GoHuskies Sept. 2023

IN THIS ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2023

UW will join the Big Ten Conference in 2024

The University of Washington will join the Big Ten Conference, leaving the Pac-12 Conference, effective in fall 2024, UW President Ana Mari Cauce announced Fri., Aug. 4.

“The Big Ten is a thriving conference with strong athletic and academic traditions, and we are excited and confident about competing at the highest level on a national stage,” Cauce said. “My top priority must be to do what is best for our student-athletes and our University, and this move will help ensure a strong future for our athletics program.”

The UW is committed to preserving the rich tradition of the Apple Cup rivalry with Washington State University in all sports, including football.

“We are proud of our rich history with the Pac-12 and for more than a year have worked hard to find a viable path that would keep it together. I have tremendous admiration and respect for my Pac-12 colleagues. Ultimately, however, the opportunities and stability offered by the Big Ten are unmatched,” Cauce said. “Even with this move, we remain committed to the Apple Cup and to competing with WSU across all of our sports.”

The UW was one of the four founding members of what started in De -

cember 1915 as the Pacific Coast Conference, which eventually grew to become the Pac-12. USC and UCLA announced their departures for the Big Ten in 2022, and the University of Colorado announced last month that it would leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12 Conference.

With admission to the Big Ten, the UW also joins the Big Ten Academic Alliance, a consortium of world-class research institutions dedicated to advancing their academic missions.

“We have tremendous respect and gratitude for the Pac-12, its treasured history and traditions,” said Jen Cohen, the UW’s director of athletics. “At the same time, the college athletics landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. The Big Ten’s history of athletic and academic success and long-term stability best positions our teams for future success, and we are energized at the opportunity to compete at the highest level against some of the best programs in the country.”

Financial terms of the transition were not immediately announced. Follow GoHuskies.com for updates to this story.

Jalen McMillan Wide Receiver

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FROM THE DESK OF UW VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH LESLIE GABRIEL

Hello Huskies,

I hope you all had a great summer. Summers in Seattle are remarkable, and while we certainly enjoyed the time away, we are absolutely fired up for the 2023 volleyball season. It is already here, and we are excited to see you all in the stands soon.

The 2023 season marks a new era of Husky volleyball. This year brings a new team and staff into Alaska Airlines Arena. Of the seven players returning, Emoni Bush, Madi Endsley, and Lauren Bays will be leading the way as we bring in six new players to the roster: three grad transfers and three incoming freshmen.

With half the team being new to our program, we have our work cut out for us to get this team playing as one, but this group of women are hungry and motivated to learn, improve and compete. I can’t wait for you guys to see them in action.

I want you to know you are the best fans in the country. You have played an integral role in our sustained success, and we are grateful for your support. Let’s make the 2023 season a memorable one.

See

Leslie Gabriel, Head Coach Husky Volleyball Team

Leslie Gabriel, Head Coach Husky Volleyball Team

DAWG SHOWS ’23

BY BART POTTER • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

QB Michael Penix Jr.

Broncos are a Mountain West powerhouse behind RB Holani

Boise State Broncos 2022: 10-4,

SEPT. 2 • 12:30 p.m. • Seattle • ABC

8-1 Mountain West Conference

The Huskies open against a Boise State team that played in the Mountain West title game (a 28-16 loss to Fresno State) and earned a 35-32 victory against North Texas in the Frisco Bowl. The Broncos return proven offensive talent in senior running back George Holani (1,157 yards, 13 total touchdowns) and redshirt sophomore quarterback Taylen Green. At 6-6 and 223 pounds, Green took over as full-time starter in Week 5 and amassed 2,628 yards of total offense, passing for 14 touchdowns and running for 10. Ace safety J.L. Skinner was drafted by the NFL’s Denver Broncos, but the Boise defense retains its leading tackler in sixth-year linebacker D.J. Schram (107 total tackles).

LAST MEETING: 2019 – Washington 38-7 (Las Vegas Bowl). SERIES: Washington 3-2.

First-ever battle against the Golden Hurricane for Huskies

Tulsa Golden Hurricane 2022: 5-7, 3-5 American Athletic Conference

SEPT. 9 • 2 p.m. • Seattle • Pac-12 Networks

Tulsa fired head coach Philip Montgomery after his eighth season in 2022. For its hoped-for reboot, the university hired Kevin Wilson, offensive coordinator at Ohio State for the past six seasons, to write the next chapter in the offense-heavy history of the school. The Golden Hurricane have a promising quarterback in redshirt sophomore Braylon Braxton, who showed enough in injury-replacement duty (92-for-163, 1,133 yards, 10 TDs) behind senior standout Davis Brin to receive notice as an honorable-mention freshman All-American. Redshirt junior Malachai Jones (37 catches, 470 yards) is the leading returning receiver.

LAST MEETING: Teams have never met.

UW looks to repeat 2022 victory over a rebuilt Spartan army

Michigan State Spartans 2022: 5-7, 3-6 Big Ten Conference

SEPT. 16 • 2 p.m. • East Lansing, Mich. • Peacock

The 2022 Huskies turned heads in college football with a 39-28 win over Michigan State in week 3 at Husky Stadium. The Spartans, highly ranked to begin the season, went on to win only three games in the Big Ten under Head Coach Mel Tucker, but welcome a return match against UW in East Lansing. Hopes for improvement for MSU in 2023 took a potential blow when two-year starting quarterback Payton Thorne and leading receiver Keon Coleman entered the transfer portal. Redshirt junior Noah Kim (14-for-19 for 174 yards in four 2022 games) might have the inside track to start at QB, and the Spartans return their leading rusher in redshirt junior Jalen Berger (683 yards, 6 TDs).

LAST MEETING: 2022 – Washington 39-28. SERIES: Washington 3-1.

