SEATTLE — These way-too-early projected depth charts are less certain than ever, considering Washington still needs a few scholarship players to leave in order to satisfy the maximum number of 85, and the Huskies still could add more transfers, too.
Already, though, we have enough information to sketch a fairly accurate picture of what Washington’s starting lineups might look like, particularly after Rome Odunze’s announcement Thursday that he will return for a fourth season in 2023.
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We begin with the offense, which must replace three starters on the line but returns its record-setting quarterback, its top five receivers and its leader in rushing touchdowns.
Quarterback
Starter: Michael Penix Jr.
Backup: Dylan Morris
The big unknown, at present, is who Washington might add to its roster as a third scholarship quarterback in light of Sam Huard’s decision to transfer. That’s not such a bad place to be, all things considered. Penix is back for his second season as the starter and will receive plenty of Heisman Trophy buzz between now and September. Morris is a reliable backup who earned the trust of the coaches last season. The Huskies will commence spring practices and preseason camp already knowing who their starter is, which puts them ahead of where they were last offseason.
The timeline for adding a third quarterback will be interesting to monitor. Do they want someone in time for spring practices? Are they fine waiting to see who might come available in late April? It needs to be addressed, but it’s better to be worrying about the bottom of the depth chart than the top of it.
GO DEEPER
Caple: Sam Huard, the transfer portal and the price of elite talent acquisition
Running back
Starter: Dillon Johnson or Cam Davis
Rotation: Daniyel Ngata, Richard Newton
Depth: Will Nixon, Sam Adams II, Aaron Dumas, Tybo Rogers
Anybody can take an educated guess at how the hierarchy might actually shake out here, but the Huskies obviously didn’t acquire Johnson (from Mississippi State) and Ngata (from Arizona State) for them to stand on the sideline, and Johnson is the more experienced player, both as a runner and pass catcher out of the backfield. Between those two and Davis, the team leader with 13 touchdowns in 2022, the Huskies appear to have a solid top three — though Newton is coming back for what should be a fully healthy sixth-year senior season, and he gave the offense a spark in limited opportunities last year. I think coordinator Ryan Grubb would like to find some carries for him, but the competition is going to be crowded.
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Adams was on the cusp of the rotation in 2022, carrying 13 times for 40 yards and catching five passes for 35 yards and his first two college touchdowns. Nixon, too, seemed close to contributing regularly, finishing the season with 21 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown. You never know when either of those guys might make a move and force the coaches to put them on the field, but the depth chart is pretty full ahead of them. That’s even more true for Dumas, the former New Mexico transfer who didn’t see the field in 2022. Rogers should be in line for a redshirt, though he is an intriguing, versatile talent who coaches badly wanted in the 2023 recruiting class. It also seems possible you could see additional attrition among the returners, with 2020 signee Jay’Veon Sunday already in the transfer portal.
Let’s shock the World !!!! #PurpleReign ☔️☔️☔️ pic.twitter.com/SIDzSaDXZK
— Dillon Johnson (@Dill_7k) January 3, 2023
Receiver
Starters: Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, Ja’Lynn Polk
Rotation: Giles Jackson, Taj Davis, Germie Bernard
Depth: Denzel Boston, Rashid Williams, Taeshaun Lyons, Keith Reynolds, Jabez Tinae
Things could hardly have worked out better for the Huskies at receiver, where they return the school’s first-ever 1,000-yard duo — Odunze and McMillan — plus Polk, another impact player, and rotational regulars Davis and Jackson. They also added Bernard as a transfer from Michigan State. The former four-star prospect (and UW signee) is talented enough to push for time as a sophomore. I’m not sure how many Washington teams have ever been this deep at receiver. It’s possible none have.
Boston flashed potential while redshirting in 2022, and Williams and Lyons (presuming the school does eventually, officially add him to the 2023 class) are four-star prospects who might contribute early on most teams. Assuming no attrition from Washington’s 2022 contributors, it’s hard to see many snaps for true freshmen in 2023, but position coach JaMarcus Shephard is always going to play the best guys. Enjoy this receiver corps while you can, because it is shaping up to be a pretty special collection of playmakers.
The duo is back 🤭 @jalenmcmillan20 x @RomeOdunze pic.twitter.com/Bk7vRohOEK
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) January 13, 2023
Tight end
Starter: Jack Westover OR Devin Culp
Rotation: Josh Cuevas, Quentin Moore
Depth: Ryan Otton
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Westover and Culp played the majority of Washington’s tight end snaps in 2022 — 980 combined, per Pro Football Focus — with Moore playing 228 in 11 games. No other scholarship tight end saw the field for more than two snaps, so it was a tight rotation. All three of those players should be back in 2023, and Cuevas, a transfer from Cal Poly, will be added to the equation. He caught 57 passes for 622 yards and six touchdowns as a redshirt freshman last year and received broad interest once he entered the portal. He gives the Huskies another legitimate pass-catching option at a position already stocked with plenty of returning experience. For as much attention as Washington’s receivers are, uh, receiving, the Huskies also could roll out a sneaky-loaded group of tight ends.
For that reason, Otton might find it hard to get on the field as a redshirt freshman, even if his future still looks promising. It’s possible he will see occasional snaps here or there in 2023 while continuing to grow into the position at the college level, then become an important contributor as a third-year sophomore in 2024. And who knows? Maybe he’s ready to push for playing time now, and the Huskies’ bench of tight end contributors in 2023 will be even deeper than expected. Looking ahead to next offseason, the coaches are going to have to add at least two more bodies here between the 2024 recruiting class and transfer portal.
Offensive line
Starters: LT Troy Fautanu, LG Nate Kalepo, C Matteo Mele, RG Geirean Hatchett, RT Roger Rosengarten
Backups: LT Julius Buelow, LG Gaard Memmelaar, C Parker Brailsford, RG Myles Murao, RT Samuel Peacock
Depth: G Owen Prentice, T R.J. Wyrsch, T Elishah Jackett, T Zachary Henning, T Kahlee Tafai, C Landen Hatchett, G Soane Faasolo
Fautanu and Rosengarten give the Huskies a pair of talented returning tackles to protect the edges. Geirean Hatchett seemed to impress coaches throughout the preseason in 2022, and with Henry Bainivalu moving on, I’d guess Hatchett is the favorite to assume his starting job at right guard. Mele appears the obvious choice at center, with Corey Luciano graduating and Mele having played the position throughout his career as a versatile backup, including in 2022. Kalepo, too, seems like a plug-and-play replacement for Kirkland at left guard, considering he already started three games there last season and saw the field regularly as a reserve, too.
Who will compete with Mele at center? Hatchett has practiced a lot there, but we’re assuming he’s likely to start at guard. It’s just a guess, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brailsford wind up on the depth chart. He was the offensive scout team MVP while redshirting, and he seems to have the demeanor of someone like Nick Harris who punches above his weight, so to speak. It’s possible he winds up at guard, with center candidate Landen Hatchett entering in the 2023 class, but Brailsford was largely regarded as a center coming out of high school.
Memmelaar and Murao have been plugging away at guard since they arrived in summer 2020 — is there a chance Murao gets a look at center, the position some projected him to play out of high school? — and Buelow spent last season as the backup left tackle after playing some at guard in 2021. Peacock and Wyrsch could compete for the other backup tackle spot. One wild card: Prentice, a four-star prospect in the 2021 class who has yet to see the field.
(Photo of Ja’Lynn Polk and Rome Odunze: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
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