Another pair of commitments were announced in the days following Washington’s second recruiting weekend of the summer. Dre Pollard and Sam Vyhlidal add their names to the class of 2026. Both players rank inside the top five from their respective states.
Washington’s 2026 Recruiting Class Adds Two
Dre Pollard
Speed continues to be a priority for the Washington football staff. It’s something offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty referenced during the Spring, and it’s something the 2025 roster will have a lot of. With the addition of three-star athlete Dre Pollard in its class of 2026, Washington’s emphasis on speed continues. Pollard has notched a personal best 10.61-second 100-meter dash as a track athlete. He also posted a 4.37 40-yard dash at the Polynesian Bowl Combine this past Spring. On the football field, Pollard is a two-way player. He lines up at both running back and wide receiver on offense, and at cornerback for the defense.
Pollard’s junior season featured 1,847 all-purpose yards and 15 total touchdowns. In 11 games during the 2024 season, he averaged 167 all-purpose yards per contest. On the ground, Pollard rushed for eight touchdowns and over 700 yards on 54 carries with 13.1 yards per touch. He caught 35 passes for 568 yards at receiver and four touchdowns at receiver. In the return game, you can add a pair of kickoff return touchdowns and a punt return touchdown to his 2024 resume.
Defensively, Pollard notched 32 tackles at cornerback during his junior campaign. He also had an interception, a forced fumble, and a couple of pass breakups according to MaxPreps. The Las Vegas native brings a versatile palette to the football field. But ultimately, his speed is going to be one of his differentiating factors. Dougherty has vocalized his goals of driving the offense down the field in fewer plays and playing with more explosiveness. Adding Pollard to the recruiting class not only secures Nevada’s third-ranked player but further reinforces the goals of this Washington staff.
Sam Vyhlidal
After officially visiting Montlake this past weekend, Oregon native Sam Vyhlidal added his name to Washington’s growing class of 2026. The tight end is the fifth-ranked player from the state of Oregon and the second “Beaver State” commit in Washington’s 2026 class. In fact, he’s the fourth tight end from Oregon to commit to Washington in the last three recruiting cycles. That list includes Austin Simmons and Baron Naone in the 2025 class, and Charlie Crowell in the 2024 class. At 6’-4” and 225 pounds, Vyhlidal has an ideal frame for a tight end and has shown his versatility at the high school level.
At Mountainside High School in Beaverton, Oregon, Vyhlidal lines up at tight end, running back, and linebacker. After his 2024 season, he earned first-team all-state honors as a linebacker and second-team all-state honors as a tight end. Though Vyhlidal is listed as an athlete on the recruiting sites, the Huskies seem to be recruiting him as a tight end with tight ends coach Jordan Paopao as his main recruiter. The staff was quick to schedule an official visit with the Oregon native after offering him in May, just a few weeks prior. Washington’s class of 2026 is ranked 20th in the nation and holds seventh place in the Big Ten recruiting standings.
Main Image: AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson
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