Ralen Goforth is looking to make an instant impact.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker did just that in the Pac-12 Championship Game, producing a helmet-ejecting (and perfectly legal) hit on Utah quarterback Cameron Rising.
The Huskies are hoping for more of the same.
Goforth — a senior and former St. John Bosco High School standout — announced a transfer to Washington from USC on Monday, immediately following an official visit. The Long Beach, California, product has one season of remaining eligibility.
“Let’s get to work,” Goforth tweeted, alongside a commitment graphic.
In four seasons, 40 career games and 15 starts at USC, Goforth compiled 149 tackles with four tackles for loss, three passes defended, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and a pick-six. That included 43 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery this fall, though he started just two games while being usurped by Alabama transfer Shane Lee.
Washington, meanwhile, has an obvious need at linebacker — with sixth-year senior transfers Cam Bright and Kristopher Moll out of eligibility and suspended sophomore Daniel Heimuli’s status uncertain.
Four other scholarship linebackers — juniors Edefuan Ulofoshio and Demario King, and sophomores Alphonzo Tuputala and Carson Bruener — are slated to return, and three-star freshmen Deven Bryant and Jordan Whitney are expected to sign with Washington on Wednesday.
Goforth — initially considered a three-star recruit and the No. 29 outside linebacker in the 2019 class by 247Sports — signed with USC over Oregon, UCLA, Auburn and Arizona State.
He’ll spend the entirety of his college career in the Pac-12 — and he may finish it with a flourish.