Three position battles to watch when Washington Huskies begin fall camp
Washington Huskies wide receiver Rashid Williams makes a reception duiring warmups before the 116th Apple Cup at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, on September 14, 2024.
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
The Pacific Northwest sun refuses to set until 9 p.m. Boat owners reach the pinnacle of their popularity. Seattleites ponder whether they should buy air conditioners as the heat steadily climbs.
It can mean only one thing.
College football is just around the corner.
Washington will begin its second season under coach Jedd Fisch at Husky Stadium against Colorado State on Aug. 30. The Huskies have endured a significantly calmer offseason than they did a year ago, but there are still new faces to learn before the 2025 season.
Here are three position battles to watch when they return to the practice fields for fall camp beginning July 30:
Honorable mentions: nickel, punt returner, right guard
3. Wide receiver
Washington’s conundrum at wide receiver is simply a numbers problem. The Huskies and position coach Kevin Cummings have more options than available repetitions.
Of course, one of UW’s three wide receiver spots has already been secured. Junior wideout Denzel Boston enjoyed a breakout 2024 campaign, making 63 catches for 834 yards. His team-best nine receiving touchdowns ranked sixth in the conference, and he earned All-Big Ten honorable mention status from both coaches and media.
The South Hill native was a limited participant during spring practices after undergoing cleanup surgery during the offseason, but is expected to be fully healthy entering fall camp.
That leaves four players competing for two spots: senior Omari Evans, junior Kevin Green Jr., and sophomores Rashid Williams and Audric Harris.
Evans, a Penn State transfer, is the most experienced member of the group. The 6-foot, 190-pound receiver played in 38 games across three seasons with the Nittany Lions. However, Evans never commanded much volume in Penn State’s run-heavy offense and finished his time there with 30 career catches for 564 yards and seven touchdowns. Evans started the spring strong, but injuries caused him to miss several practices near the end of camp.
Washington’s other options at wide receiver certainly have their own question marks. Williams, a 6-1, 190-pound wideout, seemed poised for a breakout spring in Boston’s absence. He caught 11 passes for 138 yards during his redshirt freshman season as Jeremiah Hunter’s primary backup and was praised by Cummings as one of the team’s standout players during the spring before missing time because of injury.
Evans and Williams’ injury histories, however, pale in comparison with Green’s. The Arizona transfer joined UW before the 2024 season but suffered a season-ending lower body injury late in fall camp. The 5-11, 165-pound receiver returned for a fully healthy spring, exclusively playing in the slot.
Harris was Green’s biggest competition during the spring. The 6-0, 190-pound Las Vegas native burned his redshirt as a freshman a year ago, making two catches for 17 yards in eight games. Harris spent the spring taking repetitions in the slot after backing up Boston throughout the past season.
The competition for repetitions in the slot, in particular, may be the real key to this positional battle. Fisch’s offense relies on production from the position — players such as Jacob Cowing and Giles Jackson have enjoyed significant success in the slot with Fisch — and Harris and Green got extensive looks there during the spring. Evans primarily lined up outside when healthy during the spring but played 111 of his 429 snaps in the slot during his final season at Penn State, according to Pro Football Focus.
Advertising Skip Ad
2. Linebacker
UW’s linebacker group underwent some serious attrition during the offseason. Longtime stalwarts Carson Bruener, Alphonzo Tuputala and Drew Fowler exhausted their eligibility. Khmori House, once deemed the future of the team’s defense, hit the transfer portal.
So the Huskies brought in some reinforcements, adding Washington State transfer Taariq “Buddah” Al-Uqdah, former Arizona captain Jacob Manu and UCF transfer Xe’ree Alexander. Manu is still recovering from a season-ending knee injury suffered in 2024. Al-Uqdah solidified his spot in UW’s plans with a strong spring.
But the second starting spot next to Al-Uqdah remains a competition, solely because of the emergence of third-year sophomore Deven Bryant.
The 5-11, 234-pound linebacker from Southern California missed all of the team’s 2024 spring practices because of a foot injury but launched himself into contention for the starting role because of his play during the spring. New linebackers coach Brian Odom frequently paired him with Al-Uqdah in the heart of the first-team defense, and he praised Bryant’s anticipation and football intelligence.
Though Bryant might have gained an edge during the spring, Alexander brings some significant pedigree of his own. A late bloomer at Kennedy Catholic High, he made 143 tackles during his first two seasons of college football at Idaho and UCF. Alexander, listed at 6-2 and 223 pounds, also has a taller frame to play next to the 6-0 Al-Uqdah.
1. Left guard
Entering spring, Washington’s left guard situation seemed relatively straightforward. Redshirt freshman Paki Finau started UW’s 35-34 loss to Louisville in the Sun Bowl, playing 42 snaps at left guard.
Advertising Skip AdSkip AdSkip Ad
The 6-5, 310-pound Southern California native earned a 71.9 run-blocking grade from PFF, helping the Huskies rush for 98 yards and a touchdown on 36 attempts. However, Finau also allowed three pressures, two hurries and a sack against Louisville, understandable struggles from a freshman playing his first significant snaps.
Finau entered spring practices as the starting left guard but quickly found himself in a fierce competition for repetitions with freshman John Mills. An early enrollee after finishing his high school career at St. Ignatius College Preparatory, the 6-6, 320-pound Mills spent most of the spring bouncing between the first and second-team offensive lines.
Fisch has never had any qualms about playing freshman offensive linemen, so it’s certainly possible Mills could force his way into the starting lineup. Finau, similarly, has all of fall camp to prove he’s the right choice in 2025.
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Seattle Times staff reporter Andy Yamashita covers UW football.
Comments
-
Thanks Taft!