Cal’s new QB and former Husky linebacker Sirmon will draw attention

California Golden Bears 2022: 4-8, 2-7 Pac-12

SEPT. 23 • Time TBA • Seattle • TV TBA

The biggest question for Coach Justin Wilcox in his seventh season in Berkeley: Who will play quarterback? North Carolina State transfer Ben Finley played three games and started two for the Wolfpack last season (65-for-123, 741 yards); Sam Jackson V, a transfer from TCU, has turned heads with his arm and footspeed despite completing only five passes in his Horned Frogs’ career. Whoever starts at QB, sophomore running back Jadyn Ott (897 yards, 11 total TDs) is a weapon for the Bears. On defense, a traditional strength under Wilcox, UW transfer Jackson Sirmon is Cal’s stopper at linebacker (104 total tackles) and DB Craig Woodson (75 tackles, two interceptions) is a candidate for conference honors.

LAST MEETING: 2022 – Washington 28-21. SERIES: Washington 57-41-4.

Dawgs and Cats: Arizona air attack expected behind gunslinging de Laura

Arizona Wildcats 2022: 5-7, 3-6 Pac-12

Sept. 30 • Time TBA • Tucson, Ariz. • TV TBA

The Wildcats will be seeking to keep their momentum as a program on the rise after win-total improvements in each of head coach Jedd Fisch’s first two seasons in Tucson. Gunslinging junior quarterback Jayden de Laura, a transfer from Washington State, passed for 3,685 yards and 25 touchdowns in his first season in Tucson. He has stud receivers to throw to in senior Jacob Cowing (85 catches, 1,034 yards) and sophomore Tetairoa McMillan, who led all true freshman nationally with 702 yards on 39 receptions with eight touchdowns. Defense is a work in progress for Fisch after the Wildcats gave up 36.5 points a game in 2022, 11th in the Pac-12, ahead of only Colorado.

LAST MEETING: 2022 – Washington 49-39. SERIES: Washington 25-11-1.

Nix was a

TD machine in 2022 with 29 throwing, 14 running

Oregon Ducks 2022: 10-3, 7-2 Pac-12

Oct. 14 • Time TBA • Seattle • TV TBA

UW earned a signature win in 2022 against UO, 37-34, in Eugene’s Autzen Stadium. This year, the Ducks visit Husky Stadium looking for revenge under second-year head coach Dan Lanning. In the quarterback-rich Pac-12, the Ducks have one of the best in senior Bo Nix, who completed 294 of 409 passes (UO-record 71.8 percent) for 3,593 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed for 510 yards and another 14 TDs. Senior RB Bucky Irving (1,058 yards, 8 total TDs) and junior WR Troy Franklin (61 catches, 891 yards, 9 TDs) are complementary pieces. The defense will be led by much-decorated senior DE Brandon Dorlus (9.5 tackles for loss) and DB Evan Franklin, a senior transfer from Fresno State, who was a second team All-Mountain West pick last year.

LAST MEETING: 2022 – Washington 37-34. SERIES: Washington 68-41-5

For Homecoming, Huskies seek revenge for their 2022 loss to Sun Devils

Arizona State Sun Devils 2022: 3-9, 2-7 Pac-12

Oct. 21 • Time TBA • Seattle • TV TBA (Homecoming weekend)

UW hit an unexpected bump in the road last season in a loss to the Sun Devils in the desert. This year’s game in Husky Stadium offers UW a chance at payback against a program looking to improve under first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham. The 32-year-old Dillingham, who replaces Herm Edwards, has holes to fill, but rebuilding around quarterback Trenton Bourguet is a start. Last year against the Huskies, Bourguet came off the bench and completed 15 of 21 passes for 182 yards and three scores and directed a game-winning 10-play, 82-yard drive to pull off the 45-38 upset. Later in October, Bourguet threw for 435 yards and two scores in a 42-34 win at Colorado.

LAST MEETING: 2022 – ASU 45-38. SERIES: ASU 20-17.

Huskies lead coastal rivalry with Cardinal by one win at 45-44-4

Stanford Cardinal 2022: 3-9, 1-8 Pac-12

Oct. 28 • Time TBA • Stanford, Calif. • TV TBA

With the end of the 12-year David Shaw Era in Palo Alto, Stanford hired Troy Taylor from Sacramento State to resurrect a team that won one conference game in 2022, the Cardinal’s third losing season in the past four. Myles Jackson, a young true freshman who gave up his senior year at Millikan High School in Long Beach, Calif., is given a solid chance to start right away at quarterback after throwing for 3,620 yards and 47 touchdowns in his junior season at Millikan. The yet-unnamed Stanford starting QB will have a talented target in tight end Benjamin Yurosek (career 92 catches for 1,103 yards), who might be the Cardinal’s best player.

LAST MEETING: 2022 – Washington 40-22. SERIES: Washington 45-44-4.

Final Pac-12 Trojan war: Heisman winner Williams v. Penix Jr.

USC Trojans 2022: 11-3, 8-2 Pac-12

Nov. 4 • Time TBA

• Los Angeles • TV TBA

The Huskies and Trojans did not play in 2022 but square off this year in Los Angeles in USC’s and UW’s final season in the Pac-12. In this conference of quarterbacks, where six returning Pac-12 starters passed for 3,000 yards or more in 2022, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner tops the list and stars for Southern Cal. Caleb Williams, a unanimous first-team All-American in 2022 after transferring from Oklahoma, set USC single-season records in nine categories, including passing yards (4,537), touchdown passes (42) and total offense (4,919 yards). Wideout Dorian Singer, a junior transfer from Arizona (66 catches, 1,105 yards for the Wildcats in 2022), and first-team All-American safety Calen Bullock (48 tackles, 5 interceptions) will help keep the starlight bright in Tinseltown.

LAST MEETING: 2021 – Washington 28-14. SERIES: USC 52-29-4.

