Ranking Washington's 22 most important (non-QB) players for 2024

Who will the Huskies rely on this season?

It wasn’t just the stadium rankings that looked past the Washington Huskies.

Ahead of next week’s much-ballyhooed release of the College Football 25 video game, EA Sports unveiled the game’s 100 highest-rated players, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, no Huskies made the list. 

As one follower put it: “A year too late.” Indeed, Washington’s 2023 roster was loaded with players who made similar top-100 lists, and the video-game version of the Huskies would have been quite the squad. That any subjective top-100 ranking wouldn’t include a single UW player a mere one year later is further evidence of just how much things have changed since Jan. 8.

It’s also a fine entry point into my annual ranking of Washington’s 22 most important players, with quarterbacks excluded, as always.

As with EA’s rankings, this list will have its own hits and misses, some of which might become apparent as soon as next month, when the Huskies begin practicing. And as always, a reminder that this isn’t necessarily a ranking of Washington’s best players, though you will see some correlation. Rather, it’s a ranking of the Huskies’ most important players, which takes into account talent, experience, positional depth and, most crucially, what it would mean for the team if that player either couldn’t play, or doesn’t perform to the expected standard.

This year’s list, by the way, includes only four players from last year’s list. Which is actually more than I would have guessed.

Washington takes its turn at Big Ten Media Days on July 25 — that’s 15 days from now. All of a sudden, the season doesn’t feel so far away. Thanks to all who have continued reading throughout the summer. Grab a paid subscription today to read everything I write.

Let’s get to the list.

22. Grady Gross, kicker

I included Gross in the honorable-mention portion of last season’s 22-player ranking, but he should have been on the actual list. Where would the Huskies have been, after all, without a kicker who made 18 of 22 field goals, including a buzzer-beater to win the Apple Cup? Now on scholarship, Gross could again find himself needing to make a kick or three to keep the Huskies on the right side of the scoreboard in a close game.

21. Cameron Broussard, safety

The Sacramento State transfer was first-team All-Big Sky last season, and should compete with Makell Esteen for a starting safety job alongside Kam Fabiculanan. Regardless of who wins that starting job, Broussard brings a veteran presence and college experience (and size, at 6-3 and 193 pounds) to a room that didn’t have much beyond Fabiculanan and Esteen. 

20. Soane Faasolo, offensive line

Going out on a bit of a limb here, because the Huskies acquired Maximus McCree from the transfer portal, presumably for him to compete for the starting job at left tackle. That’s where Faasolo, a redshirt freshman, took reps during the spring, before UW had assembled its full o-line complement. There were some growing pains, but the 6-foot-8, 295-pound youngster had his moments, too, and he seemingly has the frame necessary to continue putting on weight and grow into a pretty imposing tackle. Really, whoever wins the starting left tackle job will deserve a spot on this list. Maybe Faasolo isn’t Big Ten-ready just yet, but his progress could dictate the future of the left tackle spot.

19. Quentin Moore, tight end

Who knows whether Moore might be asked to catch as many passes as, say, former tight end Jack Westover, who finished third on the team with 46 catches last season. But his 165 snaps last season were the most among returning offensive players, and he may get to spend his final college season as the team’s top tight end, with senior transfer Keleki Latu also competing for targets. Moore said this spring that he wanted to prove he can be more than a blocker this year, and he should get that chance.

18. Justin Harrington, safety

The hybrid safety/linebacker was good enough to start for Oklahoma before tearing his ACL, so he should certainly be able to help the Huskies, assuming that injury is fully behind him. UW’s roster lists him as a safety, but he’s practiced and played at a number of different positions throughout his college career, and his listed size of 6-3 and 209 should give the coaches plenty of options.

17. Isaiah Ward, edge rusher

He started 11 games for the Wildcats last season and tallied four sacks, and he’s obviously already familiar with position coach Jason Kaufusi. The Huskies have a number of viable options at edge rusher, but Ward played more snaps last season than any of them.

16. Giles Jackson, receiver

In an ideal world, Jackson is a steady, No. 3 wideout who stays healthy and does damage from his position in the slot. Even while appearing in only four regular-season games while redshirting last season — due to an early-camp thumb injury — Jackson still made big plays when given the chance, such as his touchdown catch against Oregon and a key first-down reception in the fourth quarter at USC. The Huskies still have talent at receiver, even considering all they lost. But they don’t have a ton of college experience, and as a senior, Jackson’s dependability (and availability) will be key.

15. Cam Davis, running back

Jonah Coleman will get most of the headlines when it comes to Washington’s running-back room, but a healthy Davis would make the Huskies’ offense that much more effective. Remember, Davis led the team with 13 rushing touchdowns two seasons ago while sharing snaps with Wayne Taulapapa. There should be enough available carries for both Coleman and Davis to contribute meaningfully, even if Coleman leads the way. (And for what it’s worth, Davis said this spring that he does expect to be full-go for the start of camp.)

14. Elijah Jackson, cornerback

Though Jackson started all 15 games last season, he faces stiff competition from Thaddeus Dixon to retain the job this year, with Ephesians Prysock likely starting on the other side. If Jackson can build off his strong finish to last season and stay healthy, he could team with Prysock to form a long, athletic cornerback duo.

