Washington Huskies land blue-chip safety with dual-sport baseball potential

Back in the early 1990s - when he wasn't terrorizing opposing players as a hard-hitting safety on the gridiron - Lawyer Milloy was often found on the baseball diamond.

Milloy, a multisport Husky Hall of Famer, spent three seasons playing center field for UW. He was part of the 1994 Washington baseball team that reached the NCAA regionals and was even selected in the 19th round of the 1995 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers.

Now, three decades after Milloy's last at-bat with the Huskies, Washington and football coach Jedd Fisch may have another dual-sport safety with football and baseball ambitions on their hands.

Jaden Walk-Green, a 5-foot-11, 188-pound safety from Centennial High in Corona, Calif., announced his commitment to Washington during a CBS Sports YouTube livestream Saturday. Walk-Green is the 19th player to join UW's 2027 recruiting class and the ninth blue-chip prospect.

Walk-Green is a four-star prospect, the No. 30 player in California, the No. 32 safety and the No. 353 player nationally, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He chose Washington out of a final group that also included Arizona State, Vanderbilt and UCLA. Walk-Green took an official visit to UW on June 5, and credited safeties coach Taylor Mays as a major reason he committed to Washington.

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"Owns good mass on a frame that has been verified at just under 5-foot-11," Andrew Ivins, 247Sports director of scouting, wrote in an evaluation on Wednesday. "Gains easy depth with his pedal and is quick to anticipate route concepts."

Walk-Green enjoyed a breakout junior season on the gridiron. He made 125 tackles, deflected one pass and recovered a fumble in 13 games as the Centennial Huskies went 11-2 and enjoyed a perfect conference record, according to MaxPreps. Walk-Green made 47 tackles and grabbed one interception as a sophomore. Walk-Green also kicked extra points and field goals.

"Will sift through track in run support and attack leverage as a tackler in the open field," Ivins wrote about Walk-Green. "Rather loose in the midline, but is much quicker than he is fast at this stage. Should be viewed as a high-IQ defender with Power Four starter upside that can help limit big plays in the secondary."

But Walk-Green's ball skills, in particular, caught attention during his junior season. He hauled in 10 interceptions at Centennial, returning five for touchdowns. The Southern Californian also scored on a 28-yard fumble return and added a punt-return touchdown.

"Split safety that can go get the football with his advanced tracking skills," Ivins wrote. "Put together a remarkable junior campaign in which he totaled 10 interceptions with most of them coming in the deeper third."

Walk-Green, speaking during his commitment livestream, noted he's interested in potentially playing baseball at UW along with football. Across three seasons of varsity baseball at Centennial High, Walk-Green is hitting .243 with 37 hits, 41 runs scored and 20 RBIs while stealing 15 bases and playing outfield.

"I'll be trying to play both," Walk-Green said during the livestream. "If it works out, it works out. But it's for sure something I plan on doing."

Walk-Green's commitment comes at a position of need for UW. After signing five defensive backs during the 2026 recruiting cycle, secondary coach John Richardson and Mays have added only two recruits for the 2027 cycle: local composite three-star cornerback Maurice Williams and composite four-star safety Isala Aisa Wily-Ava from Trinity League program St. John Bosco High.

Wily-Ava, listed 6-2, 195 pounds, has a physical frame similar to current UW safeties Alex McLaughlin, Paul Mencke Jr. and Gavin Day, who all spent spring practices playing box safety in defensive coordinator Ryan Walters' scheme.

But Washington has significantly fewer options to play post safety, where sophomore Rylon Dillard-Allen will likely start in 2026. Veteran CJ Christian suffered an Achilles tendon injury during spring practices, putting his long-term status in question after he missed almost the entire 2025 season with turf toe.

Sophomore Rahim Wright II, a 5-10, 195-pound safety who missed the entire past campaign with an undisclosed upper-body injury, was the only other defensive back to primarily take post-safety snaps along with the 5-11, 187-pound Dillard-Allen during the spring. Walk-Green, with his proven production and similar physical frame, can add some significant depth to UW's roster in 2027.

"They're getting a versatile player who can play multiple positions," Walk-Green said during his commitment livestream. "Going to give it (my) all. Someone who's going to go get the ball and get turnovers."

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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 4:59 PM.