The University of Washington's football program, which offers such an impressive display of talent, has 10 players drafted by the NFL, including three first-rounders and a top-10 pick. That included a pair, plus five more players signed as free agents.
Former Husky coaches Chris Petersen, Jimmy Lake and Karen DeBoer were responsible for their arrival in Montlake and they can all be thanked.
So?
Pro Football Focus' recent all-too-early 2025 top 50 draft prospects shows the Huskies not being selected, which shouldn't surprise too many people at this point. They only have senior linebacker Alfonzo Tuputala and junior cornerback Elijah Jackson as returning starters for UW, not to mention established pro football prospects.
But there is a lot of talent at the University of Wisconsin, it just hasn't been discovered yet.
This means that almost no one understands that Roman Odunze will end up being the No. 9 overall pick in the draft, considered the No. 1 or No. 2 receiver in the country, and Troy Fautanu will be taken with the No. 20 pick. It's similar to a year ago when it wasn't there. Some will be drafted as the first guard coming off the board on opening day.
Now that we have an overview of the talent that new UW coach Jed Fisch has collected, inherited, formed, and envisioned during the recently concluded 15th spring practice, we've put together a look at the Huskies' top 10 players for next season across football. Here's one guy's opinion, ranked in order of talent.
Huskies Top 10 Talent
1. Denzel Boston, WR — No one was better than the 6-foot-4, 207-pound Boston, who dropped only one pass from scrimmage at any position in Huskies spring practice, but it was a shock when it happened. In the spring game, with a running clock intentionally shortened to 48 minutes, everyone had a fairly mediocre performance, except for Boston, who caught seven balls for 127 yards and one touchdown. He has size, speed, and more muscle and is aiming for 215 pounds. He's only in his sophomore year and should have a very big year.
2. Ephesians Praisock, CB — Paired well against Boston this spring, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound junior has won and lost battles. The Arizona transfer and All-Pac-12 honorable mention is expected to become an even better player with continued high-level competition against UW's No. 1 receiver. Priscock is a tough guy who played through pain in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma and has earned the eternal respect of Fisch, who already calls him an NFL player. Pros like players who have length, attitude, and can run.
3. Zach Durfee, ER — Since the NCAA edict was overturned, an elbow injury suffered in the spring has prevented the 6-foot-5, 255-pound junior from really showing his talent for the Huskies. However, DeBoer's coaching staff could not hide their eagerness to have him on the team. The game marked Durfee as the fastest player in last season's Blues group, which included last season's NFL third-round pick Bralen Trice and former first-team All-Pac-12 selection Zion Tupuola-Fetui. He is considered the strongest and most athletic edge rusher. When healthy, the Fish staff quickly used him as their No. 1 defenseman. If Durfee is given enough opportunities to play at UW, he should be a good, if not great, player.
4. Jonah Coleman, RB — At 5-foot-9 and 225 pounds, Coleman was able to use the veteran Husky offensive line better than anyone. He's a very physical and fast back, but he wasn't able to make long runs during spring ball. There aren't many holes to navigate. In the spring game, the Arizona transfer rushed for just 18 yards on four carries, but caught two passes for 42 yards. Coleman is still the same guy who ran for 179 yards against Colorado and 143 yards against USC. On Saturday, the junior running back said he's not worried, saying he'll have a reliable O-line and be productive in time.
Landen Hatchett, who is rehabbing from a knee injury, still found time to snap the ball to the Huskies' quarterback.
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5. Landen Hatchett, C –If he didn't wear shorts and a T-shirt every day and keep his helmet in the locker room, people might have thought Hatchett was fully committed to spring ball. Rather than diligently rehabbing his knee injury in December. He brought the football to all his quarterbacks. He took handoffs from them and ran the ball in certain non-contact drills. He attended practice rounds and talked to everyone like a veteran. If healthy and active, the 6-foot-2, 310-pounder could be a team leader and an excellent candidate. He played in nine games as a freshman in 2023. he wants to be great.
6. Jeremiah Hunter, WR — The Huskies let him work on the second unit for the longest time this spring before promoting him, explaining that he had to first learn the nuances of a pro-style offense, which was the main reason he transferred from California to UW. That was the reason. Whether running first or second on the offense, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Hunter has shown himself to be a physical, aggressive wide receiver. He had three receptions for 16 yards and one score in the spring game. In his Cal career, he caught 143 balls for 2,056 yards and 13 TDs, one of which came at Husky Stadium. He should be able to put up big numbers this season as well.
Carson Bruner defeats Michigan tight end Colston Loveland in the national championship game.
Thomas Shea/USA TODAY Sports
7. Carson Bruner, LB — After two seasons off the bench on DeBoer's coaching staff, Brunner, who earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention again this season, believes he deserves better and that he is a developing NFL player. It seems that he is determined to show everyone something. His height is listed as 6-foot-2, 226 pounds, but he appears to be much heavier than that. He still covers a lot of field and is a player who had 14-16 tackles in four games during his Husky career. He takes on a more active leadership role for this varsity team. He is the son of a veteran who played his 14 years in the NFL and seems motivated to have a long professional career himself.
8. Drew Azzopardi, OT — The Huskies' offensive line went from a star player at multiple positions to a restart with all new players last season. The 6-foot-7, 315-pound San Diego State transfer is very qualified and agile for an offensive lineman. When he was in the portal, Azzopardi chose between Arizona, Washington, UCLA, and Tennessee because others were raving about him so highly. Only a sophomore, he and Hatchett are currently the building blocks of the UW O-line, and it will be interesting to see which three players step in as starters.
9. Alfonzo Tuputala, LB — Blue University's most veteran player, he will play in 40 games for Blue University next season and start a team-high 27 games. He and Brunner were lined up at linebacker last season, but this season they will play side-by-side in the No. 1 offense, giving the Huskies two physical and experienced players to hold the defense together. I will be in charge. Tuputala, who tied for first in the spring game with four tackles, is a tough guy who stays out of position on the field. He will also see if he can live up to the No. 6 pick this season after intercepting a Utah pass last November and going 76 yards but dropping the ball a yard short of the goal. He returned for a sixth season at UW to become an NFL player.
Grady Gross scores some points in college spring ball.
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10. Grady Gross, PK — Once a walk-on and then a scholarship student, Gross has become a very reliable kicker for the Huskies. They fully expect him to succeed every time. He wasn't bad in 2023, making 18 of 22 field goal attempts and all 63 of his extra point kicks. Last Saturday, he hit field goals of 33 and 42 yards in the spring game and was working on improving his distance, including a 63-yard attempt through the uprights before the game.
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