The Up and Coming College Football Powerhouse You Haven’t Been Paying Attention to
In recent years the Pac-12 has received a bad rap as a conference, and it’s understandable as to why. They have yet to win a playoff game since Oregon beat Florida State in the inaugural year of the playoff system and have yet to send a team to the playoffs since Washington did it in the 2016-2017 season. However, times are changing out West and plenty of college football fans aren’t taking notice, especially in regards to the Washington Huskies.
The Huskies and their accomplishments have often gone unnoticed by the college football community and Washington’s incredible turnaround has been no different. After the retirement of legendary coach Chris Petersen in 2019, defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake was appointed as the heir to the throne. Lake inherited a top tier roster, a near top fifteen recruiting class, and an incredible culture. It didn’t even take a full (normal) season for affairs to devolve into madness. After a Covid-19 filled 2020 season, the Huskies finished 4-8, their worst record since finishing a shameful 0-12 in 2008. It can’t be understated how quickly things broke bad. The 2021 season saw all time lows for the traditionally competitive program that included a season opener loss to FCS Montana, a 3-6 conference record, and losses to both major rivals. Additionally, the culture saw all time lows including regular locker room fights and Head Coach Jimmy Lake hitting and pushing a player on the sideline during a 26-16 loss to rival Oregon. This incident and the low performance ultimately resulted in his firing before the season had even finished.
Enter Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer was handed a dumpster fire of a program with no blueprint on how to move forward in rest. Prior to being hired for the Washington job he was the Fresno State head coach for two years, the Indiana offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for a year and numerous other jobs at lower division schools. DeBoer’s hire provided a much needed spark in the program in morale among current players, recruiting, and athletes in the transfer portal. One of these transfer portal athletes was Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Penix played under Kalen DeBoer during the 2019 season which happened to be Penix’s most successful season. When Penix heard of DeBoer’s journey to Washington he knew it was a no-brainer to become the Huskies next quarterback. This decision became one of many of the following key components for Washington’s incredible 2022 season.
Michael Penix Jr.
It’s hard to understate Penix’s impact on the program in his short tenure at Washington. In 2021 the Huskies had the #110 rated offense in college football. That’s close to last and behind virtually every single one of the sixty-five power five programs in the country. After one season with Penix at the helm, the Huskies jumped up to the #2 offense in all of college football and the #1 passing attack in the country according to the NCAA themselves. Penix ended the season with over 4,600 yards and 31 touchdowns, a stark difference from 2021 starter Dylan Morris who finished with 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and less than 2,500 yards. Penix’s outstanding performance put him at 8th in Heisman Trophy voting for the year.
A Brand New Coaching Staff
The staff that Kalen DeBoer brought with him from Fresno State could not be a larger contrast from Jimmy Lake’s staff. Under Head Coach Lake and Offensive Coordinator John Donovan Washington’s offense could not have looked more unpolished. Receivers were running wrong routes, lineman were missing assignments, and Dylan Morris was less than stellar to say the least. Kalen DeBoer’s staff brought discipline and fire, both elements that Lake’s crew lacked.
The Wide Receiver Room
The Huskies wide receiver room is first-class to say the least. The tandem of Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan proved too difficult to cover for so many defenses as both receivers tallied over 1,000 yards on 75+ receptions. Ja’lynn Polk, a deep threat transfer from Texas Tech, also added close to 700 yards and 6 touchdowns. Washington has touted a talented wide receiver room in years past, however it took newly hired wide receiver coach JaMarcus Shepard to unlock their full potential.
What’s next?
This new look Washington program isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, in fact, they are only going to improve. Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze, and Jalen McMillan were all eligible to enter the 2023 NFL Draft, but all three of them and many other key contributors made the decision to run it back for the 2023 season. DeBoer and company haven’t stopped there, though. As it stands now, Washington is bringing in the #23 overall recruiting class in the country. That class includes the highly recruited wide receiver Germie Bernard who was once committed to the Huskies, but ultimately chose the Michigan State Spartans due to Washington's poor 2021 season. Although many have yet to take notice, Washington is officially back to being a solid contender for not only the Pac-12 title, but also the national title.
