Depth chart projection: Familiar faces highlight Washington's 2025 offense

But the Huskies added a few transfers at key positions, too.

Photo courtesy of UW Football.

For parts of the 2024 season, Washington’s offense took the field with eight transfers in the starting lineup.

The Huskies’ 2025 offense will not be nearly as reliant on the portal as last year’s version — nor as reliant as UW’s 2025 defense will be — though it will rely on a couple transfers to help reinforce the offensive line, and one other to round out its receiver corps.

At first glance, I see eight potential starters who were on the roster last season, plus a ninth, Oklahoma o-line transfer Geirean Hatchett, who spent his first four college seasons at Washington. Assuming good health, Hatchett should be joined in the starting lineup by another veteran offensive lineman who recently joined the program.

As noted in my defensive depth chart projection, remember: the Huskies currently are over the 85-scholarship limit coach Jedd Fisch wants to maintain, so it’s likely a couple players you see listed in this story will not be with the team come August.

Here’s how I’d sketch the offensive depth chart ahead of Fisch’s second spring.

Quarterback

Starter: Demond Williams Jr.

Backup: Kai Horton

Depth: Dash Beierly, Treston “Kini” McMillan, Shea Kuykendall

No mystery here. Williams takes over as the Face Of The Program, and Horton, a recent transfer from Tulane, was presumably acquired to give the Huskies a (relatively) experienced backup. Beierly and McMillan are both already on campus and Kuykendall is still on the roster after spending last season with the team (though he didn’t appear in any games). Last spring, Fisch split reps pretty evenly between Will Rogers and Williams. My guess is Williams will take a far greater share of the No. 1 reps this spring and summer — close to all of them, probably — with the only real competition taking place for the backup job. Can either of the true freshmen challenge Horton for that role? And will UW actually carry five scholarship quarterbacks into the season?

Running back

Starter: Jonah Coleman

Backup: Adam Mohammed

Rotation: Jordan Washington

Depth: Julian McMahan, Quaid Carr

With Coleman coming off a 1,000-yard season and Mohammed showing great potential in limited action as a true freshman, the Huskies should be pretty solid here, though you’d maybe like another experienced back to compete with those guys. Jordan Washington is also an interesting prospect, considering his speed; as a trio, Coleman, Mohammed and Washington all bring different skill sets. McMahan, a bigger body, is already enrolled and should see some carries this spring, while Carr will be a summer enrollee. UW also added a walk-on, Beck Walker, from Golden West Junior College.

Offensive line

Starters: LT Carver Willis, LG Geirean Hatchett, C Landen Hatchett, RG Paki Finau, RT Drew Azzopardi

Backups: LT Maximus McCree, LG Michael Levelle Watkins, C Zach Henning, RG Champ Taulealea, RT Soane Faasolo

Depth: T Elishah Jackett, T Justin Hylkema, T Davit Boyajyan, T John Mills, T Jack Shaffer, G Jake Flores, G Lowen Colman-Brusa

There is some nuance to this projection, as the “next man up” isn’t always dictated by the depth chart at that particular position. In that spirit, I would see Henning as the pretty clear-cut backup at center and both of the guard positions, and the same would probably be true of McCree at tackle (or Azzopardi, if McCree or Willis were to beat him out for a starting job). Willis, the Kansas State transfer, has more experience at right tackle, but the left side seems a greater priority. Finau is the young lineman to watch. Coaches loved him as a true freshman and he’s always seemed destined for a starting role sooner than later, though he’ll face competition from Henning. Fisch also mentioned Finau had been practicing some at tackle behind Azzopardi during bowl prep.

I have a feeling at least one player listed here as a tackle could end up inside. Maybe Faasolo? He began last season as the starting left tackle but eventually ceded the position to McCree, and Willis’ arrival theoretically pushes Faasolo further down the depth. Taulealea was a four-star recruit in UW’s 2025 class and is already on campus, so we’ll get a look at him this spring. He’d be my pick among the five 2025 signees to crack the depth chart, even if there may be no need for him to play.

This group is still a work in progress, though it’s certainly in far better shape than it was a year ago. Willis and the elder Hatchett bring more meaningful Power 4 experience than any of UW’s transfers last season, and Landen Hatchett should be a different player with his knee injury fully behind him. UW needs big improvement out of Azzopardi or McCree to shore up the other tackle spot, and needs either Finau or another young player to step up and solidify the interior. Still a lot of “ifs” hanging out there.

A pair of walk-ons who saw a lot of reps during last year’s bizarro spring, Parker Cross and Aidan Anderson, remain on the roster.

Tight end

Starter: Quentin Moore

Rotation: Decker DeGraaf

Depth: Kade Eldridge, Charlie Crowell, Ryan Otton, Baron Naone, Austin Simmons

After Moore sustained an MCL sprain in UW’s opener last season, Keleki Latu took over starting duties and played 777 snaps, and DeGraaf, then a true freshman, played 244. That was basically it, as walk-on Owen Coutts, the de facto No. 3 tight end, played only 12 snaps all season. Will the distribution be similar in 2025, just with Moore resuming his starting job? I’d expect it to be a little more even, considering DeGraaf’s contributions as a freshman and his obvious potential as a playmaker. Getting Moore back for another year is big, and adding Eldridge as a transfer from USC does give Jordan Paopao more options than he had a year ago. Otton’s playing status remains TBD after he missed last season due to injury. Simmons, a 2025 signee, is already on campus, and Naone is expected to join the program this summer. Crowell is coming off an ACL injury but gives the Huskies an in-line option when healthy.

Wide receiver

Starters: Denzel Boston, Kevin Green Jr., Omari Evans

Rotation: Rashid Williams, Audric Harris, Dezmen Roebuck

Depth: Marcus Harris, Raiden Vines-Bright, Justice Williams, Chris Lawson, Deji Ajose

Boston returns as the clear No. 1 after he caught 63 passes for 834 yards and nine touchdowns in his first year as a starter. Green would have contributed some behind Giles Jackson last season if not for a lower-leg injury sustained in late August. He’s slight of build at a listed size of 5-foot-11 and 155 pounds, but saw a lot of reps during training camp last year and brings speed and quickness in the slot. Evans, a Penn State transfer, was Fisch’s answer for the departure of Texas transfer Johntay Cook II. Evans caught 21 passes for 415 yards and five touchdowns last season. He’s a different body type than the player he will presumably replace from last year’s roster — former Cal transfer Jeremiah Hunter — but his speed should help stretch the field.

Evans’ primary competition should come from Rashid Williams and Audric Harris, each of whom played sparingly in 2024, though Williams did play more than any other reserve receiver. Justice Williams has intriguing size at 6-foot-4 and 203 pounds, but was hurt going into last season and never played. It’s unclear how the current coaching staff views his potential.

The Huskies already have three four-star 2025 receiver signees on campus in Harris, Vines-Bright and Lawson. Roebuck, another incoming freshman, was Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Arizona, though he wasn’t heavily recruited out of Marana (Ariz.) High.

The roster also lists three walk-ons: Luke Luchini, Jace Burton and Luke Gayton.

— Christian Caple, On Montlake