What TE Zach Albright Brings to Washington Football's '27 Class

One of the more tried and true traditions on Montlake over the past decade has been Washington Huskies tight end coach Jordan Paopao's ability to turn in-state high school tight ends into NFL-caliber players.

In time, that could very well apply to newly minted Huskies' 2027 verbal commitment, three-star Glacier Peak High School standout Zach Albright.

At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, the Snohomish, Washington, native already follows in the mold of similar Evergreen State players from the past at his position, namely former Newport product Drew Sample and Tumwater star Cade Otton, both of whom went on to be drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively.

Albright is accustomed to lining up with his hand in the dirt as an in-line tight end and playing both a run blocking and pass catching role for Glacier Peak, which makes him a perfect fit for what he’ll be asked to do in Jedd Fisch’s offense at UW.

Although his route running can certainly be polished, Albright hauled down a handful of touchdowns as a junior—three of which allowed the Glacier Peak weapon to display his natural athleticism and prove he's more than just a big-bodied tight end who can overpower smaller high school defenders, which won't be the case in the Big Ten.

With a pair of juniors—Decker DeGraaf and former USC transfer Kade Eldridge—set to have one year of eligibility remaining when Albright joins the Huskies' roster in 2027, adding the Evergreen State product with sophomore Baron Naone and two true freshmen, Sam Vyhlidal and Kekua Aumua, gives Paopao and Fisch strong depth and versatility at the position for the next few years.

From an optics perspective, Albright (No. 5) is the third in-state pledge for the Huskies following three-star Sumner wide receiver Braylon Pope (No. 3) and three-star Graham-Kapowsin cornerback Maurice Williams (No. 7), all three of which rank in the top 10 from the state of Washington based on 247Sports' rankings.