Washington currently holds a commitment from Zerek Sidney, a four-star receiver in the class of 2027. Sidney will be a senior at Desert Edge High School next fall, and announced his commitment to play for the Huskies at the end of January earlier this year. He’ll be on campus for Washington’s Junior Day recruiting event on the weekend of March 6th. With him, Sidney is bringing along some other high-profile, uncommitted teammates out of Desert Edge.
Washington’s Junior Day Visits
Receiver Zerek Sidney
Washington’s 2027 recruiting class currently ranks ninth nationally (third in the Big Ten) with seven commitments. Sidney is the top-rated player in the group thus far, as a four-star according to 247Sports. The site ranks him sixth overall in the state of Arizona, and inside the top 40 at his position nationally. Jedd Fisch’s staff was the first Division I program to offer Sidney as a high school recruit. It was in the summer of 2023, while Fisch was the head coach at Arizona, with Kevin Cummings on staff as the receivers coach. Sidney, at the time, was an incoming high school freshman when he received the offer from the Wildcats. He’ll now play for that same staff, but in Seattle.
Sidney’s junior season of high school was shortened, as he missed time due to an injury. But the year prior, he helped lead Desert Edge to an Arizona 5A state championship in 2024. That season, Sidney caught 45 passes for 591 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore. The quarterback on the other end of that receiving production is also headed up to the Pacific Northwest this weekend.
Four-Star Quarterback
Desert Edge quarterback Blake Roskopf stands at 6’-5” and 235 pounds. He holds a four-star rating according to 247Sports. He’s the second-rated player out of Arizona and the number 11 quarterback nationally. With his build, Roskopf presents as a prototypical pocket-passer with quality height. It’s different from the previous quarterbacks who have played for Fisch – Demond Williams (5’-11”), Will Rogers (6’-2”), Noah Fifita (5’-10”), and Jayden De Laura (6’-0”).
As a junior in 2025, Roskopf had 2,815 yards, 37 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. The year prior, he had over 2,200 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions en route to the team’s state title. He showed significant improvement in taking care of the football, while nearly doubling his touchdown numbers from the year prior. Over the course of those two seasons, he only totaled 182 rushing yards on 65 attempts, per MaxPreps. He’s a pocket-passer, but has the escapability to extend plays to make throws outside of the pocket.
Five-Star Edge
The number one EDGE rusher in the class of 2028, and the nation’s second-ranked player in that class, will also be on campus at Washington for Junior Day. Desert Edge High School’s Jalanie George stands at 6’-5” and 240 pounds and has just completed his sophomore year of high school. Back in 2024, George was a MaxPreps All-American during Desert Edge’s state championship run. He totaled 63 tackles with 11 for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception as a freshman. George followed that up with a 16-tackle-for-loss performance as a sophomore last fall, and added 6.5 sacks to his resume that year.
Washington extended an offer to George in late January of this year. He’s receiving national attention for his game-wrecking abilities and is also set to visit five SEC schools during the month of March. The good news for Husky fans is that Washington is one of his first trips. Junior Day, on the weekend of March 6th, the Washington football staff will welcome dozens of high school athletes to campus. There will be a strong presence of high schoolers from out of the state of Arizona, an area Fisch and staff are very familiar with. And George, the top player from the Grand Canyon State, will be in attendance.
Main Image: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
