A.J. Pugliano, nation's No. 4 tight end, visiting Washington Huskies this weekend; Ohio State, Clemson up next

The class of 2024 in the state of Oregon shows a lot of promise, but three big-time players have emerged early - North Medford tight end A.J. Pugliano, Lakeridge tight end Joey Olsen and Clackamas offensive lineman Devin Brooks. 

So far, the highest-rated of those three is Pugliano, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound pass-catcher who is rated the nation's No. 4 tight end in the composite rankings. 

He holds offers from Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State and and Washington State, but is hoping to add to that haul this weekend with an unofficial visit to Washington.

The new staff has been in close contact with Pugliano, but he has yet to meet the group in person.

"I haven’t been to Washington since the staff change," he said. "I’ve been in contact with [tight end] coach (Nick) Sheridan weekly for a month or two now and the hospitality he’s shown me over the phone has me really excited to get up to Seattle to see what they got going up there." 

While the Huskies may be the most aggressive recruiters for Pugliano so far, he's beginning to hear from more and more schools each week.

"It's starting to heat up a little bit with camps coming up," he said. "I talk most frequently with Washington and Ohio State, but Oregon State has done a good job seeing me a few times recently. I’m just trying to take it all one step at a time and feel what out what fit is best for me." 

Having seen seven of the Pac-12 Conference programs already, Pugliano is planning a college football road trip of sorts. 

Next up is a camp swing that will include Clemson (June 2), Penn State (June 5), Ohio State (June 7), Stanford (June 9) and the Sacramento State showcase (June 15-16).

Sophomore season highlights