Conference champions come to Montlake in late-season matchup

Utah Utes 2022: 10-4, 8-2 Pac-12

Nov. 11 • Time TBA • Seattle • TV TBA

UW did not play two-time defending Pac-12 champion Utah in 2022 but will run into the Utes in Week 10 in Seattle. Kyle Whittingham (19th season) and the Utes defeated USC, 47-24, in the Pac-12 title game last December. Quarterback Cameron Rising (3,034 yards, 26 TDS; 465 rush yards, 6 TDs) is back to run the show behind an experienced O-line. Anchoring that line are junior hosses Sataoa Laumea and Keaton Bills; sophomore Ja’Quinden Jackson (531 yards, 6.8 yards a carry) and junior Micah Bernard (533 yards, 12 total TDs) offer intriguing possibilities in the run game. D-lineman Junior Tafuna, LB Karene Reid and DB Cole Bishop are honors-candidate returnees from a defense that was the second stingiest in points allowed (21.4 a game) in the Pac-12.

LAST MEETING: 2020 – Washington 24-21. SERIES: Washington 13-2.

Beaver Dam: OSU’s tough defense will be a formidable challenge

Oregon State Beavers 2022: 10-3, 6-3 Pac-12

Nov. 18 • Time TBA • Corvallis, Ore. • TV TBA

Can Ben Gulbranson hold onto the quarterback job he manned for 10 games in 2022 (121-for-194, 1,455 yards, 9 TDs)? At the start of fall camp, it wasn’t clear for Coach Jonathan Smith (6th season), as Gulbranson was in open competition with Clemson transfer D.J. Uiagalelei and incoming freshman Aidan Chiles. One spot in the backfield is locked down – RB Damian Martinez (982 yards, 7 TDs), and he’ll be working behind an experienced O-line led by preseason Pac-12 honorees Taliese Fuaga, Joshua Gray and Jake Levengood. DB Kitan Oladapo (80 total tackles) is a key returnee from a dominant Beaver defense that ranked first in the Pac-12 in scoring, rushing and total defense.

LAST MEETING: 2022 – Washington 24-21. SERIES: Washington 67-35-4.

Annual Boeing Apple Cup never disappoints — the battle in Seattle

Washington State Cougars 2022: 11-3, 8-2 Pac-12

Nov. 25 • Time TBA

• Seattle • TV TBA

• Boeing Apple Cup Series

Washington will be looking for a second straight Apple Cup victory when it takes on the cross-state rival Cougars on Thanksgiving weekend at Husky Stadium. Coach Jake Dickert (2nd year) and the Cougars, who endured transfer-portal turmoil and the departure of coaches just prior to their Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl appearance in December (a 29-6 loss to Fresno State), nonetheless appear set at several key positions heading into 2023. Quarterback Cameron Ward jumped in as starter after transferring from Incarnate Word and threw for 3,231 yards and 23 touchdowns. Defensive back Chau Smith-Wade and D-linemen Brennan Jackson and Ron Stone Jr. are standout returnees from a Cougar defense that finished third in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (22.9 points a game).

LAST MEETING: 2022 – Washington 51-33. SERIES: Washington 72-32-6.

BY BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

Little more than two years ago, as the 2021 football season ended, Washington’s quarterback situation appeared ever-so promising. Sam Huard, a redshirt freshman who had entered the school as one of the most touted quarterbacks in America, was set to finally take charge.

Huard, son of Damon and nephew of Brock — both successful U-Dub quarterbacks in the 90s — was ranked as the country’s top-ranked pro style QB out of Kennedy Catholic High. He was a first-team All-America selection by USA Today. Legacy. Tradition. Excellence.

Sam played in four games in 2021, preserving his redshirt, closing the season as a surprise Apple Cup starter. He completed 17 of 31 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown in a 40-13 loss to the Cougars. Not spectacular but showed the promise that he was ready to carry the 2022 load.

At the same time, 2,000 miles away in Bloomington, Ind., another left-handed quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., appeared to be closing out his injury-riddled collegiate career. He had played four seasons for the Hoosiers, each one ending abruptly by injury. By the end of the 2021 season, he was playing limited minutes.

“They had written him off a little bit. He was practicing with the scout team,” Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. “There’s a lot to be said about his mindset, where he had to get himself to.”

Where his mindset took him was to Washington, through the transfer portal. He won the starting job last season and would lead the nation in passing at 357 yards per game as the Huskies finished with a 10-2 record.

Penix now enters his sixth and final season as a bona fide Heisman Trophy award candidate. Huard, who played just one game last season, has transferred out, to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.

How things change, how fortunes change, within one season of college football.

“It’s been fun to see those types of challenges he’s (Penix) had throughout his career and to see that resilience paying off. You don’t often see that,” Grubb added. “I think Mike showed in spring ball, how much further he is ahead already.”

How many times in school history has UW entered the season projected to be a top-10 team with a quarterback projected to be among the Heisman candidates, symbolic of the best player in the nation?

Here’s a look at the 2023 Washington offense, beginning with the guy who will make it operate.

Continued on page 12

Balanced, poised and experienced the Penix-led UW O-line, backfield and wideout corps have never been more revved up

Ja’Lynn Polk Wide Receiver

FOOTBALL PREVIEW ’

Quarterback Penix is QB1 and Led Nation in Passing

Michael Penix Jr. finished first in the nation in passing yards per game (357 yards), second in total offense (370 yards), third in completions (27.5), 11th in passing touchdowns (29) and 11th in points responsible (208).

Just days after that productive season ended, Penix cut through the drama and uncertainty, announcing that he would return for his sixth and final collegiate season. Almost immediately, he was thrust onto every preseason All-America team. It also put him on the Watch List for the Heisman Trophy award along with, among others, USC QB Caleb Williams (Washington plays at USC Nov. 4).

All this speculation, this talk, and projections — before the first snap from center — goes right past Penix. He doesn’t pay attention to it.

“I think about winning the national championship,” he said after a spring practice. “And whatever comes with that comes with it.”

He’s not there for the personal laurels. He’s a team guy.

“What’s awesome, you do not hear Mike talking about that (Heisman),” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. “You see him or hear him talking about the team. I love that. He’s focused on what the team needs.”

