Former UW Edge Jayden Wayne Stays West, Transfers to Cal

Former Lincoln High School and IMG Academy standout Jayden Wayne has bounced from coast to coast over the last three years. 

After spending one season at the University of Washington in 2024 following one year at Miami under Mario Cristobal, the 6-foot-6, 262-pound edge rusher has announced he will stay on the West Coast and continue his college football career at the University of California Berkeley. 

Wayne, a one-time five star recruit coming out of high school in the 2023 recruiting class, appeared in 11 of 13 games for the Huskies this past season for Jedd Fisch and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, credited with 139 snaps on defense which is just about the same number he played as a freshman for the Hurricanes. 

With Belichick now gone to join his father Bill Belichick at North Carolina, and a request to move inside from UW in 2025, Wayne elected to head down Interstate 5 to play for Justin Wilcox and the Golden Bears. 

In his lone season with the Huskies this past year the Evergreen State native made 6 tackles and 1 pass breakup, playing a season-high 16 snaps on defense in Week 3 against Washington State and Week 11 at Penn State. 

UW has now seen three scholarship edge rushers — Maurice Heims, Lance Holtzclaw and Wayne — leave the team since the transfer portal opened on December 9, along with senior Voi Tunuufi announcing his departure to pursue a career in the NFL. 

The Huskies' staff has signed one true edge transfer, Arizona junior Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei, along with Western Michigan defensive lineman Anterio Thompson who can play both inside and outside. 

Wayne is the second UW player to transfer to Cal this offseason following redshirt sophomore safety Tristan Dunn, who announced his decision on Dec. 23.