After adding two defensive prospects in the past week, Washington has now experienced its first defensive loss in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Linebacker Wassie Lugolobi, a Sammamish native who had been committed to UW since November 2024, announced on Wednesday via social media that he is flipping his commitment to Stanford.
Greg Biggins, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports, praised Lugolobi’s skill set in an evaluation on Monday.
“He’s an explosive hitter and shows excellent instinct and timing on run blitzes,” Biggins wrote. “He has very good initial quickness and consistently blows up opposing blockers. Lugolobi shows a consistent motor, makes plays outside his area, and runs down plays from behind.”
Lugolobi, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker from Eastside Catholic High, is rated as a three-star prospect. According to the 247Sports composite rankings, he is the No. 7 player in Washington and the No. 60 linebacker nationally. He first received an offer from Kalen DeBoer’s staff in June 2023 and also had scholarship opportunities from Arizona State, Colorado, Louisville, and Tennessee, among others.
“He uses his hands well to disengage and has knock-back ability at the contact point,” Biggins added. “Lugolobi projects as a high Power 4 prospect and is talented enough to play for any program out West.”
Lugolobi initially committed to Washington on Nov. 10, 2024, under then-linebackers coach Robert Bala. However, Bala departed on Feb. 5 to join Florida’s staff as a co-defensive coordinator under Billy Napier, which may have influenced Lugolobi’s decision to flip to Stanford.
Despite initially sticking with his commitment after Brian Odom replaced Robert Bala as Washington’s linebackers coach on Feb. 15, Lugolobi ultimately decided to flip to Stanford. He was on campus for Washington’s junior day recruiting event this past weekend but soon after announced his decommitment.
Since committing to Washington, Lugolobi received additional offers from USC, Michigan, and Stanford, with the Cardinal ultimately securing his pledge. He becomes the second player to decommit from UW’s 2026 recruiting class, following composite four-star offensive lineman Esun Tafa, who flipped to USC after Washington’s offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll left for the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
Lugolobi is also the first in-state high school recruit in the 2026 cycle to commit to a Division I program outside of Washington. The Huskies had previously secured all announced in-state commitments, including Evergreen High athlete Terrance Saryon, Roosevelt High lineman Ah Deong Yang, and Mount Tahoma cornerback Elijah Durr.
Few position groups at Washington have relied as much on in-state talent as the linebackers. The Huskies’ 2025 recruiting class featured two composite four-star linebackers from Washington: Bethel High’s Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, the state’s top-ranked player, and Auburn Riverside’s Jonathan Epperson Jr., the second-highest-ranked prospect. The team also previously developed local recruits like departing captains Carson Bruener (Redmond High) and Alphonzo Tuputala (Federal Way High), as well as former walk-on Drew Fowler (Bellevue High).
With Bruener, Tuputala, and Fowler departing, Washington’s linebacker corps will look different in 2025. The Huskies bolstered the group through the transfer portal, adding UCF’s Xe’ree Alexander (Kennedy Catholic), Washington State’s Taariq Al-Uqdah, and former Arizona captain Jacob Manu, a first-team All-Pac-12 performer in 2023. Manu, recovering from a knee injury, is not expected back until fall camp.
Washington’s linebacker depth also includes veteran special teams contributor Anthony Ward, who enters his sixth season, as well as third-year sophomores Deven Bryant and Hayden Moore. The Huskies’ incoming freshmen class features Rainey-Sale, Epperson, and versatile composite three-star prospect Donovan Robinson from Loyola Academy in Illinois.
