Huskies coach Jedd Fisch says these six freshmen won’t redshirt in ’25
1 of 2 | Washington wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright and the Huskies enter Husky Stadium for Saturday’s season opener against Colorado State. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch has never shied away from playing true freshmen.
Just a year ago, quarterback Demond Williams Jr., running back Adam Mohammed, tight end Decker DeGraaf and wide receiver Audric Harris all burned their redshirts. Running back Jonah Coleman, cornerbacks Ephesians Prysock and Tacario Davis and defensive lineman Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei — all currently Huskies — avoided redshirt seasons during their true freshman seasons with Fisch at Arizona.
Fisch’s group of freshmen contributors for 2025 seem clear, too.
Six true freshmen participated in Washington’s 38-21 season-opening win against Colorado State at Husky Stadium Saturday: offensive lineman John Mills, edge rusher Devin Hyde, wide receivers Raiden Vines-Bright and Dezmen Roebuck, safety Rylon Dillard-Allen and cornerback Dylan Robinson.
“I don’t imagine, at all, any of the freshmen who played will be a redshirt,” Fisch said Monday.
Mills played more than any of the other true freshmen. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound offensive lineman from San Francisco played 53 snaps — all at left guard — while rotating with redshirt freshman Paki Finau. Mills participated in eight of Washington’s 11 drives, earning an 82.2 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. He did not surrender a single pressure. Fisch said Monday that Mills “performed extremely well.”
Vines-Bright and Roebuck were the only other freshmen to earn significant repetitions, tallying 32 and 30 snaps, respectively. Vines-Bright, deployed primarily in the slot after senior wide receiver and Penn State transfer Omari Evans was ruled out before the game, did not receive a target but took a handoff for 1 yard during Washington’s final drive as the Huskies ran out the clock.
Roebuck caught both of his targets, totaling 27 yards receiving while primarily lining up as the backup for sophomore wideout Rashid Williams. Roebuck’s 23-yard catch along the left sideline with 12:55 remaining in the second quarter was Washington’s third-longest completion of the game.
Wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings said Roebuck’s ability to find soft spots in a zone defense and separate from defenders, paired with good hands, have made the 5-11, 180-pound freshman stand out, even among the rest of Washington’s receivers.
“He just has a really good feel for the game,” Cummings said about Roebuck on Aug. 12.
Dillard-Allen and Robinson played predominantly on special teams. Dillard-Allen, who also played seven defensive snaps as defensive coordinator Ryan Walters’ third safety, made the most notable contribution. The 6-0, 180-pound safety from Phoenix laid a big hit on Colorado State’s Lloyd Avant during a fourth-quarter kick return. Dillard-Allen’s tackle limited the return to just 19 yards, Avant’s shortest of the game.
“His athletic ability and his movement skills give him a chance to be a special player,” safeties coach Taylor Mays said Aug. 5. “You can turn on the film and, regardless of schematically what you’re teaching a player, athletic ability shows or doesn’t show. And he’s just a guy on the field whose football movements are awesome. He just shows up.
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“So now, if we can teach him scheme and technique, that’s where you can get some special players.”
Hyde registered 10 defensive snaps near the end of the game. The 6-5, 255-pound edge rusher’s lone tackle was also his first career sack. With 4:06 remaining in the game, Hyde spun out of a CSU double team and into the path of Rams quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who was rolling out of the pocket. Hyde chased him to the sideline, and was able to shove Fowler-Nicolosi out of bounds with a diving effort.
The Menlo Park, Calif., native has enjoyed a rapid ascension up UW’s depth chart despite only arriving on campus during the summer. Hyde was quickly pressed into service during fall camp because sixth-year edge rusher Deshawn Lynch and junior Isaiah Ward both missed time with injuries and junior Russell Davis II was ruled out for the season.
Hyde’s efforts during fall camp impressed Walters enough for him to earn a place on UW’s first two-deep depth chart of the season. The Husky defensive coordinator praised Hyde’s “relentless motor” and said the freshman had seized the opportunity presented to him.
“He’s starting to understand what he can and can’t do within a call,” Walters said Aug. 26. “He gets better every day. That’s what earned him (a place) in the rotation.”
Of course, these limited repetitions don’t prove exactly how much each freshman will play during the course of the entire season. Harris, for example, played in eight games as a true freshman in 2024. He made two catches for 17 yards receiving. DeGraaf and Mohammed both contributed significantly as true freshmen, while Demond Williams Jr. eventually emerged as the starter.
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Linebacker Khmori House and safety Peyton Waters, the two defensive freshmen who didn’t redshirt a year ago, both transferred to North Carolina, following former UW defensive coordinator Steve Belichick.
But Fisch made it clear a year ago that he isn’t worried about whether a player has eligibility years down the road when — like House and Waters — they might not even be part of his program anymore. If the freshmen can earn a spot, they’ll play. This new group is no different.
Extra points:
- Coleman was named co-Big Ten offensive player of the week after accumulating 177 yards rushing and two touchdowns during UW’s win against Colorado State. It’s the first weekly Big Ten honors of Coleman’s career and the first time any Washington player has earned the conference’s offensive player of the week. Coleman shared the honors with USC quarterback Jayden Maiava, who passed for 295 yards and two touchdowns during its 73-12 win against Missouri State.
- Fisch announced he awarded game balls to Coleman, Demond Williams Jr., Mohammed, sophomore tight end Kade Eldridge, sixth-year safety Makell Esteen, seventh-year tight end Quentin Moore, junior edge rusher Jacob Lane and the entire starting offensive line. Fisch added he gave another game ball to Dr. Robert J. Jones, the new university president.
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.