Washington is set to begin Spring Practice on Wednesday, April 3rd at around 3:30 in the afternoon. Practices will be open to the public, and there’s a lot to look for with this new-look offense. Questions surround the offensive line, especially at center. Eyes will also be set towards the backfield where Jonah Coleman touts a physical presence in the run game. There’s a lot of anticipation to see Will Rogers at quarterback and where he’ll be delivering the ball. This year, nearly all of the offensive pieces will look different. We’ll get our first look at it next week.
Questions at Center
There isn’t a true center on this roster right now. Jedd Fisch said earlier in the winter that he’d like to go out and get a handful of offensive linemen in the April transfer portal. Until April 15th, however, there will be only 10 offensive linemen healthy to practice this spring. The biggest thing to note is that none of them are a true center. Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach Brennan Carroll spoke to this at a media event last Wednesday, saying that he’d like to rotate several players at center this Spring.
We’ll be looking to see who gets those reps at the position as Washington begins practice this Spring. He mentioned that Parker Cross, Landen Hatchett, Michael Levelle Watkins, and Zachary Henning would be getting in on the rotation. Henning is listed at 6’-5”, and would probably be a better fit at guard, but we expect to see him snap the ball next week.
Horsepower in the Backfield
The Husky backfield gained one of the more physical running backs in the transfer portal with the addition of Coleman from Arizona. He’ll be taking over the duties of Dillon Johnson, one of the toughest running backs in recent memory on Montlake. Coleman was one of the first players to announce his transfer to the new staff at Washington.
Alongside Coleman we hope to get a look at Cameron Davis, the sixth year running back who sat out the 2023 season due to injury. It’s unknown where he’ll be on the depth chart, as there is no spring depth chart as of right now. But before the injury he sustained at fall camp last year, Davis was Washington’s second-leading rusher in terms of yards in 2022, and he had 13 rushing touchdowns. To see him back on the field will be a huge positive for this backfield.
SEC Quarterback and WR1
At quarterback, Washington gained Rogers transferring in from Mississippi State. He threw for 12,315 yards and 94 touchdowns in four seasons at Mississippi State. That made him the SEC’s second all-time leading passer. After two years of the explosive passing game from Michael Penix Jr., Washington is getting another high-powered thrower of the football.
Rogers will have a new slate of wide receivers at his disposal. Jeremiah Hunter transferred in from Cal this winter after leading the Golden Bears in receiving in each of the last two seasons. Hunter posted one of the highest catch rates above expected in the nation last year. He also hauled in 21 contested catches over the last two seasons. Hunter proved himself to be a reliable target who can make catches on tough throws and in traffic. He’ll be the most experienced wide receiver in the room and we’ll get our first set of eyes on him at Washington’s Spring practice next week.
