Top Washington commit to miss senior season with shoulder injury

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

The top recruit in Washington will not suit up for a football game again until he is a member of the Huskies.

2027 four-star wide receiver Braylon Pope, the No. 201 player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite, and one of Jedd Fisch and company's prized recruits in the upcoming class, will miss his senior season at in-state Sumner High after undergoing shoulder surgery on Thursday, per a report from Todd Miles of VarsityWA.

Pope, who committed to the Huskies in December over suitors Arizona State, BYU, California, Miami, Oregon, and USC, was the first to join a 2027 class that has swelled to 21 commitments and 9 blue-chip talents in the six months following. At 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Pope visited Washington in early June and told 247Sports that the Huskies are "leaning toward" playing him at X receiver, but feel like he can play either the X or Z spot.

Pope, alongside fellow blue-chip wide receivers Tre Moore and Dontay Tyson, are expected to lead the Huskies offense of the future alongside four-star quarterback Blake Roskopf and four-star running back Jeremy Adeyanju. Defensive tackles Tevita Nonu and Jon Ioane pair with safeties Jaden Walk-Green and Isala Aisa Wily-Ava to comprise the remainder of the blue-chippers committed to the Huskies.

Locking up Pope's recruitment so early on has had positive effects on Washington's recruitment of the Evergeen State in the 2027 class. Pope and Nonu are the top two players in the state, and the Huskies also boast commitments from tight end Zach Albright and cornerback Maurice Williams, the 6th and 7th-highest ranked players in the state. Fourth-ranked offensive lineman Gecova Doyal has long been a priority for the Huskies and could very well join the group when he commits on July 1.

Washington finished second in third-ranked offensive lineman Rashaun Lavata'i's recruitment to rival Washington State, and the Huskies seemingly chose Roskopf over fifth-ranked quarterback Sione Kaho, who committed to Stanford.

Pope had 52 receptions for 869 yards and 12 touchdowns for Sumner as a junior, telling 247Sports earlier this month that he is on track to graduate in December and enroll by January to be on campus for winter workouts and spring practice. Thursday's surgery has likely cemented that timeline, giving Pope an accelerated chance to get back on the field and compete for playing time for a team that has not shied away from playing true freshmen under Fisch.

Rivals' Brandon Huffman compared Pope favorably to recently departed Washington receiver Denzel Boston, another in-state recruiting win who blossomed into a star for the Huskies, saying "With a similar build and game, Pope has a little more top end speed than Boston does at the same stage, but has a game that almost mirrors that of the all-Big Ten receiver."

It will now be a long few months before Huskies fans can see how that sort of talent is developing, however.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Top Washington commit to miss senior season with shoulder injury

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos