4-star IOL Paki Finau commits to Washington Huskies

Hesperia (Calif.) Oak Hills four-star interior offensive lineman Paki Finau announced that he has committed to the Washington Huskies.

The 6-foot-4.5, 265-pounder is the No. 247 overall prospect and No. 18 interior offensive lineman in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 23 player in California.

Washington extended an offer to Finau last June and he’s visited the school twice. He took his first trip in January and returned at the end of April over his birthday weekend.

Finau has locked in four official visits already including Washington on June 24. He’ll also take officials to Arizona (June 3), Utah (June 10) and Penn State (June 16).

“When I went out there, it was great,” Finau told One regarding Washington in early April. “Right when we walked into the building, everybody was welcoming. Their o-line coach, coach (Scott) Huff, it just felt like he was on my hip the whole visit. We were talking back-and-forth, not just about football, and they have a great culture.

“I met their left tackle, Troy Fautanu. Me and him were talking about more than just football. We were talking about video games and how we lived in Vegas. I feel like coach Huff can develop o-linemen the right way.”

Finau currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $53K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Where Washington’s class stands with Finau

Finau’s commitment makes him the highest-ranked pledge so far in Washington’s 2024 recruiting class.

That class consists of two other commitments so far in Seattle (Wash.) Garfield three-star quarterback EJ Caminong and Henderson (Nevada) Liberty three-star wide receiver Landon Bell.

Currently the Huskies class ranks as the No. 30 class in the country and No. 2 in the Pac-12. They wrapped up the 2023 recruiting cycle signing 21 players with that class finishing No. 26 in the country and No. 4 in the Pac-12.