UW football receives commitment from three-star 2026 QB Derek Zammit

Jedd Fisch didn’t have to look far from his hometown for UW’s next quarterback.

The Livingston, N.J. native only needed to go about a half-hour north.

Derek Zammit, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound signal caller who plays at DePaul Catholic High in Wayne, N.J., announced his commitment to Washington in posts on his social media account Saturday. He’s the eighth player to join UW’s 2026 recruiting class.

Zammit is considered a three-star recruit, the No. 6 player in New Jersey, the No. 26 quarterback in the country and the No. 405 player nationally in the 2026 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports composite rankings.  

“I love when people want to become Huskies,” Fisch said after UW’s practice on Saturday. “Sounds like more and more people want to become Huskies, and that’s a fantastic thing for all of us.”

He chose Washington out of a final group that included Alabama, Syracuse and Mississippi State. Zammit also held scholarship offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Illinois, Kansas State, Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Central Florida, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and West Virginia, among others. 

“Gritty signal caller that lacks elite physical traits,” Andrew Ivins, 247Sports director of scouting, wrote in an evaluation on Jan. 2, “but one that finds ways to get the job done with his ball placement, pocket mobility and sound decision making.”

Zammit has featured at DePaul Catholic since his freshman season, during which he threw for 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns against four interceptions in seven games, according to MaxPreps. He also rushed for 66 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. He stepped into a bigger role as a sophomore, completing 58.8% of his 204 pass attempts for 1,736 yards and 11 touchdowns.  

His breakout, however, came during his junior season in 2024. Zammit was 150-for-221 passing and accumulated 2,582 yards and 35 touchdowns against just four interceptions. His 67.9% completion percentage, 17.2 yards per completion, 215.2 yards per game and 2.9 touchdowns per game were all career-high marks. Zammit also rushed for 560 yards and six touchdowns on 64 carries, and registered his first 100-yard rushing performance. 

Zammit’s strong junior campaign led his team to an 11-1 record and the NJSIAA Non-Public Group B state championship, as DePaul Catholic defeated Pope John XXIII High 33-21 on Nov. 29, 2024, at MetLife Stadium. Ivins noted DePaul Catholic runs a pro-style offense which requires Zammit to play significant snaps under center, a requirement for quarterbacks in Fisch’s offense that many high school players have limited experience doing. 

“Excels at working off play-action as he can hit his targets in stride and manipulate different coverages,” Ivins wrote. “Advanced internal clock allows him to sense pressure better than most his age and he’s quick footed enough to escape his fair share of sacks. Has also shown the ability to change arm angles and throw around obstacles while on the move.”

At Washington, Zammit will enter a competitive quarterback room. Demond Williams Jr. will have completed his sophomore season by the time Zammit arrives, and Shea Kuykendall, a Northern Colorado transfer who joined the team in 2024, will be a senior in 2026. UW’s only expected attrition by that time will be fifth-year quarterback and Tulane transfer Kai Horton, who will exhaust his eligibility after the 2025 season.

But the Huskies also signed two quarterbacks during the 2025 recruiting cycle: Southern Californian Dash Beierly and Hawaiian Treston “Kini” McMillan. Of course, it’s no guarantee either will still be on the roster by the time Zammit signs, but both Beierly and McMillan had significant pedigree at Mater Dei High and Mililani High, respectively, and will have a year of experience learning Fisch’s offense. 

Zammit’s commitment also has implications for UW’s pursuit of highly productive 2026 Newbury Park High quarterback Brady Smigiel. A four-star prospect and the No. 7 quarterback in the country, Smigiel attended Washington’s junior recruiting weekend after decommitting from Florida State. Brandon Huffman, 247Sports national recruiting editor, named Smigiel as one of five 2026 recruits to watch for the Huskies in February. 

Smigiel has also reportedly visited Michigan and South Carolina since his trip to Montlake. It seems unlikely Washington will sign two quarterbacks in consecutive classes, but more attrition at the position and a highly touted prospect like Smigiel means there’s still a chance the Huskies snag two quarterbacks for 2026.