State of the roster: Assessing Washington’s needs as portal window closes
State of the roster: Assessing Washington’s needs as portal window closes
The Huskies have (at least) four open scholarships for the 2023 season. Will they fill them? If so, how?
As indicated annually by ceaseless Justin Timberlake memes, the calendar has turned to May. In college football, that means the offseason’s second transfer-portal window, open this year from April 15-30, is closed.
That doesn’t mean you won’t still see a portal entry or two throughout the next week, as April 30 is merely the deadline to submit one’s name, and not the very final date at which all portal decisions become public. But the current numbers should at least be close to what Washington will work with into the summer and fall.
After entering the spring with 88 scholarships committed for the 2023 season — three above the limit of 85 — the Huskies awoke May 1 with that number down to 83 (publicly, anyway) via four transfer decisions and one player deciding to stop playing football. That means they currently have two scholarships available for the 2023 season, depending upon how they choose to distribute them. It hasn’t been uncommon in the past for one or two open scholarships to be taken by a walk-on who had earned a regular role, particularly at kicker (Peyton Henry) or punter (Race Porter). The Huskies also could save them for the 2024 recruiting class.
Update, May 2: Since publication, running back Aaron Dumas and defensive lineman Siaosi Finau each have entered the transfer portal, dropping UW’s scholarship total to 81.
The transfer portal, though, offers each school an opportunity to max out its scholarship allotment — and/or backfill its outgoing transfers — by snagging an established veteran or promising youngster to provide extra depth for the upcoming season. And remember: the window to submit one’s name is closed, but there is no deadline for transfers to choose a new school.
With the spring transfer window closed and (at least) a couple scholarships now available, here is my current assessment of the state of Washington’s roster, with an eye toward possible transfer activity. (Scholarship counts in parentheses.)