The Washington Huskies have a lot of holes to replace on their football team this year.
The Washington Huskies football team had a great season last year before coming up short in the national championship game. However, they will need to replace a lot of holes that left in the offseason.
The Huskies lost their head coach, starting quarterback, and top three wide receivers prior to the start of this season. There will be plenty of new faces, but the cupboard is not bare.
Jedd Fisch comes over from Arizona as Washington’s new head coach. The offense will be different, but he had his own exciting brand of football with the Wildcats. The Huskies brought in some transfers but new players will have to step up for them to be successful in their first season in the Big Ten.
Giles Jackson, WR
Giles Jackson was a top 250 player in the 2019 class and decided on moving east to Michigan. He would only have 24 receptions in two years, so Jackson decided to move back west and transfer to Washington. In his first season at Washington, he would only play under 200 snaps and record only eight receptions.
In 2022, he would have his best season with 28 receptions and 328 yards. However, last year when with a great trio of receivers, Jackson would take a step back with only 100 yards receiving.
With that said, production needs to be replaced on the Huskies offense. Even though transfer Jeremiah Hunter should be a focal point, Jackson could get an uptick in production with a new coaching staff. He is an electric playmaker that just needs the ball in his hands. Last year, the largest area of passing for Arizona was between 0-10 yards. This could finally be the time for Jackson to see his success on the field.
Vincent Holmes, S
The Washington defense was a bend but don’t break defense last year. They gave up over 400 yards per game but were top 50 in scoring defense, only allowing 24.8 points per game. The defense will have to replace their two top safeties from a year ago, however. Dominique Hamilton was drafted in the 5th round and Mishael Powell transferred to Miami. They combined for over 1,800 snaps and 100 total tackles a year ago.
One of the players to step up in 2024 should be Vincent Holmes. He came out of high school as a four-star athlete that had experience at safety and wide receiver. In the spring, he had asked to play receiver, but looks like he has found his place in the secondary.
In the spring game he had a couple big hits on receivers and looks to bring physicality to the backend. Holmes did not see much time on defense in 2023, but did get experience playing special teams in a few games. Coming into a new conference, Holmes will be crucial for the defense to continue its strong play from 2023.
Adam Mohammed, RB
On top of the top three receivers and the starting quarterback, the Huskies must replace their workhorse running back. Dillon Johnson had 233 attempts for 1,189 yards and 18 touchdowns with the Huskies, but is now in the NFL. The next highest rusher on the team had only 200 yards. The offense will need to have balance and that may come in from new freshman running back Adam Mohammed.
Mohammed is a three-star running back that committed to Arizona and enrolled early. Once Fisch left for Washington, however, he immediately followed. In the spring game, he was the leading running back on the purple team. Mohammed carried the ball six times for only 17 yards but did have the only rushing touchdown.
Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. He at one time was in 77 fantasy leagues and loves the game of football. Brandon started writing for The Leauge Winners in 2021.