UW closes banner weekend with verbal commitments from 2024 standouts Landon Bell and Jaxson Jones

Huskies, Husky Football, Sports Seattle

Washington won this weekend in multiple ways.

Landon Bell and Jaxson Jones — a pair of three-star 2024 prospects who visited campus for Saturday’s 39-28 victory over No. 11 Michigan State — announced verbal commitments to UW on Sunday.

Bell — a 6-foot-3, 190-pound athlete from Henderson, Nevada — chose the Huskies over those same Michigan State Spartans, as well as Colorado, Colorado State, Hawaii, UNLV and Portland State. He’s ranked as a three-star recruit, the No. 5 player in the state of Nevada and the No. 94 athlete in the 2024 class by 247Sports.

Bell stars at safety and wide receiver at Liberty High School, those he’s expected to settle as a wideout at Washington. He was credited with 24 receptions for 302 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore, playing alongside four-star 2022 receiver (and former UW signee/current Michigan State freshman) Germie Bernard.

UW has plenty of history with Liberty High, with sophomore left tackle Troy Fautanu another alum. Besides Bernard, two other Liberty prospects in the 2022 class — defensive tackle Sir Mells and tight end/defensive end Anthony Jones — verbally committed to the Huskies before ultimately signing with Oregon.

“Bell, a long, projectable athlete with very good instincts and a large catch radius, has the potential to play either wideout or safety at the college level,” 247Sports recruiting analyst Blair Angulo wrote of Bell. “Coaches at Liberty have raved about his work rate, concentration level and attention to detail. Some have said they view him more as a center field-type defender in the back half of the secondary, but his ability to high-point the football and create issues down field also make him a more-than-capable option on the offensive side of the ball.”

Jones is ranked as a three-star prospect, the No. 16 player in the state of Arizona and the No. 46 edge player in the 2024 class by 247Sports. The Yuma Catholic (Ariz.) High School standout chose the Huskies over Colorado State, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV.

“Jones was among the standouts at the Redlands Camp this past summer and it’s where he caught the eye of Power Five coaches,” Angulo wrote. “He’s a long, athletic outside linebacker type with a great get-off, bend and aggressiveness to make things happen off the edge. Jones has speed rusher written all over him as he continues to add muscle mass and strength.”

UW’s 2023 class comprises 19 verbal commits and is ranked No. 25 nationally by the 247Sports Composite. No. 18 Washington (3-0) opens Pac-12 play by hosting Stanford (1-1) on Saturday.