UW Huskies sign 5 recruits to 2022 class during early period
Five new Washington Huskies are officially headed to Seattle.
The program signed five recruits to the 2022 class during the early period on Wednesday, including four offensive players in wide receivers Germie Bernard and Denzel Boston, tight end Ryan Otton and offensive lineman Parker Brailsford and one defensive player in outside linebacker Lance Holtzclaw.
“Obviously today is an exciting day,” Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer said. “Just announcing a class and so much more that’s continuing to evolve with our program. It’s exciting. It’s growth. That’s what it’s all about — every day getting better, and today we got a lot better. There’s no question.”
Here’s what you need to know about the five recruits that have signed with the Huskies:
Germie Bernard
Liberty (Nev.)
Wide receiver, 6-foot-1, 195 pounds
The Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year this season, the four-star receiver is “a very dynamic player,” DeBoer said. It showed during his career at Liberty. Bernard piled up 1,904 career receiving yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging 17.8 yards per catch in 27 games, per MaxPreps. His senior season, he finished with 54 catches for 948 yards and 14 touchdowns, while adding 37 carries for 452 yards and four more scores, averaging 12.2 yards per attempt. More than that, he added three punt returns for scores, and a kickoff return and interception return for touchdowns. He is considered the No. 5 player in Nevada by 247Sports.com, the No. 37 wide receiver nationally and No. 227 overall recruit. Bernard committed to the Huskies in July 2020, and chose UW over offers from Arizona State, Hawaii, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego State, UNLV and Utah. He is planning to enroll early, DeBoer said.
What DeBoer said: “His talent and his energy that he’s going to bring, just because he’s so comfortable and so familiar with this program already, it’s really exciting. Him seeing what we’re going to do offensively got him even more motivated and excited to be part of it. He’s just such a dynamic guy — wildcat, running back, punt return, kick return, just everything he does, it’s impressive. … He’s a durable player, with the physicality he plays with and the ways they utilized him. Great balance. I think most importantly, he’s got a maturity about him. He’s got a focus about him, where he really understands what he wants to do and his goals ahead — whether it’s at this level or beyond. He understands the work that it takes.”
Ryan Otton
Tumwater
Tight end, 6-foot-6, 225 pounds
Otton was named the 2A Evergreen Conference co-most valuable player this season, and was a standout at tight end and defensive end for a T-Birds team that reached the 2A state title game for the second time in his career. He finished with 10 catches for 236 yards and four touchdowns this fall, and added 45 tackles, including 13 for losses, seven sacks and a fumble recovery. “He’s got that nasty to him … where he’s going to finish and make sure he gets not just his job done, but he gets it done at a high level,” DeBoer said. The four-star tight end is the younger brother of Cade Otton, a tight end for the Huskies the past five seasons, and grandson of the state’s all-time winningest high school coach, Sid Otton. He is considered the No. 3 player in Washington in this class, the No. 9 tight end in the nation and No. 235 overall player, per 247Sports rankings. He committed to the Huskies in July, joining UW over offers from Oregon State, Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Cal, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, UCLA, UNLV, Utah and West Virginia.
What DeBoer said: “Comes from a football family that goes deep. And I think everyone understands that Cade being here, just had an amazing career and amazing football player. I think with Ryan, you’re going to see him make a name for himself. He has never said that. But, I think just in the way he goes about things, I think that’s a big deal. ... Just because of the ability he has and the type of person he is, the character he has, you’re going to see exactly that.”
Parker Brailsford
Saguaro (Ariz.)
Offensive lineman, 6-foot-2, 255 pounds
The three-star offensive lineman “comes from a great, great program – a top-tier program,” DeBoer said, and won a state title with Saguaro this fall, ending Chandler’s streak of five straight championships. He also contributed to an offensive group that piled up nearly 5,000 yards of offense and 64 scores this season, per MaxPreps. Brailsford is considered the No. 6 player in Arizona by 247Sports and the No. 29 interior offensive lineman nationally in the class. He committed to the Huskies in May, and chose UW over offers from Arizona, Boise State, BYU, Colorado, Colorado State, Kansas State, Michigan State; New Mexico, Northern Arizona, Oregon State, San Diego State and USC. He is planning to enroll early, DeBoer said.
What DeBoer said: “He’s really smart. You can see it in the way he plays. You can hear it in the way he talks. He’s athletic. When you watch his film, you’re going to see him finishing — going to the whistle. … He’s got that nastiness in him that you really want in an offensive lineman. Twitchy, explosive, runs well, athletic, just really good body control.”
Lance Holtzclaw
Desert Ridge (Ariz.)
Outside linebacker, 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
The Huskies see Holtzclaw as “an edge guy, weakside defensive end, outside linebacker type player,” DeBoer said, and the three-star recruit from Arizona has “that burst that you really like to see.” His senior season at Desert Ridge, Holtzclaw racked up 48 total tackles, including 10 sacks in 11 games, per MaxPreps, while also adding 14 catches for 266 yards and a pair of touchdowns on offense. He is considered the No. 9 player in Arizona in this class by 247Sports and the No. 52 edge rusher nationally. Holtzclaw committed to UW in July, and also had offers from Boise State, Boston College, Oregon State, Vanderbilt, Air Force, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa State, Kansas State, Michigan and San Diego State.
What DeBoer said: “Lance is one of those guys first of all just personality-wise I can’t wait to get him in the locker room because he’s an all-in guy. I think wherever he’s at, it’s about the friendships and the relationships that he has. And he’s one of those guys that’s just going to infect your locker room in a positive way because he’s a team player through and through.”
Denzel Boston
Emerald Ridge (Wash.)
Wide receiver, 6-foot-3, 190 pounds
The three-star wide receiver has been one of the top pass catchers in the South Sound during his high school career, and was a 4A South Puget Sound first-team pick again this fall after hauling in 36 catches for 548 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games. During his career with the Jaguars, Boston caught 105 passes for 1,572 yards and 23 scores across 30 games, per MaxPreps, averaging 15 yards per catch. He is the younger brother of another Emerald Ridge product in Andrew Boston, who has been a standout receiver at Eastern Washington in five seasons with the program. He is considered the No. 17 recruit in the state in this class, and No. 135 wide receiver nationally, per 247Sports rankings. Boston committed to UW in August, and chose the Huskies over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, EWU, Nevada and Washington State.
What DeBoer said: “I think really, just getting to know him, he just really wanted to stay local. And when I saw the film I wanted him to stay local, too. There was no question. He just has a long frame. The catch radius is enormous. He’s been so consistent from year to year, and I’m fired up about him. I think he’s going to put on some good, solid weight and it’s only going to make him quicker, twitchier, which he already has. He’s just naturally skilled, great body control. He loves football. There’s no question in my mind, he loves football. He’s got a smile on his face, and I think it’s something that’s going to be contagious as we build our culture and our team.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 11:12 PM.
