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It’s pretty hard to play college football without putting a ton of time and effort into honing your skills, but good genetics certainly don’t hurt. Jett Washington definitely checks that box, as the safety who recently committed to Oregon is the son of an ex-UVA running back, grandson of a former NBA player, and the nephew of Kobe Bryant.
Being related to a professional athlete tends to give you a bit of an edge if you want to follow in their footsteps, and virtually every sports fan will be forced to grapple with the fairly uncomfortable experience that comes with realizing you’re Officially Washed when the children of people you watched growing up being to comprise the next generation of players.
As a 30-something guy who is painfully aware I’m over the hill, I’ve gotten to endure that over the past few years courtesy of the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr., Antonio Gates Jr., and Shilo and Shedeur Sanders. Now, I’ve been treated to my latest reminder of the inevitable passage of time courtesy of one of Oregon football’s newest recruits.
Jett Washington is a five-star prospect who’s spent the past few years making a name for himself at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, and the 6’5″, 200-pound safety is currently listed in the Top 25 on the rankings both 247Sports and ESPN have compiled when it comes to evaluating the playeres who will graduate in 2026.
He also comes from a lineage of athletes who’ve held their own in a couple of different sports. His dad, Jerrod Washington, was an RB and DB who played at the University of Virginia at the start of the 1990s, and his mom Sharia is the daughter of former NBA forward Joe Bryant and the sister of the legendary Kobe Bryant.
Jett is the second-ranked safety in the Class of 2026 and received offers from dozens of schools, but on Thursday, he committed to play at Oregon after narrowing down his choice to the Ducks, USC, and Alabama.
If you’re curious, Washington was also a member of the Bishop Gorman basketball team that won a Nevada state championship for the second season in a row earlier this year, but it appears football is going to be his primary focus once he heads to college.