In Washington's run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game during the 2023 season, the Huskies' two leading tight ends were seniors Jack Westover and Devin Culp. Both were recruited by Jordan Paopao, with Culp signing in 2018 and Westover walking on as a preferred walk-on the same year.
The only thing missing from the sideline last season was Paopao. But guess who is back on Montlake? The best tight end recruiter the Huskies have had in the last decade. New head coach Jedd Fisch brought Paopao to Washington with him from Arizona; Jimmy Lake had let Paopao go when he took the job in 2020, which made little sense back then and makes even less sense now.
Culp was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in April, joining another former Paopao recruit, Cade Otton. We know Paopao's past is good. And for the present? This week, the Huskies landed a pair of four-star tight ends: Vander Ploog from California, ranked No. 13 among tight ends in the 2025 class, and Baron Naone from Oregon, who ranks No. 16.
Naone is the top player in Oregon for 2025, while Ploog is the No. 2 tight end in California. The common thread? Paopao.
Naone was a one-time Oregon State commit. His father played for the Beavers, and he committed to Oregon State in October, only to reopen his recruitment when Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State. Arizona was one of the first schools to offer Naone, with Paopao as their tight ends coach at the time.
Paopao offered Ploog later, but his intense recruitment led Ploog to visit Washington and ultimately choose the Huskies over runner-up Utah, which also has a history of producing NFL tight ends.
At Arizona, Paopao developed NFL tight ends, including Tanner McLachlan, a Canadian who started at Southern Utah and became a Day 3 NFL draft pick under Paopao's guidance.
When Paopao joined Washington's staff in 2011 as a graduate assistant and in 2013 as the tight ends coach, the program ramped up its recruiting, production, and development of tight ends. A decade later, the sequel is going the same way -- which is a pleasant sight for Husky fans who were frustrated with the woeful underuse of tight ends under Lake.
Washington is on a tear in recruiting, with 10 of its 15 Class of 2025 commitments coming in June. What does July have in store? Huskies fans can stay locked into their team's latest news and read all of the expert analysis with a subscription to 247Sports and its featured Washington site, Dawgman!
