6-foot-8, 400 pound IOL Byron Washington talks early interest in Miami and more
Standing at 6-foot-8, 400 pounds, it may be hard to find a high school recruit as large as DeSoto (Texas) High School interior offensive lineman Byron Washington. Due to his massive size and his play on the field, the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 65-rated interior OL in the 2025 class has had a flurry of programs show interest since the start of his junior season, which includes the Miami Hurricanes.
“Miami has come down a couple of times and I’ve talked to them,” Washington told CaneSport. “I definitely know that I’m on their board, and I would just say that I want to see how the City of Miami is, the coaching staff, and how the facilities are.”
During the final month of 2023, Miami defensive line coach Joe Salave’a made his way to the Lone Star State to watch Washington at Desoto High School as the two sides began to build their relationship.
“I could tell they were interested, but they just really want to get me down for sure,” Washington said.
Although the Hurricanes have not offered Washington just yet, getting down to Coral Gables and becoming more familiar with the Miami staff is on his mind and something that the Louisiana native is hoping to do in the near future when the January dead period ends.
“I haven’t gotten the offer from Miami just yet, but they want me to come down and visit,” Washington said. “They really want me to come down, see the facilities, and see how I like it down there.”
Thus far, Washington has received offers and interest from programs such as Miami, Texas, Oregon, Syracuse, TCU, Arizona State, and others.
“My recruiting process really started to pick up the summer going into my junior year,” Washington said. “I had a couple of big offers before I solidified myself as a varsity.”
Coming off a state championship junior season, Washington expects more schools to start coming in and getting involved in his recruitment.
“This year was big for me because everyone was wondering how I could play, move, and bend,” Washington said. “This was a year for me to show everyone and dominate. Everyone knows that to be an o-lineman, you’ve got to be dominant, gritty, and also be able to move. A lot of people wanted to see how I move because not many big fellas can move.”
When looking into a program, Washington says a close bond with the staff and players at the school is very high on his list, among other aspects.
“I’m just looking for brotherhood and building relationships throughout my recruiting process,” Washington said. “I also want to feel at home. I don’t want to feel like just another player. I want a big family.”
Heading into his senior year, Washington hopes to continue to develop his game and prove his doubters wrong.
“I would say my game IQ has improved the most,” Washington said. “Where I need to improve is getting more flexible and slimming down a little.”
CaneSport’s take
If there’s one thing you cannot teach at any level of football, that is size, and Washington is not lacking in that category whatsoever. Although he has yet to earn an offer from Miami, the interest is there, and getting him on campus sometime this year could lead to just that.
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