This time last year, Maurice Heims and his father were in the process of planning a trip to Seattle to check out one of the schools who already offered the junior a scholarship.

Despite not having played one varsity snap, four schools had extended an offer to the 6-foot-6 edge rusher by the end of last January, less than six months after Heims moved from Hamburg, Germany to Southern California to play for Santa Margarita Catholic HS.

Penn State was first to offer in June 2019.

Heims was one of several players who came over from Europe with Brandon Collier, the founder of PPIRecruits, to tour colleges and attend camps to showcase talent from across the pond.

Five months later two more schools extended offers, Arizona State and Washington State. The Huskies joined the mix two months after the Sun Devils and Cougars, and they wouldn’t be the last from the Pac-12 to join his list.

By the end of March 2020, Boston College, Colorado, Oregon, State, Utah State, Boise State and Arizona added their name in to the hat.

It was clear, however, to both Heims and his father that UW was an early favorite.

Pete Kwiatkowski, then defensive coordinator and outside linebackers’ coach for the Huskies, had built a strong relationship with the rush-end. It was just a matter of seeing the campus for himself that would seal the deal.

Unbeknownst to the Heims’ that would not be happening anytime soon.

Fast forward to March 2021; the senior hopes that his parents will be able to make it up to Seattle in June when he moves into the dorms at UW. And he played his first varsity game last Friday.