Jedd Fisch is taking Washington recruiting to new heights. The new Huskies HC has entered the Top-20 chat in the 2026 class and just scored a major recruiting win a little over two weeks ago. He has a verbal pledge from 4-star WR Mason James, who will be making his way to Seattle all the way from Oklahoma. And because he was an in-state talent, Sooners fans were keen on Brent Venables securing Jason’s commitment. Instead, Fisch amped up his efforts and ultimately won over the talented WR.
James had narrowed down his favorites to the above two programs, Missouri and Kansas State. Per 247Sports, he was the No. 2 WR in Oklahoma, which surely must’ve had Brent Venables rolling out the red carpet for him during recruitment. Despite his best efforts, James picked Washington as his final home. He told Locked on Huskies’ Roman Tomashoff that it was the personal efforts of one important staff member that made the biggest impact and put Washington above Oklahoma.
James revealed in a June 27 episode that he saw himself fitting well into the Huskies’ offense. “I feel like offensively, I’m a really great fit to fit in Jedd Fisch’s offense. Kevin Cummings coaching me at wide receiver is awesome. And also Caleb Wilson [Quality Control coach] is also gonna be a big help with that,” he said. Cummings was the man who made that lasting impression on James, selling Washington ot the WR’s heart. Co-host Lars Hanson then shared that the coach made a number of trips to Oklahoma to get a head start in his recruiting.
So thankful Mason found a home that loves and values him! Couldn’t be more blessed. Let’s go Dawgs!! @MasonJames_1 @UW_Football pic.twitter.com/HlrprKH3xi
— Amanda James (@AmandaJames__1) June 21, 2025
“He’s one of the first coaches to come, sat down with my head coach. And then right after that, came to my house, sat down, talked with me and my family. And just like the talks that we had, and like the demeanor he had behind everything he was saying just felt very special and different to me for sure, than what other coaches were preaching to me. And after that, like he came down two more times, which is the most a coach could come. And that also shows a lot how big of a priority I am for Washington,” James elaborated.
Mason James has bumped up Jedd Fisch’s number of commits to 14, and is the third-ranked player in the class on On3. He comes with 1,233 yards, 56 receptions, and 17 TDs from his last season. He briefly helped Jedd Fisch break the barricades to the Top 15 class, but it was not a title he could hold on to.
Mason James’ win aside, UW still has a worrisome recruiting scenario
Fisch is making an impression on offensive targets like Mason James. On the defensive side, however, the HC is not having a good time. A series of D-linemen committed to the program and then took back their pledges. If those players had remained committed to Montlake, Fisch could have easily been sitting inside the Top 15 section of the class. Khary Wilder, David Schwerzel, Fameitau Siale, and Tristan Givens have all departed for better programs, like Ohio State and Texas A&M. This makes recruiting further talent a little difficult.
Along with this, Tomashoff and Larson discussed another glaring point. Fisch is doing a great job at recruiting; there’s no doubt about that. But somewhere along the line, he’s falling short on getting really great recruits. “We liked what Devin Hyde brings in terms of projectability and things like that, Dominic Macon, all those guys. We liked what they were, but none of them were like the cream of the crop. None of them were the Khary Wilders. None of them were the T.I. Umu-Cais, Derek Colman-Brusa,” Hanson said in a June 23 episode of the show. Bottom line is that Fisch is not getting guys who have exceptional potential.
“At least you’re in the discussion, but you’re not closing… You’re at least getting closer to that point. But it does get kind of concerning when you’re missing on all the guys,” Hanson noted. Umu-Cais, for example, is an extremely in-demand prospect. But the battle for him is a high-stakes one, because even Deion Sanders is part of the fight. Fisch sits outside the Top 15 class for now, at No. 20, per On3. The Huskies’ inability to hold on to so many high-rated prospects is a significant problem that cannot be ignored anymore.
Mason James felt confident in Jedd Fisch and his offense to show Brent Venables, the local school, his back. This was after Emmett Jones and Ben Arbuckle came to do the bidding for the Sooners. However, even though Fisch has won James, he is still suffering setbacks in recruiting.
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