Penix set a school single-game record against Arizona with 516 passing yards. He had 485 yards in a 55-33 victory over Washington State and 408 yards in a come-from-behind 37-34 win over Oregon. For some UW folks, merely beating WSU and the Ducks would be considered a successful season.

“He’s got a year under his belt,” Grubb added. “It was a great steppingstone for him.”

This team needs Michael Penix Jr. to step it up to another level this season. It’s a team built around him. The wide receiver corps and offensive line have been bolstered. As Penix goes, so go the Huskies.

And while Sam Huard has transferred, junior Dylan Morris is an experienced backup. He started all four games in 2020 and 11 of 12 in 2021. He threw for 897 yards and four touchdowns in the four-game 2020 season then 2,458 yards and 14 touchdowns in his 11-game 2021 effort.

Michael Penix Jr. Quarterback

Giles Jackson Wide Receiver

Jalen McMillan Wide Receiver

Wide Receiver UW is Wide Open

The primary receiver Penix is expected to favor is redshirt junior Rome Odunze, a preseason AllAmerica selection. Odunze caught 75 passes last season for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021.

“He’s a true, true, true student of the game,” Grubb said. “He practices very hard. He’s a cerebral player, one of the more intelligent receivers I’ve been around. He knows what it takes to produce week in and week out when people are trying to stop him.

“And he’s just fantastic to be around, a phenomenal kid.”

The Huskies also have another 1,000-yard receiver from last season in redshirt junior Jalen McMillan (79 catches for 1,098 and nine touchdowns).

Sophomore Ja'Lynn Polk played in all 13 games last season after transferring from Texas Tech, finishing with 41 catches for 694 yards. Grubb said, “He is the heartbeat in that (receiver) room. He’s a tough, physical player who plays through stuff to make those tough catches.”

Polk gives the Huskies substantial depth along with senior Giles Jackson, a Michigan transfer from a year ago, and sophomore Germie Bernard, who arrived through the transfer portal from Michigan State this spring.

Running Back Slots Packed Via Portal

For the past two seasons, Washington has been looking for something at the running back spot that apparently has not been there. Instead of building from within around a recruited stalwart, the staff has searched the nation for candidates.

Last season, the first-year coaching staff brought in three running back transfers, Wayne Taulapapa (Virginia), Will Nixon (Nebraska) and Aaron Dumas (New Mexico). Taulapapa worked out, the team’s leading rusher, gaining 905 yards on 140 carries, a modest 68.2 yards per game. But it was a one-and-out deal as his eligibility has expired. Nixon carried just 21 times for 90 yards while Dumas was redshirted and decided to venture back into the transfer portal this spring.

Two more transfers are bidding for the starting job this fall, Dillon Johnson (Mississippi State) and Daniyel Ngata (Arizona State). Johnson gained 1,098 yards in three seasons at MSU but his real value in this Penix-driven attack may be his ball-catching ability out of the backfield as he has caught 149 passes for 864 yards in his career (48 for 265 yards last year). Ngata had 689 yards on 136 carries in two years for the Sun Devils but was not utilized much as a receiver.

However, after stepping up nicely last season, could Cameron Davis, a Chris Petersen recruit in his fourth season at Montlake as a redshirt junior, finally be ready for a whole season? Davis was second on the team last season with 527 rushing yards on 107 carries, averaging 47.5 yards per game. Playing in 11 of 13 games, his 13 rushing touchdowns tied him for ninth in UW’s single season history. He had three rushing touchdowns, and 77 yards, against Arizona State.

“CD is a super talented player that we’re really excited about,” Grubb said. Davis had the pedigree entering UW, with 3,328 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns for Upland High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. He was a prep All-America selection and ranked 15th among prep running backs. He was used sparingly until 2021 when he played in 12 games, starting one.

Grubb said Dillon Johnson made a strong impression during spring workouts.

“We really think he’s going to be an important guy for us,” he said, “once he gets through some of the injuries, he had in spring ball.”

There will be a competition for carries, not just from the new wave of transfers but from holdovers, like fifth-year senior Richard Newton and redshirt sophomore Sam Adams II, from Kirkland, Wash., part of a stout football family, including his father, former Seahawk Sam Adams Jr.

Also, potentially in the mix is touted incoming freshman RB Tybo Rogers from Bakersfield. He may show enough during fall camp to earn consideration or may need a redshirt year for seasoning.

Continued on page 14

SAVE THE DATES!

Sahalee Players Championship Sept. 9-10 in Sammamish

The Sahalee Players Championship, produced in cooperation with the UW and played at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, is a 30-year-old amateur tournament that showcases top golfers from a variety of Division I colleges. The 2023 event will host players from: Arizona, Arizona State, Duke, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech, USC and Wake Forest. Visit GoHuskies.com/feature/SPC for information.

Clooney-directed MGM Boys in the Boat movie debuts late this year

The long-awaited movie Boys in the Boat (adapted from the book by the same name written by Daniel James Brown), coming late 2023, is directed and produced by George Clooney. The 1930s-story centered on the University of Washington's rowing team, chronicles their Depression-era beginnings to winning gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Follow updates on Facebook and GoHuskies.com.

Cameron Davis Running Back

Tight End Chock-Full

Has there been any UW team in history (or any across the nation) that has had more experience at tight end than the 2023 Huskies?

There are not just one but two players entering the season with not just four years of experience but five collegiate seasons. Uniquely favored with extra (COVID) seasons, Devin Culp and Jack Westover, who both began their UW journey in 2018, have been in the program for a combined 10 seasons with 74 games played, and 25 starts between them.

They have combined for 91 catches for 919 yards and four touchdowns. However, the bulk of their statistical contributions came last season under first-year Head Coach Kalen DeBoer. Westover and Culp ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, among UW receivers a year ago, combining for 50 catches for 608 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

In a more refined second season under Grubb/DeBoer schemes and Penix at QB, those numbers should balloon this season.

“Dev has more straight-line speed while Jack has a thicker body making him capable of making the tough catch in traffic,” Grubb said. “We’ll utilize both those guys quite a bit.”

