Zaydrius Rainey-Sale's do-over football recruiting decision nets same result - Washington Huskies
It was "Take Two" in Bethel High School linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale's football recruiting Monday.
Nearly seven months after initially giving a verbal commitment to the University of Washington before the subsequent coaching change, Rainey-Sale - the top prospect in the Northwest for the 2025 class - was ready again to settle on a decision.
And the result was the same - the hometown Huskies, whom he gave the nod to over Florida State and UCLA.
One of the key reasons? NFL-level success in development.
"Being surrounded by a staff with knowledge ... like coach (Steve) Belichcik, who's won like three Super Bowls," Rainey-Sale said. "People coach for 30 years in the NFL and never win one. It only makes sense to pick a school with that much knowledge."
The four-star recruit is the No. 14 linebacker prospect in the country - and No. 111 overall, according to 247Sports.com.
Rainey-Sale is the only player in the region in 247Sports.com's Top 250 national rankings for the upcoming class.
It became clear early after Jedd Fisch was hired to replace ex-UW coach Kalen DeBoer that the Huskies made the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Rainey-Sale one of their top priorities.
In fact, when the Huskies were allowed an on-campus visit last spring, they sent their entire defensive staff to Parkland to see the teenager.
In recent weeks at the Avery Strong Showcase and PLU 11v11 Football Tournament, multiple UW coaches were in attendance to show Rainey-Sale attention, including new defensive coordinator Steve Belichick.
On June 21, Rainey-Sale made an official visit to Montlake after visiting Florida State earlier in the month, and UCLA back in May.
Besides the football-related stuff, Rainey-Sale said staying close to home and being ablet to play in front of more family was another key behind his decision.
"I'm not going to lie, my nephews played a big role," Rainey-Sale said. "I've got two nephews (less than a year old), and I don't want them growing up seeing pictures of me and not really knowing who I am. I didn't want to go somewhere far and they just forget about me."
Rainey-Sale opted for little fanfare Monday in his announcement, declining to hold a public event or have it livet-streamed. Instead, he opted to share thew news in front of a small group of friends and family at home.
He will finish up high school in December to enroll at UW in time for 2025 spring ball.
(SBLive Sports national recruiting editor Andrew Nemec contributed to this report)
TODD MILES