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When Desert Edge High School wide receiver Zerek Sidney announced his commitment to the Washington Huskies in late January, he was ranked as a four-star recruit and widely regarded as one of the nation's best prospects.
However, leading up to his pledge, he had played in just one game as a junior and spent several weeks in the hospital with an unknown illness as a diagnosis eluded doctors.
"We don't know what it is; we're just scared," Sidney told ABC15's Javier Soto. "I'm just rapidly losing weight; we don't know what it is, so it was just a scary feeling for sure, a feeling of unknown."
Eventually, Sidney was diagnosed with Valley Fever, an infection caused by breathing in fungal spores commonly in Arizona's desert soil. Now, after several months of treatment, the touted pass catcher, who chose the Huskies over 29 other offers, including a group of finalists that also included Oklahoma and USC, is back healthy and preparing for his senior season.
"I feel like now, being able-bodied, healthy and able to work out, you appreciate things way more," Sidney added. "It's just a blessing."
Sidney, who pulled in 45 catches for 591 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, is one of the longest-standing commits in Jedd Fisch's class, and also played a key role in the Huskies adding a commitment from his quarterback, four-star Blake Roskopf. Now, if he can prove that he's healthy during his final year of high school, he has a great opportunity to earn back his fourth star.
"Skilled wide receiver with a well-rounded game that should offer some inside-outside versatility with his tempo and hands," 247Sports' Andrew Ivins wrote in his evaluation. "Creates separation with swift releases and will snap open at the intermediate level with slick route running and sudden movements...Not the biggest or strongest target, but attacks the football with impressive body positioning and will absorb contact in traffic."
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Touted Washington commit reveals length battle with elusive illness
