Four-Year Pursuit of 4-Star DL Jon Ioane Must Pay Off for Washington

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When it comes to can't-miss prospects, Tustin High School star Jon Ioane is as close as it gets, especially for Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies.

Ioane, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive lineman from Southern California, technically received his first two scholarship offers from Fisch's staff, first when he was at Arizona in April 2022 and then again at UW in May 2024.

As the consensus four-star athlete, who also plays offensive line and occasionally quarterback for Tustin, has grown on the field over the years, so too has his relationship with the Huskies staff, including multiple visits to UW this year alone.

He came up for the massive DawgHouse Weekend in early March and, before that, came up for a campus visit and a quick tour around the facilities, having already come up last fall for the late September Big Ten Conference opener against Ohio State.

Ioane is set to make his college decision on Thursday between five schools: California, Penn State, Stanford, UCLA, and UW. The sheer amount of time and resources poured into securing his signature to play for the school makes it all the more imperative that the No. 183 overall prospect in the 2027 class, per 247Sports' rankings, puts on purple and gold later this week.

Of the five schools, only UW has the same coach from last season, a unique fact in and of itself, but it also means that Ioane hasn't had as long a relationship with the other four schools, which could be a significant factor. Why the three Big Ten and two Atlantic Coast Conference programs seek the talented defensive lineman is rather obvious when you turn on the tape.

In UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters’ scheme, Ioane could play either inside as a 3-technique defensive tackle or outside as a defensive end, a trait that has the Huskies' staff keen to land his commitment on Thursday.

As a sophomore in 2024, the four-star defensive lineman recorded 52 tackles, 24 hurries, 9 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks over 11 games.

His tackle for loss total nearly doubled as a junior, finishing second on the team with 14, while coming in tied for second with 4 sacks over 10 games last season, and there’s no reason to believe his numbers aren’t even close to peaking as he heads into his senior year.

If UW can add Ioane to a young defensive line that will also feature T.I. Umu-Cais and Derek Colman-Brusa, the Huskies will be significantly better positioned to hold up and contend annually in the Big Ten.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Why 4-Star Tustin DL Jon Ioane is a Must-Get Target for Washington

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