Written by: Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The ‘At First Glance’ series moves to the final week of October as the Hoosiers will play host to the 2023 national runner-up Washington Huskies. It will be a new look Washington team that comes east to play at Memorial Stadium.

Week Nine: Washington Huskies

Date & Time: Saturday, October 26th TBA

Venue: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN

TV: TBA

Huskies at a Glance

Head Coach: Jedd Fisch

Record at UW: 0-0 First Season

Overall Record: 17-22 Entering Fourth Season as Head Coach

Last Season: 14-1 (9-0 in PAC-12) Lost in National Championship Game

Husky Returning Leaders

Passing: No returning players have thrown a pass

Rushing: Will Nixon –201 Yards on 33 Carries 1 Touchdown

Receiving:Giles Jackson– 14 Catches for 106 Yards 1 Touchdown

Tackles:– Carson Bruener (LB) 86 Tackles (43 solo), 2.5 Tackles for Loss, 3 Pass Break Ups

Huskies Preseason Predictions

Athlon: 10th in the Big Ten

Lindy’s: 9th in the Big Ten

Phil Steele: 9th in the Big Ten

SP+: 35th Nationally

Impact Newcomers for the Huskies

Will Rogers, QB, Transfer from Mississippi State
Sebastian Valdez, DT, Transfer from Montana State
Jonah Coleman, RB, Transfer from Arizona

Biggest Questions Facing the Huskies

Can the Offensive Line Allow Playmakers to Succeed?
How Will Washington Adjust to the Big Ten?
Will the Incoming Transfer Talent Accelerate the Rebuild?

Program Preview

The Washington Huskies are coming off an historic season in 2023 when they won the last Pac-12 championship and went 14-0 before falling to Michigan in the national championship game. However, the Husky team that will take the field will look very, very different in 2024.

After their run to the national title game, Washington saw head coach Kalen DeBoer take the Alabama head coaching position and will have to replace all 11 starters on offense and nine on defense as players either were drafted or transferred out.

The Huskies brought in Jedd Fisch who led Arizona to a 10-win season and a bowl win over Oklahoma in 2023 as head coach. Fisch was successful in the transfer portal as he convinced Will Rogers to stay with his commitment to Washington and pulled in several highly-regarded players from Arizona and other former Pac-12 schools. It may take some time to gel, but if the offensive line can protect Rogers, the offense should be just fine.

Fisch brought in Steve Belichick, Bill’s son, to be the defensive coordinator. He gets to work with stud linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala and corner Elijah Jackson, but will have a whole new cast of characters to run his defense.

The adjustment to the Big Ten could be a tough one for Washington, especially with the travel. While the Huskies do not have to face Ohio State, they draw Michigan, Penn State, Oregon and USC and have cross country trips to Rutgers and Penn State as well as trips to Iowa and Indiana sprinkled in. November could be the toughest run of any Big Ten team in 2024 (USC, at Penn State, UCLA and at Oregon). Hope the check is worth it (eventually).

Offensive Preview

Washington’s offense was one of the best in the country in 2023 and it showed up in the NFL Draft as three players went in the first round this year. They will have to replace all 11 starters, but have brought in a solid haul from the transfer portal to help accelerate the rebuild in Seattle.

Quarterback Will Rogers is the centerpiece of a transfer class that ranked 11th in the nation. Rogers comes in from Mississippi State where he had the second-most passing yards in SEC history and fourth-most touchdown passes. Rogers only played in eight games last season as he suffered a shoulder injury. When healthy Rogers completed 59.9-percent of his passes for a team-leading 1,626 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is not a threat to run. Rogers still has to prove he is not just a product of Mike Leach’s offense.

Washington lost nearly all of their productive receivers from 2023’s team, but that does not mean they do not have talent there waiting for a chance. UW brings in Jeremiah Hunter who had 2,103 yards in four years at Cal. Denzel Boston has waited his turn and is ready to be a starter and slot receiver Giles Jackson is the team’s leading returning receiver.

The tight end position may take a step back as the Huskies lost both to the NFL, but senior Quinten Moore is solid in the blocking game and should help an offensive line that will need some time to gel. Moore only had two receptions in limited time in 2024.

The running game will need to be rebuilt as well as the Huskies will likely turn to speedster Jonah Coleman who followed Fisch from Arizona. Coleman was the Wildcats leading rusher last season and averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Senior Cameron Davis returns after missing 2023 with an injury. He ran for 522 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022. The Huskies also bring in four-star freshman Jordan Washington who flipped his commitment from Arizona. While there are questions about experience with this group, there is talent to be molded into a solid unit.

All of the talent at the skill positions does not mean a thing if the offensive line can not be a functional unit. It will be hard to live up to the standards set by last year’s group who won the Joe Moore Award as the country’s best offensive line. A trio of transfers will try to plug the holes led by San Diego State transfer right tackle Drew Azzopardi. Former Ohio State lineman Enokk Vimahi should take over the right guard position and Portland State transfer D’Angelo Totialli will probably get the nod at center. Junior Gaard Memmelaar is returning from an injury that kept him out for the 2023 season when he was projected to start at left guard. A pair of freshmen in Soane Faasolo and Justin Hylkema will battle it out for the left tackle spot.

Defensive Preview

The attrition on defense was not as complete as the offensive side of the ball with two starters returning. Washington’s defense was the weak link in 2023, especially in pass defense, as they rode an offense to the national championship game. The Huskies finished 117th in passing defense and 96th in total defense, so it may not be the worst thing to have a new group coming in.

Starting up front the Huskies have plenty of potential along the defensive line. Seniors Zach Dufree (edge) and Sebastian Valdez (DT) look primed for breakout seasons. Valdez is coming up from FCS Montana State where he was impressive chasing down quarterbacks and Dufree sat out last season after transferring from Sioux Falls. Juniors Jayvon Parker (DT) who had four tackles in ‘23 is ready to step into a bigger role while Maurice Heims (Edge) is an interesting international prospect who played in 14 games last season. If this unit can reach their potential, it could be a solid one. However, ‘if’ is the key word.

The linebacking group will be the strength of this defense with Carson Bruener and Alphonzo Tuputala returning. The duo combined for 175 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two interceptions last season. In a new defense, their havoc numbers should rise.

The secondary will be rebuilt through the transfer portal. Elijah Jackson returns as the lone starter from 2023 in the secondary. Jackson made 61 tackles last season and broke up six passes. Ephesians Prysock is a playmaker who comes in from Arizona where he had seven passes broken up and an interception. Former Hoosier Jordan Shaw is likely the starter at the nickel back position. At safety, Oklahoma transfer Justin Harrington is looking to rebound after playing just two games in 2023. He has two career picks. Kamren Fabiculanan played in 12 games a season ago making 26 tackles. He should be ready for a starting spot.

Special Teams Preview

Washington does return both their starting place kicker and punter from 2023. Grady Gross hit 18-of-22 field goals and all 63 extra points in 2023, but needs to increase his range. Gross also handles the Huskies’ kickoff duties where he had 48 touchbacks on 101 kickoffs.

Punter Jack McCallister was inconsistent with a net average of 39.9 yards per punt.

Washington will have to find a kick returner in fall camp, but there are plenty of options. Daniel Ngata returns to field punts after averaging 23.4 yards a return in 2023.

2024 FIRST GLANCE PREVIEWS

Week One: FIU Golden Panthers

Week Two: WIU Leathernecks

Week Three: at UCLA Bruins

Week Four: Charlotte 49ers

Week Five: Maryland Terrapins

Week Six: at Northwestern Wildcats

Week Seven: Bye

Week Eight:Nebraska Cornhuskers