UW football gets commitment from local 3-star tight end Zach Albright
Jordan Paopao has never shied away from pursuing local talent.
During his two stints as UW's tight ends coach, Paopao has signed 14 high school tight ends. All but four hailed from the Pacific Northwest. Five - David Ajamu, Drew Sample, Hunter Bryant, Cade Otton and Devin Culp - were Washingtonians.
And Paopao has a chance to sign his sixth Washington native in 2027.
Zach Albright, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound tight end from Snohomish, announced his commitment to the Huskies on Monday evening in a post on his social media accounts. He's the 12th player to join UW's 2027 recruiting class and the third local recruit.
https://twitter.com/ZachAlbright27/status/2048930376576631130?s=20
Albright is considered a three-star prospect, the No. 6 player in Washington, the No. 30 tight end and the No. 500 player nationally according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Albright held scholarship offers from California, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas A&M, Utah and Wisconsin among others.
A three-sport athlete at Glacier Peak High, Albright also plays basketball and track and field, where he's a standout high jumper and long jumper. As a junior in 2025, he helped No. 13 Glacier Peak upset No. 4 Chiawana 38-18 in the first round of the WIAA Class 4A playoffs before losing to eventual champions Sumner in the state quarterfinals. Albright and the Glacier Peak basketball team finished sixth in the WIAA Class 4A state tournament in March.
Albright visited UW several times during the past season, including a trip during Washington's 42-25 win against Illinois on Oct. 25, its 26-14 loss against Oregon on Nov. 29 and its recent junior weekend on March 7.
With Albright's pledge, UW has commitments from three of the top seven prospects in the state. Sumner wide receiver Braylon Pope, the composite top player in the state during the 2027 recruiting cycle, and Graham-Kapowsin cornerback Maurice Williams already pledged to join the Huskies.
O'Dea defensive lineman Tevita Nonu, the composite No. 2 player in the state, is officially visiting UW on June 5 while Puyallup offensive lineman Gecova Doyal, the composite No. 5 player, will officially visit the Huskies on June 19. Washington was also the second Power Four program to offer Rashaun Lavata'i, the rising offensive lineman from Curtis Senior High.
Assuming Albright signs with Washington, he will be Paopao's first local recruit since returning to the Huskies with coach Jedd Fisch in 2024. UW has leaned heavily on Oregon for its tight end recruiting during Paopao's three most recent recruiting cycles.
The tight ends coach signed Charlie Crowell out of Summit High in Bend, Ore., in 2024, then added West Linn High's Baron Naone and West Albany High's Austin Simmons in 2025. UW landed Sam Vyhlidal out of Lake Oswego High in 2026, then flipped longtime Florida commit Kekua Aumua, who spent his final season of high school football at Kahuku High in Hawai'i.
Albright, however, is not Paopao's most recent signing from the state since Culp joined the Huskies in 2018. The tight ends coach added Kentridge's Dorian Thomas during the 2023 recruiting cycle at Arizona. He also brought in tight end Kade Eldridge, a Lynden native who played at Lynden Christian, from USC through the transfer portal.
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