Kalen DeBoer shares what Oregon win did for Washington recruits

It’s been quite the 72 hours for Kalen DeBoer and Washington. The Huskies, with College GameDay in attendance, took down Oregon in the final minutes for a huge rivalry victory that moved them into the top five of the AP Top 25.

It also made for a big recruiting weekend.

DeBoer said there were plenty of recruits in attendance for the game, which Washington won 36-33 thanks to late heroics by Michael Penix Jr. and Rome Odunze. They got to see not only an exciting game, but what Huskie Stadium can look like at its best. It gave him quite the sales pitch.

“It was an awesome weekend for us,” DeBoer said. “Friday, there was a few guys even in. And Saturday, of course, the game. There were a lot of them coming in Saturday morning late morning. So Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon was a great time for us to really get with them and they got to see our program, they got to see the environment and what this place is all about.

“The pride, the tradition was shining through. The crowd and the alumni that appeared here, and who all showed up. It was huge for the recruiting efforts, that’s for sure.”

Washington currently holds the nation’s No. 38-ranked recruiting class from the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. The headliner of the group is four-star wide receiver Peyton Waters — the No. 277-ranked player in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

It wasn’t easy for Washington to get the victory. Oregon held a 33-29 lead early in the fourth quarter, and the Huskies turned it over on downs on their ensuing drive. However, they got the ball back with 2:11 to play and didn’t waste much time — 33 seconds, to be exact — to find the end zone when Penix connected with Odunze.

Washington showed fight in the game, which is what stood out most to DeBoer. After the game, that’s what he said made him so proud of his team, especially since he knew the Huskies would be able to win a close game if that situation came up.

“We just know we’ve got to keep fighting and keep playing and just keep believing,” DeBoer told ABC’s Holly Rowe after the victory. “We’re built for this. We said it before the game, if it becomes close, we’ll find a way to win.”