Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer sent the same tweet twice on Friday. The signal went out that UW had landed a commitment, and then hours later it made rounds again. And they sure look like two potentially difference-making ones.

First, former Sioux Falls edge rusher Zach Durfee announced his intention to transfer to UW. Durfee will have three seasons of eligibility to play in UW after really flourishing in his first year on the defensive side of the ball this fall.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound redshirt freshman played quarterback in high school. He redshirted during the 2021 season, then racked up 13.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks to go with 28 tackles in 11 appearances. Durfee also forced a pair of fumbles, both of which came in his debut game… when he got to the quarterback four times.

With UW losing Jeremiah Martin to graduation and potentially one of its other two standout edge rushers to the NFL, there will be plenty of opportunity for a new player to step in and play a significant role. The potential seems sky-high with Durfee. He earned First Team All-NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) South Division honors this past season.

UW circled back to the high school ranks later and earned a verbal commitment from Hayward (Calif.) Tennyson wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons. The 6-foot-2, 165-pound Lyons announced his decision in front of friends and family at his high school Friday afternoon, picking the Huskies over finalists Oregon, Miami, and Notre Dame.

Lyons is a 4-star in the industry-generated 247 Composite, checking in as the No. 30 receiver nationally and the No. 17 prospect in the state of California for the class of 2023. He ranks as the 224th overall recruit in the class, taking over as UW’s highest-ranked verbal commit.

Though he’ll need to put in some work in the weight room to fill out his frame in Seattle, Lyons has explosive tools that make him an exciting fit in DeBoer’s offense. He was a big-play machine during his final two years of high school ball. As a junior, he recorded 907 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on just 28 catches (32 per catch). As a senior this fall, he caught 47 balls for 1,004 yards and another 10 touchdowns. He also scored seven rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons and found the endzone three times as the return man on punts.

247Sports’ Brandon Huffman had this to say on Lyons’ game:

Lyons is one of the most intriguing players in the Bay Area. Production has never been an issue for him. While he’s still a bit on the slender side, he’s got a frame that could add more weight. He’s got solid speed numbers (11.03 100, 22.37 200) as well as good long jump and triple jump marks (22-11 1/2 LJ, 43-1 TJ), but looks even more explosive in his senior film than he did as a junior, and has put it all together to be a game-breaker.

His verbal pledge gives UW its 19th known commitment for the 2023 class, which can begin signing on Wednesday. The class ranks 28th nationally.

You can view Lyons’ highlight tape below, via Hudl: