Washington football’s fatal flaw that will ruin college football playoff hopes

“Different” is probably the best word to describe Washington football this year. With an entirely new team, the Huskies will begin their chapter in the Big Ten under newly hired coach Jedd Fisch. The team is coming off a painful loss in the National Championship and would surely want nothing more than to redeem themselves this time around. However, it won’t be easy.

As any football fan knows, making the College Football Playoff means a team has to be one of the most dominant in the country. Heck, being undefeated doesn’t even guarantee a CFP berth anymore — just look at what happened to Florida State last season. But that’s a conversation for another time. Getting back to the topic of Washington football, they’ll have to reign supreme in their inaugural Big Ten season. In other words, getting past teams like Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan is a must.

Can the Huskies do it? Maybe, if they somehow find a way to overcome the current dents in their armor. And for this year, two main concerns are causing concern: the inexperience of the offensive line and the lack of depth among receivers.

Washington Football’s New and Inexperienced Offensive Line

The biggest issue going into next season will be the offensive line. After all, there’s no telling how a unit will perform after all five starters have been moved to the transfer portal or the NFL draft. Plus, these weren’t your run-of-the-mill starters. The 2023 offensive line won the Joe Moore Award. Its elite protection was a big reason Washington’s passing game was one of the best in the NCAA.

In 2024, the offensive line will be led by sophomore Drew Azzopardi, a highly touted 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle from San Diego State. He started six of his 12 games with the Aztecs last year and is considered the ideal replacement for Roger Rosengarten at right tackle.

Other potential starters include center Landen Hatchett, a sophomore who played in nine games for Washington last season, and former junior college All-American Maximus McCree, who is the most optimal option at the other tackle spot. As for interior pieces, Gaard Memmelar could be called upon at left side. The junior missed the entirety of last season due to injury but played in four games for the Huskies in 2022.

Finally, the right guard spot could belong to Enokk Vimahi, who is a five-year veteran of Ohio State. He played in eight games last season, helping the Buckeyes to an 11-2 record. Throughout his college career, Vimahi played in 35 games, starting just once.

Of course, this isn’t the final lineup yet, as other transfer and returning players are also competing for those starting spots. Many analysts aren’t predicting much for this year’s rotation, but who knows? Maybe they’ll exceed expectations and prove everyone wrong.

Lack of depth among receivers

Last season, the Huskies were led by three wide receivers in total receiving yards: Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan, all three of whom are now in the NFL. To give you an idea of ​​how formidable they were, Odunze and Polk were both 1,000-yard wide receivers. Odunze was stellar, catching a total of 92 passes for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 17.8 yards per reception. He was a consensus All-American and was named First Team All-Pac-12. As for Polk, he was a formidable second option, racking up a total of 1,159 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

As for Jalen McMillan, he followed with 559 yards and five touchdowns. Don’t let the numbers fool you, though. The only reason McMillan had a relatively quiet 2023 was because of a knee injury in the team’s third game. This caused him to miss time during the season, which brought his overall numbers down compared to the previous year. In 2022, he caught 79 passes for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns.

The only notable addition to the receiving corps this year is California’s Jeremiah Hunter. Hunter led the Golden Bears’ wide receiver room with 703 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He’ll likely be the starter, and along with him, backups such as Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson are expected to fill the other two spots.

At tight end, 2023 starter Jack Westover has also moved up to the pros. In his place, Quentin Moore, a backup from last season, is projected to take over as one of Will Rogers’ top targets.

Make no mistake, this isn’t to downplay the current group of pass-catchers. Jeremiah Hunter is expected to perform well, judging by his resume at California. Denzel Boston has a lot of potential and has reportedly been delivering well in spring training, according to Dan Raley of Sports Illustrated. Giles Jackson is entering his sixth year of college football, meaning he has the experience to be called upon for a bigger role. Quentin Moore played a big role during Washington’s Pac-12 championship game against Oregon last year, making him the most viable option at tight end.

The lingering concern, though, is whether they can provide the same impact — or even anything close to it — that Rome Odunze and company were able to display last year. In 2023, Washington football as a team has totaled 5,155 passing yards, leading the entire NCAA in that category. They’re also totaling 343.7 passing yards per game, second-best in the league.

If this group of pass catchers somehow proves that they can pick up where their predecessors left off, then good things will definitely happen for the Huskies this year.

Other assignees under the direction of Jedd Fisch

On the bright side, several other talented players were selected through the transfer portal. At quarterback, there’s Will Rogers, who is predicted to be Washington’s new QB1. He played for Mississippi State these past four years, racking up a total of 12,315 passing yards and 94 touchdowns.

Another player expected to see plenty of minutes in the backfield is Jonah Coleman. A prized transfer who followed Jedd Fisch from Arizona to Washington, Coleman rushed for 871 yards and five touchdowns on 128 carries last season with the Wildcats. With Dillon Johnson now off to the pros, Coleman will be tasked with leading the Huskies’ running back bench.

In the secondary, Ephesians Prysock is the leading candidate to replace Jabbar Muhammad. Prysock had 64 combined tackles (42 solo), seven passes defensed and one interception last year with Arizona. He will be assigned to cover opposing teams’ top receivers once games begin in three weeks.