Washington has emerged as a sort of TE U with such strong former TEs as (Seahawk) Will Dissly, Cade Otton, Drew Sample, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, Jerramy Stevens and Mark Bruener. Both Culp, at 6-4, 236 pounds, and Westover, 6-3, 248, hope that the path to the NFL will be forged by what transpires during this, their sixth season each.

The Huskies have a quality backup as well in sophomore Josh Cuevas, a 6-3, 239-pound transfer from Cal Poly. The reason he came to Montlake, despite having a pair of six-year guys in front of him, is his hands. He’s a receiving tight end, finishing second at Cal Poly in receptions with 57 (seven more than Westover/Culp combined last season) for 622 yards and six touchdowns. He had seven or more catches in four games. There’s value in those hands under a Penix aerial show.

Ryan Otton, younger brother of Cade, had injuries to overcome his first season. The still growing 6-6, 233-pound redshirt freshman should be able to mix in. He represents the future and the continuation of TE U.

Offensive Line A 2023 Wall

The player who might be the runner-up (behind Penix) for the team’s MVP this season may go the entire season unnoticed and provide little in the way of statistical substance. That would be just fine with Roger Rosengarten.

Rosengarten, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound redshirt sophomore, started all 13 games at right guard in his first full season for the Huskies a year ago. That’s the critical position because the Huskies will start a left-hand quarterback. When Penix drops in the pocket his back will be to the right side, the blind side. Rosengarten has his back.

The Husky line allowed just seven sacks last season as Rosengarten, who won the job over twoyear starter Victor Curne, was a Freshman All-America selection. The UW is very fortunate to have Rosengarten in such an important position.

For added protection, the tackle on the left side, 6-4, 317-pound junior Troy Fautanu, also started all 13 games a year ago.

“Roger and Troy are two young tackles who are super talented. We’re blessed to have both,” Grubb said. “They are clearly the leaders in that room.”

Sixth-year center Matteo Mele will anchor the middle. Grubb added, “We think he’s going to be a big-time impact player for us.”

Redshirt junior guards Nate Kelepo, from Rainier Beach High, and Julius Buelow will squeeze in next to Mele for a formidable and veteran interior protective wall.

There’s also a considerable amount of bulk in support, such as sophomore Robert Wyrsch, sophomore Geirean Hatchett, redshirt freshman Parker Brailsford, freshman Landen Hatchett and Jalen Klemm, a transfer from Kansas State where he played both guard and tackle. He is the son of New England Patriots O-line coach Adrian Klemm.

Klemm is the ninth transfer from a four-year school added to the Husky roster since the 2022 season ended and the 17th transfer (including Penix) since DeBoer took over the program after the 2021 campaign, completely turning around the fortunes and the future of the program.

Devin Culp Tight End

Jack Westover Tight End

Roger Rosengarten Offensive Lineman

FOOTBALL PREVIEW ’ 23

BY BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

Edefuan Ulofoshio Linebacker

iven how a handful of players on the Washington Huskies football roster have had such an enormous amount of instruction and experience during their extensive careers on Montlake, perhaps they provide the opportunity to carve out an ascending role — player/coach.

With the NCAA granting extra seasons to all student-athletes because of COVID-19, the Huskies find themselves with nine players in their sixth and final season — five of them on defense.

The five defensive players are linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio, safety Dominique Hampton, and defensive linemen Tuli Letuligasenoa, Ulumoo Ale, and Zion Tupuola-Fetui. Also, senior safety Asa Turner and junior Alphonzo Tuputala both will be entering their fifth seasons.

Any more time spent on campus, and they might apply to be tenured.

“The biggest thing for us is having a strong veteran presence on the squad,” said Chuck Morrell, the Huskies’ co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. “They’ve taken a lot of snaps, the lights are not too bright for them anymore, and they know how to meet the expectations of the season. It’s like having a coach on the field for us.”

Without those extra seasons, unprecedented in NCAA history, the Huskies coaching staff, under second-year Head Coach Kalen DeBoer, would have been challenged to put together an up-to-speed defensive presence this season.

“They all wanted to come back for another season. They felt they had the opportunity to do really big things this season. That’s a testament to Coach DeBoer. They wanted to stay and lead Husky football this season.”

Here’s a capsule look at the Huskies, beginning with the linebacker corps, which has a remarkable amount of experience.

Continued on page 18

Perhaps the most experienced Husky defense ever, UW’s D-line, linebackers and secondary are in the national spotlight

Long Experience at Linebacker

The Huskies’ top four linebackers, senior Ulofoshio, graduate senior transfer Ralen Goforth, and juniors Tuputala and Carson Bruener, together have seen 16 collegiate seasons. They have played in a combined 121 games, starting 47.

Ulofoshio, whose arrival on campus nearly seems to date back to the invention of the wheel, came here in 2018. His impact was immediate. On his first play in his first game against Oregon State, he forced a fumble that led to a UW touchdown. He forced another fumble later in the game.

He then played all 13 games in 2019, his official redshirt freshman season, starting three. He played in all four games in the 2020 season, then came the injuries. He was injured in the sixth game of the 2021 season, missing the final seven games. He suffered an off-season injury last year and missed the first eight games, playing the final five. Injuries and the COVID-shortened 2020 season (four games) denied him from playing in a potential 24 more games, nearly two seasons worth.

Federal Way’s Tuputala is the lone returning starter at linebacker for the Huskies and is the unit’s anchor. He finished second on the team in tackles with 71. The team leader was safety Alex Cook (82), now on the New York Giants roster.

Remarkably, despite their combined nine seasons together on the linebacker depth chart, Tuputala and Ulofoshio likely will be paired in the starting lineup for the first time for the Sept. 2 opener against Boise State. They could have been a successful pairing beginning back in 2021, but Tuputala missed the first six games with an off-season injury. Ulofoshio was injured in the sixth game and missed the rest of the season. Tuputala started all 13 games last season while Ulofoshio missed the first eight games, playing the final five without starting.

