They left Kennedy Catholic High School possessing unreal passing stats, promising to carry them over to the college level.
For a day at last year's University of Washington's Spring Preview, a controlled scrimmage rather than full-fledged game, curious fans caught a glimpse of what was possible.
However, the numbers simply didn't add up to long-term success for them in Montlake.
This cast of characters consisted of Sam Huard, Lonyatta Alexander Jr. and Jabez Tinae.
Two of them since have transferred to Big Sky programs while the third remains on the Husky roster though somewhat anonymously nursing a long-term injury.
With what this trio did at its south Seattle-area high school, it was how could any of them miss at the next level?
Consider that Huard at Kennedy threw for an incredible 13,214 yards and 153 touchdowns.
Alexander caught a wieldy 198 passes for 3,384 yards and 44 scores.
Tinae hauled in his share with 163 catches for 3,463 yards and 28 touchdowns.
They spent only the 2021 season together at the UW, mostly as roster afterthoughts.
After transferring in from Arizona State, Alexander appeared in 11 Husky games last fall, but mostly as a special-teams player. He caught one pass. He recovered an onside kick. Once the regular season was over, he transferred to Montana State.
As the Huskies' third quarterback, Huard played in just one Husky game in 2022, mopping up against Portland State. He left for Cal Poly with two-year UW stats of 24 completions in 44 attempts for 265 yards and a touchdown. People had wanted him to succeed because he was a legacy quarterback, the son of former UW standout Damon Huard and nephew Brock Huard. Yet he wasn't going to play any sooner than 2024.
Tinae is entering his third season with the Huskies and he's appeared in just one 2021 game. Recovering from an unspecified injury, he was in street clothes for the Alamo Bowl against Texas last December and hasn't practiced this spring with a wide receiver group overflowing with talent.
A year ago, spring football under Kalen DeBoer came to an end with Huard and Alexander putting some of their old magic on display, teaming up for a 9-yard touchdown pass, this following a sensational 37-yard catch by Alexander.
They chest-bumped on the field. They joked around in the interview area, with Alexander playing reporter and asking questions of Huard. They outwardly looked forward to replicating their success in Montlake. It was a great day for them.
An Inside the Huskies report on that moment can be read here.
Now two out of three Kennedy Catholic High offensive guys are gone from the UW, and the lone holdover is hard to find.
They're examples of how football greatness doesn't always translate to the next level in the college game. That sentiment often gets tamped out by harsh reality. That you have to prove it on the football field, and you either do or you don't.
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