Washington enters spring practice Wednesday with a lot of questions and a lot of new faces.
The Huskies lost 21 starters, 11 on offense, nine on defense and a long snapper. New coach Jed Fisch has only six practices to evaluate this roster before the transfer portal reopens on April 15th, so this group will host Weber State on August 31st for the 2024 season. This may not be the team that starts the season.
But here are five players to keep an eye on as Washington opens spring practice Wednesday at 5 p.m., officially marking the beginning of a new era in Montlake.
1. Denzel Boston, sophomore wide receiver
Especially in the era of the transfer portal, few players have been as patient as sophomore wide receiver Denzel Boston.
Boston, a 6-foot-4 wideout who appeared in 14 games, primarily on special teams, during the 2023 season, comes to UW after a highly productive four-year varsity career at Emerald Ridge High School in the South. Hill looked ready to contribute as soon as he arrived.
Boston played in four games as a true freshman in 2022, catching two passes for 15 yards and a touchdown against Portland State while redshirting.
After one season, he fell into the depths of Washington's stalwart wide receiver group, falling behind Roma Odunze, Jalen McMillan, Jarrin Polk, Jermie Bernard and Giles Jackson. Boston had five catches for 51 yards in 2023, and McMillan praised his mentality and approach to practice.
“He's a gamer,” McMillan said. “And he puts himself in game-like situations and makes plays. So I love that about him.”
Jackson is the only one left in 2024, giving Boston a golden opportunity to grab the starting spot. He will compete against the likes of former California transfer Jeremiah Hunter, redshirt freshman Rashid Williams and Jackson, but Boston's size (among scholarship recipients over 6-foot-2 will be entering spring practice) Given that he's the only one on the list), he might qualify. corner.
2. Zach Durfee, senior edge rusher
The story of Zach Durfee is a familiar one to Husky football fans. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound edge rusher from Dawson, Minn., spent two seasons with Division II Sioux Falls, redshirting in 2021 and recording 11 sacks in 2022.
However, the NCAA declined to immediately disqualify Durfee, determining that he had transferred multiple times because he spent one semester as a student at North Dakota State University, even though he did not play on the football team.
Notably, an NCAA rule requiring players who transfer for a second time without graduating to sit out a season was struck down by a federal judge in West Virginia after a lawsuit by former A restraining order was issued. RaeQuan Battle, a male basketball player.
The ruling in Battle's lawsuit came too late for Durfee, who missed the entire regular season for the Huskies. He played a limited role in Washington's Sugar Bowl win over Texas after being deemed eligible after the fall quarter, but was named Washington's starting edge rusher in 2024. There is a chance to establish yourself as an individual.
“Zach Durfee should be great this year,” former Washington Edge Brallen Trice said. “He's one of the hardest workers I know. He's really talented at the edge position and will finally get a chance to show it this year.”
This season could possibly be Durfee's only time playing in Division I. A UW spokesperson told the Seattle Times that he spent two seasons in Sioux Falls and was ineligible in 2023 due to eligibility rules, so his eligibility will be lost after 2024. For now, 2024 will be his only season as an active member of the team, although Durfee may choose to challenge the NCAA rules again for a one-year extension.
Durfee will be joined by senior Voi Tonufi, junior Maurice Himes, sophomores Jacob Lane and Lance Holtzclaw (another player Trice recommended watching this spring), and redshirt freshman Anthony James. Play against them. Additionally, former Arizona transfers Isaiah Ward and Russell Davis II both lined up on the Wildcats' edge at times.
3. Sebastian Valdez, senior defensive tackle
On December 18, 2023, Sebastian Valdez committed to a very different college football program. His commitment was to coach Karen DeBoer, defensive coordinators Chuck Morrell and William Inge, and defensive line coach Enoch Brectorfield.
Since then, DeBoer and Morrell departed for Alabama, Inge headed to Tennessee and Brectorfield is now coaching at Baylor. But Valdez, who spent three seasons as a defensive tackle at Montana State University, will remain in Washington and participate in spring practice this season.
A first-team All-Big Sky selection in 2022 and a second-team selection in 2023, Valdez starred in the middle of the Bobcats' defensive line. His sophomore year, he recorded 44 tackles, 10 of which were for a loss. He also had two pass deflections, two forced fumbles and 7.5 sacks. After one season, he had 40 tackles and five sacks. Montana State reached the FCS playoffs all three years Valdez played, including a championship game appearance during his freshman campaign.
For comparison, no Washington defensive tackle had more than 19 tackles during the 2023 season.
This spring, Valdez will compete against senior Jacob Bandes, juniors Javon Parker and Bradley McGannon, sophomore Armon Parker and redshirt freshman Elinnas Davis. Junior college transfer Bryce Butler is also expected to participate in spring practice after following coach Jed Fisch to Washington.
4. Zachary Henning, redshirt freshman offensive lineman.
Washington has big questions on its offensive line, but little experience. Sophomore Landen Hatchett's nine game appearances as a true freshman in 2023 are the most among all returning players, and former San Diego State transfer Drew Azzopardi's six starts are the most of the entire group. This is the pace.
One player who has a chance to make a good impression early this spring is offensive lineman Zachary Henning. He redshirted twice last season against Michigan State and California.
“That's my guy from Colorado,” former Blue University right tackle Roger Rosengarten said.
Henning enters this spring at 6-foot-5 and 292 pounds, but with the departure of all five of OU's starters starting in 2023, Henning will be as likely to be in the starting lineup as Washington's young offensive linemen. There is a chance to win.
“I think he's going to be a really, really good player,” Rosengarten said. “He’s been putting in a lot of work in the weight room and he’s put on some weight.”
5. Damond Williams, freshman quarterback
Arizona's impressive 2023 season was built on the emergence of redshirt freshman quarterback Noah Fifita. The 5-foot-10 Southern California native stepped up after starting signal caller and former Washington State standout Jayden De Laura was injured in the fourth game of the season.
The Fisch couldn't get Fifita to join him north in Montlake, but he persuaded a player with a similar profile to join him in Seattle. True freshman quarterback Damond Williams Jr. is slightly taller at his 5 feet 11 inches, and the 247Sports four-star overall prospect had a huge career out of Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona. is.
Williams threw for 10,035 yards and 93 touchdowns in four seasons as the starting quarterback at Basha, which plays in the Open Division of Arizona State. He also ran for 2,783 yards and 42 touchdowns. Williams threw 12 interceptions in his career, but only three as a senior when he led Basha to a 10-2 record and the state championship semifinals.
Former Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers is likely on the inside track to be the University of Washington's starter in 2024, but Williams and fellow freshman quarterback Damaricus Davis have impressed this spring. You will have the opportunity to give. Especially since UW only has three scholarship signal callers on its roster.
