Who could replace injured Washington Husky receiver Rashid Williams
Huskies receivers coach Kevin Cummings, left, instructs Rashid Williams during spring ball. (Ivy Ceballo / The Seattle Times)
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch was blunt when asked about sophomore wide receiver Rashid Williams’ injury status during his postgame news conference Saturday. That’s rarely a good sign.
“We’ll know better after we get an MRI and an X-ray,” the UW coach said minutes after Washington defeated UC Davis 70-10. “But it didn’t look great.”
Fisch confirmed his assumptions about Williams were correct Monday, announcing the 6-foot-1, 190-pound wide receiver will miss several weeks after suffering a collarbone injury against UC Davis on Saturday. Fisch said the team, which has a bye this week, did not have an exact timeline for Williams’ return, and said Williams may need surgery.
“We’ll wait and see for the final decision here if we’re going to need to operate or not,” Fisch said. “From there, we’ll figure out how many weeks.”
It’s a tough blow for Williams, the third-year sophomore who’d waited patiently for an opportunity to start. He signed with the Huskies before the 2023 season after starring at Pittsburg (Calif.) High, where he was a 247Sports.com composite four-star prospect. Williams is one of 20 players on UW’s 2025 roster who were recruited in high school by former Husky coach Kalen DeBoer.
Williams played in two games as a true freshman, catching two passes for 30 yards during UW’s 59-32 win against California. He played in every game as a redshirt freshman in 2024. Williams caught 11 passes for 138 yards while playing behind Jeremiah Hunter. Williams hauled in his first career touchdown against Iowa.
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He entered 2025 with a good chance — but no guarantee — to start. Williams was one of Washington’s most consistent receivers throughout spring practices and fall camp while junior Denzel Boston was sidelined, and was named a starter before UW’s season-opening win against Colorado State. He caught four of his six targets for 27 yards. Only Boston was thrown at more often.
Williams started the game against UC Davis strong. On UW’s first offensive play from scrimmage, he caught a 9-yard pass over the middle before turning up the field for a 27-yard gain. Williams appeared to land awkwardly on his shoulder when he was tackled by UC Davis defensive back Khalani Riddick. Williams stayed in for one more snap before exiting and disappearing up the UW tunnel. He returned to the sideline out of uniform in a sling.
The Brentwood, Calif., native’s prolonged absence leaves UW in an interesting place, and Fisch reiterated Monday that he still feels good about the wide receiver group position coach Kevin Cummings has assembled.
True freshman Dezmen Roebuck is likely best positioned to step into Williams’ spot. Already listed as the second-team Z-receiver on the depth chart, the 5-11, 180-pound wideout played 60 snaps against UC Davis, according to Pro Football Focus.
Roebuck totaled a team-best 77 yards receiving on four catches. That included the 47-yard touchdown he scored on a touch pass — Washington’s longest passing play of the young season. Fisch referred to Roebuck as a starter during Monday’s news conference, along with fellow freshmen Raiden Vines-Bright and John Mills, and praised Roebuck’s availability and preparedness.
“He hasn’t flinched,” Fisch said. “He’s taken nutrition very serious. He’s taken strength training very serious. He’s taken being in the training room serious.”
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But Fisch mentioned other wide receivers will have some opportunities at the Z-receiver spot while Williams is out, including another true freshman. Chris Lawson, a 6-1, 185-pound wide receiver from San Francisco, was arguably the most impressive of the three freshmen wideouts who enrolled early and participated during spring practices.
Lawson was limited by injuries throughout fall camp. He made his collegiate debut against UC Davis, playing 17 snaps after not participating against Colorado State. Lawson totaled 22 yards on one catch.
Neither of Lawson’s other targets were catchable. Fifth-year quarterback Kai Horton overthrew him on a go route along the right sideline after Lawson got a step on his defender, then the freshman wideout made a good play to break up a potential end-zone interception after Horton tried to find him on a deep post in double coverage.
“He did a nice job when he was in there,” Fisch said. “He made some plays with his feet. With his hands blocking. He’s back and ready to go.”
Roebuck and Lawson aren’t the only options. Senior Omari Evans competed with Vines-Bright for snaps at slot receiver during fall camp, but primarily played outside during his three seasons at Penn State. Evans was ruled out because of injury against both Colorado State and UC Davis and is yet to make his UW debut.
Fisch also mentioned junior Kevin Green Jr. and redshirt freshman Justice Williams as players who may get some repetitions because of Rashid Williams’ injury.
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Sophomore wide receiver Audric Harris may also be a factor. Since arriving at Washington before the 2024 season, the Las Vegas native has played all three wide receiver spots — X, Z and F — and has proved himself particularly as a blocker early in the season.
PFF grades Harris, a 6-0, 190-pound receiver, as the best run-blocking wideout on the team. It was his block 15 yards down the field that sprung senior running back Jonah Coleman’s 38-yard run down the right sideline during the fourth quarter against Colorado State.
Blocking is particularly important at the Z-receiver position, Williams said during fall camp. The Z receiver often lines up on the same side of the field as the tight end, so run plays are usually called toward them. Williams said knowing the blocking assignments is a crucial part of playing the position, which may give Harris a chance to challenge Roebuck and Lawson while Williams recovers.
“It’s based upon the game,” Fisch said. “But I feel really good about our receiver corps.”
Note
- Coleman earned co-Big Ten offensive player of the week honors for the second time in as many weeks following his five-touchdown performance against UC Davis. After previously sharing the award with USC quarterback Jayden Maiava a week ago, Coleman split the honors with Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles, who had 270 total yards and completed a game-winning two-point conversion to lead MSU past Boston College 42-40 in double overtime.
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.