Five-star quarterback Sam Huard plans to play senior season in spring

With at least four states having moved high school football to the spring, many top recruits have a tough decision: Stay and play or graduate early and enroll into college? One of the nation's top quarterbacks, five-star southpaw Sam Huard from Kennedy Catholic (Burien, Wash.) announced Wednesday he will stay in high school.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound University of Washington commit enters his senior season just 1,303 yards away from breaking Washington's state record set by Brett Rypien.

First reported by Femi Abebefe of KOMO via Twitter, Huard will finish up his high school career at Kennedy Catholic instead of enrolling at Washington. He was on track to graduate from high school in December. 

He would have joined a number of top 2021 recruits who have decided to forgo their senior seasons, including fellow in-state standout Julien Simon, a 4-star athlete from Lincoln (Tacoma). Simon plans to graduate in December and enroll at USC in January.

Huard's announcement comes one day after the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association announced its plan to move football to the spring, joining California, New Mexico, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Huard's senior season won't start until March and will wrap up in May.

According to 247Sports composite, Huard is the top-rated pro style quarterback in the Class of 2021 and was named the MaxPreps Freshman Player of the Year in 2017. He has thrown for 11,741 yards and 132 touchdowns over the last three years.

Huard joins top California recruits who have announced plans to play for their high schools in the spring led by Mater Dei (Santa Ana) linebacker Raesjon Davis, Loyola (Los Angeles) cornerback Ceyair Wright, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) linebacker Ethan Calvert, Westlake (Westlake Village) defensive tackle Victory Vaka and Santa Barbara quarterback Deacon Hill.