As the season approaches, starting linebacker jobs are written in pencil because of the experience and quality at the position. Goforth is a fifth-year senior (graduate) transfer from USC. He played 40 games in his four seasons with the Trojans, starting 17. He finished with 149 tackles.

Bruener, a junior from Redmond, Wash., played in 11 games in 2021, starting five, and played in all 13 games last season. He finished fifth on the team in tackles (45) in 2022 despite not starting a game.

Ulofoshio and Tuputala have been given Pac-12 preseason honorable mention honors while Ulofoshio and Goforth have been named to the East-West Shrine Bowl watch list.

Defensive Line Depth

The Huskies’ defensive line, much like the linebacker corps, is loaded with experienced candidates, led by junior Bralen Trice, a preseason Walter Camp All-America first-team selection and All-Pac-12 first teamer.

Trice emerged as a force on the edge last season, starting 12 of 13 games, with nine sacks, third most in the Pac-12. He was the Defensive MVP at the Alamo Bowl and voted the team’s Defensive MVP.

“Bralen is relentless. No one on the team practices harder,” Morrell said. “What the fans see is what we get to see every day in practice. He is a big piece of our success.”

At 6-foot-4, 274 pounds, Trice is the hefty anchor in the middle but not nearly the heftiest. He will be surrounded by the 300-pound club across the defensive line.

Edefuan Ulofoshio Linebacker

Alphonzo Tuputala Linebacker

Carson Bruener Linebacker

Tuli Letuligasenoa, at 6-foot-1, 302 pounds, has started on the edge in 23 of 25 games over the past two seasons. Like Ulofoshio, he first walked on the UW campus in 2018 and has played in 41 games, topped only by Hampton’s 42.

Faatui Tuitele, a 6-foot-3, 314-pound tackle from Honolulu, is one of just two defensive players who started all 13 games last season (matching Tuputala). He’s a redshirt junior.

Ulumoo Ale, a 6-6, 347-pounder from Tacoma (changed his name from ‘M.J.’), likely will back up Letuligasenoa and Tuitele. Ale is actually a smaller version of himself. He was once as much as 368 pounds when he played guard in his first three seasons for the Huskies. But he converted to defense last season, shedding pounds and blocks in his new role, playing 11 of 13 games.

Senior edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui, 6-4, 254, has been limited by injuries and circumstances, preventing him from reaching his potential. In a season reduced (by COVID) to four games in 2020, Tupuola-Fetui led the nation with 1.75 sacks and forced fumbles (0.75) per game. He made a pair of second-team All-America teams but played just five games the subsequent season because of a lingering spring injury. He played all 13 games last season, starting two.

Voi Tunuufi, is a ‘lightweight’ on the line at 6-1, 260 pounds, was a fierce pass rusher. The junior from South Jordan, Utah, had five sacks last season, including one in the Alamo Bowl against Texas.

Two transfers are expected to provide quality depth as well as push for starting jobs. Senior Sekai Asoau-Afoa, at 6-4, 263, was raised in Tacoma and came to the Huskies a year ago from College of San Mateo. Also, Zach Durfee, 6-5, 265, who had 11 sacks for Sioux Falls College last season, could see a surprising amount of playing time despite being new to the system.

There is plenty of experience, depth and talent along that line that was enough to persuade sophomore edge rusher Sav’ell Smalls, who played in all 13 games a year ago, to transfer to Colorado even before spring football drills were finished.

Continued on page 20

Tuli Letuligasenoa

Defensive Lineman

Ulumoo Ale

Defensive Lineman

Zion Tupuola-Fetui

Edge Rusher

Kalen DeBoer Head Coach

Secondary Stacked With Potential

The secondary might be thin in experience due to transfers and graduations, but still flush with veteran candidates from within the UW camp and added portal personnel.

Dominique Hampton enters his sixth season with a team-high (and near UW record) 42 games under his belt. He started 11 of 12 games last season (missing one with injury) and was seventh on the team in tackles (42). He is expected to run alongside Asa Turner, giving the Huskies a veteran look. Turner, a fifth-year senior, started all 12 games last season, finishing fourth on the team in tackles with 52.

Versatile Mishael Powell, a junior and former O’Dea High standout, will cover plenty. He was sixth on the team in tackles (43) last season.

Oklahoma State transfer Jabbar Muhammad is an intriguing figure. He already has been honored as a preseason Pac-12 second-team selection. With that, his role should be more prominent.

Elijah Jackson, a sophomore entering his fourth season in the program, is expected to start at cornerback. He played in seven games last season, starting two. Davon Banks, another sophomore with limited experience, is penciled in as a corner starter. But that is uncertain, as he was held out of spring drills while recovering from injury.

Makell Esteen, a sophomore in his fourth year on the roster, played eight games last season, with two interceptions. He gives the Huskies depth as does redshirt freshman Tristan Dunn from Sumner, Wash., Oregon sophomore transfer Darren Barkins, and JC transfer, junior Thaddeus Dixon.

Dominique Hampton Safety

Asa Turner Safety

Mishael Powell Husky

Elijah Jackson Cornerback

QUESTIONS

A CONVERSATION WITH MARK MOSCHETTI FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

Bralen Trice has yet to play a down or make a sack in 2023. But as soon as the Boise State Broncos take the Husky Stadium field for their first offensive possession in the seasonopening game on Sept. 2, count on Trice, on the defensive edge, being in the middle of all the action.

Playing all 13 games last year, starting 12, Trice led Washington with nine sacks, the third-highest total in the Pac-12 Conference. Those sacks were part of his 38 total tackles, 22 of them solo. Up and down the West Coast and across the country, people noticed. The conference coaches and three other entities named him to the All Pac-12 first team. He received four All-America awards: a second team, a third team, and two honorable mentions.

When the final tackle had been made to wrap up an 11-2 season, Trice was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the Alamo Bowl game against Texas and was voted UW’s Defensive MVP.

