Washington Huskies get commitment from three-star edge rusher Chaz Gray

Jason Kaufusi has certainly been busy during the 2027 recruiting cycle.

During the 2026 recruiting cycle, Washington's defensive line coach didn't add his first commitment until July 4, when Tacoma native Ta'a Malu announced his pledge to the Huskies.

This year has been different. Kaufusi landed local Seattle standout Tevita Nonu, a 247Sports composite four-star prospect, back in mid-May. The O'Dea High defensive lineman was already Kaufusi's third commit of the cycle, joining fellow composite four-star defensive tackle Jon Ioane and Matamatagi Uiagalelei, the brother of former Husky Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei.

And while Kaufusi had loaded up on defensive tackles, he hadn't added an edge rusher for the 2027 cycle. Until now.

Chaz Gray, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound edge rusher from Montvale, N.J., announced his commitment to UW on his social media accounts Tuesday afternoon. He's the 18th player to announce a pledge to the Huskies during the 2027 cycle. Washington has landed a recruit from New Jersey, coach Jedd Fisch's home state, in consecutive recruiting cycles.

https://twitter.com/Hayesfawcett3/status/2064445112562643187?s=20

Gray is a three-star prospect, the No. 9 player in New Jersey, the No. 37 edge rusher and the No. 438 player nationally according to the composite rankings. He becomes UW's highest-rated three-star recruit, rated slightly better than Desert Edge High wide receiver Zerek Sidney. Both are in prime position to gain another star with strong senior seasons.

While Gray never officially named a group of leading schools, a source with knowledge of his recruitment told The Seattle Times he chose UW over Clemson and Tennessee. Gray held offers from 23 Power Four programs including Georgia, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Penn State and Notre Dame.

At Washington, Gray will add some important depth at edge rusher. Assuming current college players aren't granted extra years, senior Jacob Lane and fifth-year edge rushers Isaiah Ward and Russell Davis II will exhaust their eligibility in 2026. Additionally, UW's only edge rusher from the 2026 cycle, former Kennedy Catholic High standout Derek Colman-Brusa, spent spring practices playing exclusively defensive tackle.

Gray was one of three uncommitted recruits Washington hosted for an official visit on May 29, joining composite four-star prospects Dontay Tyson Jr. and Kamil Loud. Tyson, a wide receiver from Peoria, Ariz., announced his pledge to the Huskies on Friday. Loud, a cornerback from Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High, named UW in his final six along with Auburn, California, Florida State, Miami and Utah on May 26.

During his junior season at St. Joseph Regional High, Gray helped the Green Knights go 10-2. They won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Non-Public Group A state championship, defeating previously perfect Don Bosco Preparatory High 24-21 on Nov. 28.

And Washington is starting to build recruiting inroads into New Jersey. During the 2026 cycle, UW signed quarterback Derek Zammit, a three-time NJSIAA Non-Public Group B champion during his time at DePaul Catholic High.

It's a notable trend for Washington, which had just two letter winners from the Garden State in its history: quarterback Sam Mitchell (1950-52) and safety Eric Briscoe (1987-90).

New Jersey has been one of the most productive high school football talent hotbeds on the East Coast for the past quarter century. Already, 27 players from the state's 2027 recruiting class have committed to Power Four programs or Notre Dame despite three of New Jersey's top prospects remaining uncommitted as of Tuesday.

And the Huskies will have another shot at a top New Jersey recruit during the 2028 cycle. Chaz Gray's younger brother, Tahj Gray, is a composite five-star prospect at St. Joseph Regional and the top linebacker in the country.

Tahj Gray accompanied Chaz Gray to Seattle for his official visit in late May, and UW linebackers coach Brian Odom visited the family in New Jersey in early May according to a post on Chaz Gray's social media accounts.

UW has done well recruiting brothers under Fisch and senior director of player personnel Matt Doherty. The Huskies landed Derek Colman-Brusa, the top player in Washington in 2026, one cycle after signing his brother, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Lowen Colman-Brusa, in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Composite five-star offensive lineman Kodi Greene also signed with Washington in 2026, a move that reunited him with his older brother, walk-on defensive back Kayden Greene. Both Derek Colman-Brusa and Kodi Greene cited a desire to play with family as part of the reason behind their commitments to Washington when speaking with The Times.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 4:53 PM.