Some questioned Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies going into the Oklahoma Sooners’ backyard for any prospect, much less a 4-star receiver.  But the he and Huskies did just that picking up the commitment of Mason James from Norman, Oklahoma–just 3 miles from where the Oklahoma play football.

He didn’t just choose Washington over the Sooners but over Missouri, Kansas State, and Arizona State.  He also had offers from virtually every

“Washington didn’t just steal James from the Sooners yard, but they stole James from the Sooners’ front porch,” said RealDawg’s lead scout Trevor Mueller.  “He’s a top 25 receiver in the nation with an offer from Oklahoma.”

Per his Social Media, in 12 games his junior season he had 56 receptions for 1,233 yards and 17 scores.

“Cummings doesn’t just have an eye for talent but he has a special quality where he builds unbreakable bonds with players,” Mueller continued.  “Those connections span regions and time zones.”

And natural ties.

“It’s a very short car ride from his house,” Mueller said.  “But also Mizzou is 6 hours away, K-State is under 5 hours away, and Texas is just 7 hours away.”

With FaceTime, family can seem much closer so the day musings of college life can easily be shared with a decent internet connection, making the world much smaller.

Chris Petersen expanded Washington’s recruiting footprint to many other states including Texas where they began to have more and more success.  But Jedd Fisch recognized that Washington was a national brand and he appointed his assistant coaches ad brand ambassadors.

Also for the 2026 class he pulled 4-star QB Derek Zammit from New Jersey, who had multiple visits to Rutgers and Syracuse.  Ksani Jiles is listed as a recruit from Florida, however, he’s originally from Southern California.

Even with the expanding footprint, it’s still unprecedented for the Huskies to “Porch Pirate” a player from the University of Oklahoma Sooners.