Trice already is getting noticed this year, even before the opening kickoff, as he has a pair of preseason All-America first-team selections and is a preseason All Pac-12 first-team pick.

In this issue’s 10 Questions feature, Trice shares some thoughts heading into a highly anticipated 2023 campaign.

Bralen Trice

What’s the feeling heading into camp now that the players, Head Coach DeBoer and his staff have had a season to work together?

“It’s a great feeling because we have that level of trust and communication now as a team that can only come from time.’’

You made four All-America teams last year and are on two preseason All-America teams this year. What does it mean to you to get that kind of recognition?

“I’m really appreciative and blessed to receive this type of recognition. But in all honesty, it doesn’t really matter to me. I just want to play hard and win a Pac-12 championship and (national championship) with my team.’’

What would you say is the biggest improvement you made as an individual player last year?

“The biggest improvement I feel I made as an individual player last year was my knowledge of the game.’’

Was there a game or maybe a special moment last season when you felt especially good about the direction the team was going?

“There wasn’t a specific moment, but I’d say after beating Michigan State, you could just feel where we were headed.’’

Aside from Oregon, USC, and WSU, is there a particular game you’re really looking forward to this year – and why that game?

“I’m looking forward to Utah because I haven’t physically played in a game against them since I’ve been in college.’’

You’ve been an outstanding football player for a long time. Was there another sport for you growing up that you really enjoyed?

“I really enjoyed playing tennis as a kid, I felt that I was really good at it.’’

This is a very physically demanding, time-demanding sport. What drives you forward from day to day, even on those occasional days when you might feel like doing something other than football?

“What drives me forward every day is knowing that it’s bigger than myself. I’m doing it for my team, coaches, my family, and the beautiful state of Washington.’’

Growing up, who was someone who helped make you the person you are today, both on and off the football field?

“Someone who helped make me who I am today is obviously going be my mom. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today, and the amount of support and love she’s shown me my entire life and through football has been more than I could ever ask for.’’

When you were considering where to go to college, what were things that excited you about Washington and Seattle?

“The atmosphere, the fans, the team, and the education.’’

What are you majoring in, and what would you like to do in life when that time comes when football is done?

“Medical-Anthropology, I want to travel the world and study different types of medicine in both firstworld countries and third-world countries.’’

Rushing the passer like nobody’s business, Bralen Trice is All-Everything in 2023 and will be giving the QB-rich Pac-12 fits

Fútbol Forecast

BY MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

Jamie Clark heard it last year when his University of Washington men’s soccer team headed into the new season having graduated its entire back line. “There were questions about, ‘Can you be as good defensively when you lost all those players?’ And I think a bunch of guys really stepped forward,” Clark said.

Now, he’s hearing it again after the Huskies graduated their entire front line — a group that produced 35 of the team’s 48 goals. “Within the team, we believe there will be no step backward,” Clark said. “But it has to be proven. And that’s the fun of it.”

Nicole Van Dyke knows the feeling. Like the men’s team under Clark’s guidance, her UW women’s team saw its leading scorers conclude their collegiate careers.

“It’s going to be a lot of new opportunities and new faces,” Van Dyke said. “They’re young, they’re energetic, they’re hungry, and they’re fresh. They’re really at that point where it’s now their time to build the program, as we’re in a little bit of a reset.”

KALANI KOSSA-RIENZI

Great recruiting, transfer portal prowess and grooming paint a promising outlook for men’s and women’s soccer programs

KELSEY BRANSON

CHRIS MEYERS

Staying In The Hunt MEN

The Huskies, who were ranked No. 1 for the last six polls of the 2022 regular season and entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed, did lose a trio of All Pac-12 first teamers — Illijah Paul, the Offensive Player of the Year with 11 goals; Lucas Meek, with 10 goals, and Nick Scardinia, with seven.

But they do return a pair of first-team midfielders in junior Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (three goals, three assists) and senior Christian Soto (four goals). Additionally, UW has another pair of honorable mention midfielders in senior Imanol Rosales and junior Chris Meyers, each of whom had 10 assists, and a secondteam defender in Nate Jones.

Clark is especially thrilled to have Kossa-Rienzi and Soto back on the pitch together.

“As coaches, you don’t often get guys who are potentially the most talented but also the hardestworking,” Clark said. “They have a crazy ability to outwork opponents and outclass them. They’re RollsRoyces with maybe Ford engines.”

The Huskies have two goalkeepers who’ve proven themselves in big-time games. Senior Sam Fowler played in 14 of last season’s 20 contests, missing a month of action (six games) with a broken arm. Junior Jadon Bowton was in for 10 games, including the month when Fowler was out. Bowton went 4-0-2 during that time.

CHRISTIAN SOTO

Some of the scoring power could come from among the numerous newcomers. Bryan Iliohan tallied 20 goals over the past two seasons at Cal Baptist. Peter Kingston, a transfer from Seattle University, played this summer with Ballard FC in USL League Two, and had seven goals and 10 assists heading into the playoffs. Sophomore Richie Aman played in 19 of last year’s 20 games, primarily as a reserve, and Clark said he could be on the brink of a breakout autumn.

Although last year’s 15-2-3 season ended sooner than the Huskies would have liked with a secondround 3-1 loss to eventual national semifinalist Creighton, Clark believes his program can keep aiming for national-caliber status.

“The bar is quite high right now — that’s always tricky when the standards have been set high,” he said. “But this group has the potential to follow in the (footsteps of) the last couple years.

“I think being in the hunt for another Pac-12 title or a national title is not out of the question.”

A New Look Everywhere  WOMEN

With leading scorers Summer Yates (seven goals, six assists) and McKenzie Weinert (five goals, five assists) having moved on to the professional level, Van Dyke’s team will have different names on the scoresheet, not only up top, but all over the field.

“Most likely, we will have 10 new starters out there,” said Van Dyke, whose 2022 squad went 10-6-3 (4-6-1 in Pac-12). “It’s going to be a lot of young faces, but all of these freshmen were behind some very impactful players.”