13. Enokk Vimahi, offensive line

Of the Huskies’ three o-line transfers during the spring window, Vimahi, a sixth-year senior who played at Ohio State, is the only with high-level Power 5 experience, though he doesn’t have much. If he can emerge early in camp and establish as an obvious option for the Huskies at one of the guard spots, that would help pull the o-line picture into focus.

12. Zach Henning, offensive line

Henning is a quick learner, and was an early favorite of the previous coaching staff, even while redshirting. Jedd Fisch and Brennan Carroll had nice things to say this spring about Henning, who has only appeared in two college games but seems ready to contribute at either center or guard. Even with three transfers added to the mix, I wouldn’t bet against Henning winning a starting job.

11. Alphonzo Tuputala, linebacker

No UW player has played as many snaps the past two seasons — at Washington, anyway — as Tuputala, who enters his third year as a starter after totaling 69 tackles last year, fourth-most on the team. He and Carson Bruener will be a solid 1-2 at linebacker.

10. Zach Durfee, edge rusher

Assuming Durfee isn’t any worse for wear after his April shoulder surgery, he should have every chance to win a starting job at edge rusher and finally show everyone why coaches and teammates have been so excited about him behind the scenes. 

9. Landen Hatchett, offensive line

We’ll find out soon enough to what degree Hatchett might be able to participate in preseason practices, though he seems to be recovering well from a December ACL injury. Assuming he doesn’t miss too much time, Hatchett, a sophomore, should become one of the team’s top o-linemen in short order.

8. Jeremiah Hunter, wide receiver

If you only knew Hunter for his exploits at California, where he was the team’s top receiver the past two seasons, you’d be excited enough about his transfer. But Hunter showed those same skills during his first spring in Seattle, first with the second-team offense and then more frequently with the ones. He’s a deep threat who can make plays without being wide open. And he’s also simply caught far more college passes than anyone else on UW’s roster, and has done so at the power-conference level.

7. Ephesians Prysock, cornerback

In February, Fisch called Prysock “an NFL corner,” and said “our goal is to get him to meet his dreams.” Prysock’s size alone — 6-foot-4 and 193 pounds — will put him on the radar of pro scouts, and he should spend this season as UW’s No. 1 corner after playing 838 snaps at Arizona last season, second-most on the Wildcats’ defense.

6. Kam Fabiculanan, safety

Fabiculanan’s ascent to become one of UW’s most important defensive players feels like something of a throwback; he contributed little in his first two college seasons, but has steadily improved each year and finished 2023 as one of the team’s top defensive playmakers, the kind of career arc which is becoming increasingly rare in the portal era. Fisch seemingly identified Fabiculanan early as a key veteran, and the sixth-year senior should have a captain-type presence from his safety position. 

5. Denzel Boston, wide receiver

Admittedly, the degree to which We The Media have hyped Boston, relative to his career production — seven catches for 66 yards — might seem worthy of a raised eyebrow. Unless you watched him this spring, that is. Boston consistently dominated against a pretty solid UW secondary, after showing flashes of similar ability during open practices last season. Difference is, the path is clear for the third-year sophomore to emerge as the team’s top wideout in 2024, with no Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, Ja’Lynn Polk and Germie Bernard ahead of him on the depth chart. At 6-4 and 209 pounds, Boston is a big body who plays with an aggressive demeanor and catches just about everything. 

4. Jonah Coleman, running back

To the extent that any UW player is receiving national recognition this preseason — and such mentions are few and far between, especially compared to last year — Coleman probably receives the most. He’s a tough runner and a team leader, and Fisch made clear that he considers Coleman one of the top backs in the country.

3. Drew Azzopardi, offensive line

I might as well make an entry for “every offensive lineman who plays this season,” because Washington’s offense will go as that position goes, and it’s hard to say just yet what the starting five might look like. There’s no doubt, though, that Azzopardi will be among them, almost certainly at right tackle, where he started six games as a redshirt freshman last season at San Diego State. 

2. Sebastian Valdez, defensive line

There always is the question of whether an FCS star can maintain that level of play once he goes FBS, but Valdez has the credentials to make you believe he can be a difference-maker — and UW was seriously hurting for d-line experience after losing its top three interior players from 2023. Listed at 6-4 and 305 pounds, Valdez is among the strongest players on the team and was a first-team All-Big Sky pick in 2022 (he was second-team last year). The Big Ten offers a different challenge, and Valdez’s contributions will go a long way toward determining what kind of defensive front the Huskies are going to have.

1. Carson Bruener, linebacker

Spending most of the past two seasons as a reserve didn’t prevent Bruener from playing fast and making big plays, both as a linebacker and on special teams. Assuming good health, Bruener is a strong candidate to lead the Huskies in tackles this season after he finished third on the team with 86 last year, despite playing fewer defensive snaps than 11 of his teammates. The coaching staff obviously views the senior linebacker as a team leader, and you can probably pencil him in as a captain. He earns the top spot in this list for what he means to the team both on the field and off it.

Five more: Voi Tunuufi, Gaard Memmelaar, Makell Esteen, Jacob Bandes, Thaddeus Dixon

— Christian Caple, On Montlake