Seattle (Wash.) Garfield athlete Rahshawn Clark is staying home.
Clark announced his decision on 247Sports’ Signing Day Show on Wednesday that he would be staying home and playing for Washington.
The one-time Arizona signee was released from his NLI from the Wildcats, where he signed in December.
Despite being a Cal commit for nearly six months, then Arizona-head coach Jedd Fisch and cornerbacks coach John Richardson flipped him from Cal to Arizona right before the early signing period.
But last month, when Fisch left Tucson to take the head coaching job at Washington, and Richardson joined him as the secondary coach, the possibility of playing for the hometown schools became real.
The Huskies had Clark on campus for an official visit two weekends ago and on Wednesday, Clark announced he would be staying in Seattle to play for the Huskies.
“I chose Washington because ultimately, I felt the most comfortable with that staff when it really came down to it,” said Clark.
While all signs pointed to the Huskies once he got out of his NLI with Arizona, it wasn’t until shortly after his official visit that he knew he wanted to stay home.
“I would say 3-4 days after my official visit, I knew,” said Clark.
So Clark hit up Richardson to let him know that he would still be in fact playing for him.
“I told coach J rich first and he was lit,” said Clark. “Our relationship is bigger than ball.”
And he said that relationship with the coaches was crucial in his decision.
“The coaches played a huge role because of the relationship coach Fisch and coach J-Rich has built with my family,” said Clark.
Clark said his family was thrilled with his decision to stay home.
“They all loved it because they still get to watch me grow and chase my dreams,” said Clark.
He acknowledged that playing in Seattle wasn’t that big of a factor in the decision.
“It really wasn’t that much of a factor,” said Clark.
But he’s happy he has his future school locked in, once and for all.
“It’s a huge relief knowing this is a place I’m truly loved, for me, on and off the field,” said Clark.
Clark was at the Polynesian Bowl last month and had a good week in Honolulu, earning top performers honors during the early week of practice.
A four-star by 247Sports, Clark ranks as the No. 21 athlete nationally and the No. 6 recruit in Washington in the class of 2024.