One of last year’s freshmen, Kelsey Branson, made some of her own impact, logging five goals and four assists and earning a place on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team.

Goalkeeper Olivia Juarez, a junior, likely can expect to see much more action than the six games and 191 minutes she recorded last year behind now-departed Olivia Sekany. “Now it’s kind of her time,” Van Dyke said. “I think it’s going to be exciting to see what she brings, because she has the respect of the whole team.”

Sophomore defender Kolo Suliafu saw action in all 19 games, getting nine starts. Among those potentially joining her in the back line is freshman Maya Loudd from Portland.

Up front, Van Dyke says freshman Raddison Banks is a candidate for some meaningful minutes. Ditto for junior Ioanna Papatheodorou, a native of Greece and a transfer from Massachusetts Lowell who was called in to the Greek national team during the summer.

“We’ve got a lot of different pieces, and I think the preseason and non-conference games are really going to provide us that opportunity to put together some chemistry with the group and see who plays well together,” Van Dyke said.

“Our mantra this year is show up, bring your best, and be brave,” she added. “We really want the players to start the process here, knowing they can be creative, try new things, bring their authentic selves. And within that, I think we’re going to see a lot of growth in the group.”

OLIVIA JUAREZ

KOLO SULIAFU

UP FOR GRABS

The sky’s the limit for preseason All-America WR

ROME ODUNZE

TBY BART POTTER • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

hey’re known as 50-50 balls, those passes seemingly up for grabs between defender and tightly covered receiver, with first downs, touchdowns, and wins or losses in the balance.

It might help a receiver to be big, strong and fast. But Husky junior Rome Odunze, who is all those things, said catching that kind of ball is as much mentality as physicality.

“I’m just really looking to be a taker. If the ball is in the air, it’s ours,” Odunze said. “I make sure I’m getting myself between the defender and the ball, putting myself in the best position to jump up and snag it.

“We try to think of it as a 100-to-0 ball.”

Las Vegas native Odunze, 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds, has caught enough passes of every stripe in his time at Washington to justify words like “AllAmerican” being placed near his name. His role in Washington’s 11-2 season of 2022, and the emergence of fellow members of his position group in synchrony with a left-handed wizard named Michael Penix Jr., are major reasons the football intelligentsia is placing the Huskies in the top tier nationally in preseason assessments for 2023.

Last year, Odunze collected 75 receptions for a Pac-12-leading 1,145 yards

and seven touchdowns. His single-game performances included eight catches for 161 yards and a touchdown in a win against Stanford and five for 157 and a score in an Apple Cup victory against Washington State.

When he pulled in nine balls for a career-high 169 yards and two TDs against Arizona, he became the first Husky ever to top 100 yards in four straight games. He had six century-mark games for the season.

Odunze was a consensus All-Pac-12 first-teamer after the season and later named a first-team preseason All-America by Walter Camp and Athlon. Additionally, he’s been named as a third-team preseason All-America by the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus.

Odunze was also named to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll and the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team.

He’s not the only talent in the UW receiver corps. Jalen McMillan, a junior from Fresno, caught a team-high 79 balls for 1,098 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. He had six receptions for 150 yards (to go with Odunze’s 157) as Penix Jr. passed for 485 yards in the Apple Cup.

Continued on page 28

who has the Biletnikoff Award and a lot more all within his grasp

Ja’Lynn Polk (Lufkin, Texas), a transfer from Texas Tech, put together a 41-catch, 694-yard performance in 2022 that included 153 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 3 win over Michigan State.

Odunze believes the high national expectations for the Huskies are warranted.

“We had a great year last year, and we retained a lot of guys that could have gone to the NFL,” he said. “That brings a lot of hype, and we are getting some high expectations, and we’re looking to exceed those. Our goal is to win the national championship, no matter what the expectations are.”

As for his personal goals, Odunze sets the bar high: 1,300 receiving yards, at least 80 receptions, double-digit touchdowns. He wants to win the Biletnikoff Award as the best college receiver in America.

This student of the game of football admits, respectfully, that he knows nothing about the man for whom the Biletnikoff Award is named. Fred Biletnikoff completed his Hall of Fame career decades before Odunze was born, and his excellence among the “split ends” and “flankers” of his day had little to do with breakaway speed and much to do with toughness, smooth pass routes and the stickiest hands in the game.

When Odunze calls out current players he respects — and watches and studies — he starts with a receiver considered the best at his craft in today’s NFL.

“I really admire Devante Adams,” he said. “His release work, his route work, attacking the football, also just his knowledge of the game. I look at him a lot.”

Another is DeAndre Hopkins. “He always catches the rock,” he said. “I definitely admire his ability to go up and get the ball.”

Of Hopkins, he especially appreciates his YAC (Odunze pronounces it “yack”), which stands for yards after catch, the instinctive ability not only to come down with the football but to break loose and break tackles on the way to explosive plays.

“At that point it’s just back-yard football,” he said.

What will the pros see when they watch and evaluate Odunze?

“A top 15 draft pick, honestly,” he said. “I think I bring those qualities, bring that energy, bring that excitement.”

Expectations are high for Rome Odunze and the Washington Huskies, self-imposed and by the world at large. Their collective goal remains rock-steady: Nothing less than a national championship.

And those 50-50 balls?

In this back yard, there’s no such thing.

“I’m just really looking to be a taker. If the ball is in the air, it’s ours,” Odunze said.

M c Millan Polk Odunze

PURPLE REIGN Husky Stadium ready for its 103rd year

Seattle’s longest-standing sports venue, which broke ground in 1920, Husky Stadium is the perfect backdrop for the 2023 home opener against the Boise State Broncos Sept. 2. The regular season concludes at home with the 115th renewal of the Boeing Apple Cup on Nov. 25. Visit GoHuskies.com for the latest information and tickets.

Photographs by RED BOX PICTURES

To purchase Husky Athletics photography, visit www.HUSKIESPHOTOSTORE.com