Jordan Slye Jr., a 2028 three-star cornerback from Southern California, has one of the more intriguing stories of recruits the Washington Huskies are pursuing.
Both his parents, Jordan Slye Sr. and Dena Tyson-Slye, starred as collegiate athletes for Washington.
Jordan Slye Sr., a Franklin High School graduate, played wide receiver for the Huskies (2001-2002) before transferring to Hawaii.
Dena Tyson-Slye, a Southern California native, was a first-team All-American softball star for the Huskies. In her senior season, Dena led the Huskies in batting (.399), HR (18), RBI (50), slugging percentage (.791), walks (41) and on-base percentage (.536).
When Jedd Fisch’s staff started making their son a priority recruit, he already held an edge that the other schools recruiting Slye don’t have.
“Washington is definitely special because of my family ties,” Slye said. “Both of my parents went there, my dad played football there, my mom played softball there, and I was born in Washington. Coach Fisch has really made me feel like a priority there, which means a lot to me.”
Though this history matters, Slye is not necessarily playing favorites at this point. He listed nine schools currently standing out: Washington, Washington State, USC, Arizona, UCLA, San Diego State, Arizona State, Cal and Oklahoma.
Along with Fisch, Slye pointed to Coach Richardson and Coach Wadood as two staffers he has already “built good relationships with.” “I’m looking forward to continuing to build with the rest of the staff.”
Washington State is also pushing hard for Slye. “Washington State has been showing me a lot of love too,” Slye said, “and Coach [Kirby] Moore has made it clear they want to continue building a relationship with me and my family.”
That last phrase — me and my family — comes up repeatedly, and it is the clearest signal of how this recruitment will be decided. Slye said relationships are the reason schools like Arizona, UCLA and Cal are amongst the schools standing out to him are because he knows people on those staffs and feels comfortable around them.
For example, USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley extended Slye a scholarship offer personally at camp. “Getting offered by Coach Riley personally at camp meant a lot,” Slye said. “Their staff has also reached out to my parents, which is important to me because my family is a big part of this decision.”
Arizona State has told him he’s a priority, and San Diego State and Oklahoma remain in it.
The gameday schedule he laid out is aggressive — seven weekends, seven campuses, essentially back to back:
Aug. 29 — USC
Sept. 5 — Arizona
Sept. 12 — UCLA
Sept. 19 — San Diego State
Sept. 26 — Washington
Oct. 3 — Arizona State
Oct. 10 or 17 — Cal
Washington gets Slye on campus for the Huskies’ Big Ten opener against Minnesota on Sept. 26.
What Washington cannot count on is a runaway lead. Asked who was recruiting him hardest, Slye declined to name anyone.
“I wouldn’t say I have one school recruiting me the hardest right now,” he said. “A lot of these schools have been consistent and are making me feel like a priority in different ways. I’m keeping everything open, building relationships and looking for the best fit for me and my family.”
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