Defensive end Benning Potoa’e has verbally committed to Washington over UCLA, choosing to stay close to home.

The four-star prospect was regarded as one of the top recruits in his state, and is a product of Lakes High in Lakewood — located an hour or so south of the UW campus. His older brother, Sione, was a former defensive tackle for the Huskies.

Washington has done a better job of landing in-state recruits since hiring Chris Petersen in December 2013. All but three of the top-10 prospects in the 2012 and 2013 recruiting cycles left the state, according to Rivals.com rankings. In 2014, the Huskies secured four commitments from similarly ranked recruits — and beat out UCLA for touted safety Budda Baker.

With Potoa’e, UW now has half of the in-state top-10 in 2015.