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DL Elinneus Davis heading west after committing to Washington

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Washington has had one heck of a summer. Last month, the Huskies went on a big recruiting run landing commitments from many of their top targets on the board. Tuesday, the team received another boost as another one of the priority recruits gave the program his pledge.

High three-star defensive lineman Elinneus Davis will make the move from Minnesota to Seattle next year after announcing his commitment to Kalen DeBoer's program over a final group that included two schools much closer to home — Minnesota and Iowa State.

The 6-foot-3, 296-pound prospect visited each of the schools on an official visit during the month of June, but it was UW that hosted him last on Montlake. That trip certainly set the Huskies apart from the rest of the group. After some more conversations with his family, Davis decided to make things official Tuesday evening.

"For the past few weeks, I have been consulting my relatives and close friends about making a decision that will reshape my life and future," he said in a post made to Twitter announcing his choice. "After carefully talking to relatives, close friends and praying about my decision, I have finally evaluated all options and decided on what will be best for me. ... These past 9 months have been the best experiences in my life, and I am so blessed that I went through it reflecting on my past, and the future ahead of me. I would like to thank all the schools that have recruited me and put their trust in me by giving me a scholarship. I appreciate the opportunity that was afforded to me.

"With that being said, I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON!"

That Davis landed with the Huskies should not come as a big surprise even with Moorhead, Minnesota being so far away from Seattle. UW's coaching staff prioritized the big defensive lineman, and his visit to the school helped solidify the program's standing in his recruitment.

"It's definitely way, way, way different than where I live now," he previously told Dawg Report. "But, a lot of the staff is from the Midwest, so we have that connection. Those ties. It's a lot different, but it feels more relaxing and calm there to be honest."

Davis committed during a monster recruiting weekend for the Huskies. He was able to witness numerous commitments take place, and it certainly made an impact on him. Fellow defensive line commit, Anthony James, created a bond with Davis while on campus, and he was just one of the prospects the new commit hit it off with during his time in Seattle helping him get a feel for the direction of the program.

"I at least had a conversation or more with all the recruits," he said. "To be able to get around them and see how they view things, how they look at everything, is awesome. It helps me, too, because they're seeing the exact same thing that I'm seeing."

Davis says Washington's plan is for him to be a versatile interior lineman for the Huskies in the future giving him a chance to take advantage of his skill set while also playing some similar roles to other players defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield has coached in the past.

"Nokes was showing me of some guys that play the same position or play just like me when he was at Wisconsin," Davis said. "Getting to relate and get that feel for the defense was a big part for me."

His relationship with Breckterfield, who was at Wisconsin for several years in addition to Vanderbilt and Pittsburgh prior to arriving at UW, helped pave the way for this week's commitment as Davis built a strong connection with the Huskies assistant.

"He definitely knows a lot," Davis said of his future coach. "He's been around a lot. When he was at Wisconsin, top defenses all the time he was there. That same defense is translating [to UW] to be honest. Nokes knows a lot. Obviously, he coached Aaron Donald, TJ Watt. All those good players.

"He definitely has that experience. He knows what he's doing, and on top of that he's really the most awesome person ever."

Davis became UW's 17th commitment when he announced his pledge Tuesday, and he is the 13th 2023 recruit to give the program his pledge since June 20. The Huskies now have the 29th-rated class in the Rivals overall team rankings and the third-ranked class in the Pac-12.

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