits in June.
There are 18 prospects due in Seattle before the end of next month, per 247Sports, with 13 of those scheduled for the weekend of June 23. There’s Paki Finau, a four-star offensive lineman already committed to the Huskies. There’s Emmett Mosley, a four-star receiver, and Peyton Waters, a four-star athlete who plays both receiver and defensive back. There are other DBs, other offensive linemen, a couple linebackers, a tight end. With three players committed so far, the Huskies could use a big June to start filling out their 2024 class.
If there is a single visiting prospect, though, whose eventual commitment would be most crucial for the Huskies as they shape their roster beyond the 2023 season, it’s probably the highest-rated guy on the list.
But not merely because he is the highest-rated guy on the list.
Jericho Johnson is a four-star defensive lineman from Armijo High in Fairfield, Calif. 247Sports considers him the No. 105 overall prospect in the 2024 class (though he checks in at No. 209 in the composite). He’s listed at 6-4 and 300 pounds, a true interior player, and his junior-year highlights make you wonder how opposing offenses ever move the ball against him. Johnson piles up sacks and TFLs, occasionally on running plays before the quarterback can even hand the ball off.
“You don’t see a lot of guys that size able to move as well as he does,” said Billy Nicoe Hurst, Armijo’s defensive coordinator. “We have guys here the same size as him, even bigger. But they’re just not as twitchy and different as he is. … He’ll go from the goofy, fun-loving kid around campus, always smiling. Then he flips that switch, and he’s the definition of controlled violence within a sport.”