Brandon McKinney to Washington: Huskies Land 4-Star Safety Prospect

Washington added a potential future star to its defense when safety Brandon McKinney joined its 2017 recruiting class Saturday.

Scott Eklund of Dawgman.com reported McKinney's decision to play football at Washington. 

The 6’2” and 190-pound McKinney is a 4-star prospect, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, and the No. 262 overall player, No. 21 safety and No. 30 prospect from the state of California in the 2017 class.

Being from the West Coast, McKinney naturally generated plenty of interest from Pac-12 schools throughout the recruiting process. The "crystal ball" predictions on 247Sports were split between UCLA and Washington on March 3, and Arizona State also pursued the safety.

What’s more, McKinney visited USC for junior day in February and indicated he would love to play for the Trojans even though they hadn’t offered him a scholarship yet at the time, per Luke Stampini of 247Sports:

"

That would be huge. That’s always been a — I guess — dream school when I was younger. The Reggie Bush years, watching them play at the Coliseum, so that would be a huge one.

One thing that stood out to me is they always had good safeties coming out back to Troy Polamalu to T.J. McDonald to you know Su’a Cravens before he moved down to linebacker. It’s just a good school, good atmosphere, and the Trojan family seems like a good unit.

"

McKinney may have been impressed with USC, but his talent is the reason he was on the program’s radar in the first place.

Yet for all of his adoration of USC, Eklund noted that McKinney wound up picking the Huskies after visiting the campus this weekend and meeting with head coach Chris Petersen. 

Washington is having a good start to next year's recruiting. The Huskies currently rank 22nd among all football programs with 11 total commits, with McKinney being the program's fourth 4-star commit and second defensive back after cornerback Keith Taylor, per 247Sports. 

He brings solid athleticism to the safety position and can offer support against the run and make receivers pay for crossing the middle. McKinney is also fast enough to keep up with pass-catchers in coverage situations and demonstrated instincts against the aerial attack in high school that could help him see playing time early in his collegiate career.

Scout provided a complete breakdown of McKinney’s game: "McKinney has an athletic frame, is a very solid tackler, runs well and plays with a nice edge to him. For a young player, he plays with surprising confidence and isn't afraid to step up and meet a ball-carrier head-on. He closes very well on the ball and has the range to play sideline to sideline."

The versatility to make an impact against the run or pass is often the difference between solid and elite defensive backs, especially in high-level college football. He is a potential true three-down defender who will rarely have to come off the field if he fulfills expectations.

McKinney may still be raw, as so many incoming freshmen are, but he possesses enough talent to develop into a future starter and featured member of his new school’s 2017 class. Pac-12 quarterbacks have been warned.