“Different” is probably the best word to describe Washington football this year. With an entirely new-look team, the Huskies will be starting their Big Ten chapter under newly hired head coach Jedd Fisch. The team is coming off a heartbreaking National Championship loss, and they'd surely want nothing more than redemption this time around. It won't be easy, however.
As any football fan knows, making the College Football Playoff alone means that a team has to be one of the most dominant in the country. Heck, going undefeated doesn't even guarantee a CFP berth anymore — just look at what happened to Florida State last season. But that's a conversation for another time. Going back to the topic of Washington football, they'll have to reign supreme in their inaugural Big Ten season. In other words, overcoming teams such as Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan is a must.
Can the Huskies do it? Maybe, if they somehow find a way to bypass the current dents in their armor. And for this year, two major concerns cause worry: The inexperienced offensive line, and the lack of depth among pass-catchers.
Washington football's new, inexperienced O-line
The biggest problem this coming season would be the O-line. After all, there's no telling how a unit will perform after all five starters have been lost to either the transfer portal or the NFL draft. These weren't just any run-of-the-mill starters, to add. The 2023 O-line won the Joe Moore Award. Their elite protection was a big reason why Washington's passing game was one of the best in the NCAA.
This 2024, the offensive line will be led by sophomore Drew Azzopardi, a highly-touted 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle from San Diego State. Starting six out of his 12 games with the Aztecs last year, he's viewed as the ideal replacement for Roger Rosengarten at right tackle.
Other potential starters include center Landen Hatchett — a sophomore who played nine games for Washington last season — and former junior college All-American Maximus McCree, who's the most optimal option at the other tackle spot. As for the interior pieces, Gaard Memmelar could be called up on the left side. The junior missed the entirety of last season due to an injury, but he played four games for the Huskies in 2022.
Lastly, the right guard spot arguably belongs to Enokk Vimahi, who has five playing years under his belt with Ohio State. He saw action in eight games last season, helping the Buckeyes garner an 11-2 record. Throughout his collegiate career, Vimahi played 35 games, starting just once.
Of course, this isn't the final lineup yet, as other transferees and returnees are also competing for those starting slots. Many analysts don't predict much for this year's rotation, but who knows? Maybe they'll exceed expectations and prove everyone wrong.
The lack of depth among pass-catchers
Last season, the Huskies were led by three wideouts in total receiving yards: Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan — all three are now in the NFL. To give a mental picture of how formidable they were, Odunze and Polk were both 1,000-yard wideouts. Odunze was stellar, catching a total of 92 passes for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 17.8 yards per catch. He was a consensus All-American and was named First-Team All-Pac-12. As for Polk, he was a formidable second option, accumulating a total of 1,159 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
Moving on to Jalen McMillan, he followed with 559 yards and five scores. Don't be fooled by the numbers though. The only reason why McMillan had a relatively quiet 2023 was because of a knee injury in the team's third game. This caused him to miss time during the season, dipping his overall numbers compared to the year prior. In 2022, he caught 79 passes for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns.
For this year, the only notable addition to the receiver corps is Jeremiah Hunter from California. Hunter led the Golden Bears' wideout room with 703 yards and seven scores last season. He'll likely be a starter, and alongside him, reserves such as Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson are expected to take the other two slots.
At tight end, 2023 starter Jack Westover had also moved up to the pros. In his place, Quentin Moore — a backup from last season — is predicted to take over as one of Will Rogers' main targets.
Make no mistake, this isn't to downplay the current pass-catching group. Jeremiah Hunter is expected to perform well, looking at his resume in California. Denzel Boston has plenty of upside and has reportedly been showing out in spring training, per Sports Illustrated's Dan Raley. Giles Jackson is entering his sixth year of college football, meaning he's got the experience to be called up for a bigger role. Quentin Moore played a significant role during Washington's Pac-12 championship match against Oregon last year, making him the most viable option at tight end.
However, the lingering concern is if they can provide the same, or even just close to the same amount of impact that Rome Odunze and Co. were able to showcase last year. In 2023, Washington football as a team tallied a total of 5,155 passing yards, leading the entire NCAA in that category. They also tallied 343.7 passing yards per game — second-best in the league.
If this group of pass-catchers somehow show that they can continue where their predecessors left off, then good things will definitely happen for the Huskies this year.
Other transferees under Jedd Fisch
On the bright side, several other talented players were hauled in from the transfer portal. At quarterback, there's Will Rogers, who's predicted to be the Washington football's new QB1. He played for Mississippi State these past four years, amassing totals of 12,315 passing yards and 94 touchdowns.
Another player who's expected to see heavy minutes in the backfield is Jonah Coleman. A prized transferee who followed Jedd Fisch from Arizona over to Washington, Coleman ran for 871 yards and five touchdowns in 128 carries last season with the Wildcats. With Dillon Johnson headed to the pros, Coleman will be tasked to lead the Huskies' RB room.
On the defensive secondary, Ephesians Prysock is the top candidate to replace Jabbar Muhammad. Prysock tallied 64 combined tackles (42 solo), seven passes defended, and an interception last year with Arizona. He'll be assigned to cover opposing teams' best receivers once the games kick off in three weeks.
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