San Diego Section football recruiting notebook: Washington, Cal extend offers across county
Washington makes San Diego a priority
In the seemingly never-ending college football coaching carousel, Jedd Fisch has landed at the University of Washington after three seasons at Arizona. Joining Fisch at Washington for his second stint as a Huskies assistant coach is Jordan Paopao.
The El Camino High graduate and San Diego native wasted no time heading south to extend offers to several of the underclassmen recruits in America's Finest City.
Oceanside, Cathedral Catholic, Lincoln and Mount Miguel are among the schools that Paopao stopped at.
Cathedral Catholic reloading with talent
Among the more than a dozen football players that checked out of St. Augustine following the dismissal of head coach Ron Gladnick, several have emerged at Cathedral Catholic.
That group includes quarterback Brady Palmer, defensive lineman Bronx Letuligasenoa and two-way standouts Parker Johnson and Honor Fa'alave Johnson.
Fa'alave Johnson has added offers from Cal, Washington, Hawaii, UNLV and Sacramento State over the past week while Letuligasenoa and Palmer also received offers from the Huskies.
“I had doubts about freshman season and wondering if I was too small, Fa'alave Johnson said. "There were a lot of times when I was tired but I pushed through it.”
Playing on both sides of the ball, Fa'alave Johnson had 825 total yards, 11 rushing touchdowns and 62 tackles for a Saints team that fell just short of a CIF State Championship appearance.
Letuligasenoa, who picked up All-CIF honors this past season after collecting 91 tackles and 9.5 sacks, said the transition to a rival high school has been smooth.
“My early impression is that we all want to be great and we all have the same mindset to go win state and that we all make each other better.”
Next group ready at Lincoln
Lincoln quarterback Akili Smith Jr. has been committed to Oregon for nearly six months. That commitment appears to be very solid as Oregon's offensive coordinator Will Stein stopped by the school last week to check in on Smith Jr. This week, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning made his way to Lincoln to see Smith Jr. ahead of the NCAA contact period wrapping up next weekend.
Two of Lincoln's playmakers added their first offers this week. First it was 2026 defensive back Cammeron Purnell, who picked up an offer from Washington.
2025 wide receiver Isaiah Grant was next, getting an offer from Cal.
Offers flowing in for Brandon Arrington, Mount Miguel
Brandon Arrington, a class of 2026 wide receiver has transferred into Mount Miguel High School, after spending his first two seasons at Helix.
A standout on the track as well, Arrington has added offers from Utah, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Washington and several others this month.
“There’s always more work to do," Arrington said earlier this week. "My biggest thing is development.”
Arrington isn't the only Matador who has seen offers arrive during January. The list below shows the Mount Miguel offers during the past two weeks.
Matthew Barton, 2024 QB: Bethel College, Bluffton University
Jeremiah Castillo, 2024 WR: Black Hills State
Braylon Cardwell, 2025 WR: Cal, San Diego State, Central Michigan
Brandon Arrington, 2026 WR: Cal, Oregon State, Sacramento State, BYU, Washington, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Utah, Central Michigan
Parris Vernon, 2026 DB/WR: Cal, Washington, Central Michigan
AJ Logan, 2026 WR: Cal, Washington, Utah, Central Michigan
Josh Faleagafua, 2026 OL/DL: Cal
Frank Fanua Jr., 2026 OL/DL: Central Michigan
Delontay Williams, 2027 WR/DB: Nebraska, Cal, Oregon State, Washington, Utah, Central Michigan, Sacramento State
San Diego State's Sean Lewis making visits
Since being named San Diego State's head coach in November, Sean Lewis and staff have been aggressive in pursuing many recruits across the west coast. With the class of 2024 likely wrapped up, Lewis has switched his attention to underclassmen.
Among his stops this week was La Jolla High School. Lewis and Aztecs offensive line coach Mike Schmidt were there to see 2025 offensive lineman Jett Thomas, the top returning offensive lineman in San Diego. Thomas was a first team All-San Diego Section selection this year after helping the Vikings reach the Division 2 championship game.
Troy Huhn drawing attention
Mission Hills quarterback Troy Huhn drops back to pass in the 2022 San Diego Section Division 1 championship game
Photo by Steven Silva
After splitting quarterback reps as a freshman, Mission Hills quarterback Troy Huhn seized the starting job this past season. His play throughout the season has caught the attention of many of the nation's top colleges as they work through January's contact period.
Mission Hills has hosted coaches from Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas, UCLA, Texas A&M and several others over the past two weeks. Oregon, who visited on Thursday, is the latest to extend an offer to the 2026 quarterback.
Ratumana Bulabalavu opens up recruitment
Ratumana Bulabalavu, a class of 2024 defensive lineman at Army-Navy Academy, has asked for his release from the University of Washington. A four-star recruit by 247Sports, ranked as the 30th best in California's 2024 class, Bulabalavu committed to the Huskies in June over finalists Arizona and Oregon State.
With Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer leaving to take the same position at Alabama, Bulabalavu opted to reopen his recruitment. He finished with 19 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception as a senior. In 33 career games across three seasons, he racked up 60.5 sacks.
Mason Walsh picks up late offer
Carlsbad senior Mason Walsh added an offer from Air Force earlier this week. The first team All-CIF running back and wrestler rushed for just shy of 2,485 yards over his final two seasons, finding the end zone 32 times.
- Bodie De Silva | bodie@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveca
