Jedd Fisch has continued to emphasize the importance of size at the line of scrimmage as a goal for Washington in the transfer portal. “If you want to win the Big Ten Conference, you’ve got to win it with size,” Fisch said in a press conference a week before the opening of the transfer portal. Since then, the Huskies have seen two starting offensive linemen enter the transfer portal, but gained two commitments up front. The staff has also extended offers towards players in positions of need, and shown interest in others.
Washington Transfers In and Offers Extended
Transfers In
Gaard Memmelaar and Kahlee Tafai will both play for different programs next season. But the same day the two announced their departures, the Huskies landed Geirean Hatchett. The older brother of Landen Hatchett committed to play for Washington again on the first day of the transfer portal after a one-year stint at Oklahoma. Four days later, Washington picked up a second offensive line transfer.
Carver Willis will be a sixth-year player next season. The former Kansas State offensive tackle announced his commitment to Washington on December 12th. The 6’-5” and 291-pound transfer has played in 35 career games with 18 starts including all 11 that he played this season. In his career, Willis has 1,295 snaps at tackle, with the majority coming at right tackle. He can be slated as a starting tackle for Washington next season with one year of eligibility remaining.
Extending Offers and Interest
These are the only two players the Huskies have commitments from at this point. But Washington is actively extending offers to players at other positions of need. At wide receiver, the Huskies offered North Texas wide receiver DT Sheffield this week. He had a break-out season in Denton, Texas, hauling in 66 catches for 822 yards and 11 touchdowns. Washington is losing Giles Jackson and Jeremiah Hunter. Filling a spot with a veteran is an ideal move. Sheffield would have one year of eligibility remaining.
Washington also offered tight end transfer Luke McGary from Tulsa. He caught 17 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown this season for the Golden Hurricanes. The Huskies were limited at tight end this season after the injury to Quentin Moore. Decker DeGraaf stepped up as a true freshman, and Keleki Latu was a productive veteran. But Latu will graduate after this season, and Moore’s future hinges on getting a medical waiver. McGary would have two years of eligibility remaining at the position.
And in the secondary, Washington offered Northern Arizona transfer Alex Mclaughlin. At safety this past season, Mclaughlin tallied 96 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and six sacks. He also hauled in two interceptions and broke up two passes. Michigan State transfer cornerback Charles Brantley is another player the Huskies have reached out to. He’s tallied over 100 tackles in his career with five interceptions and 23 pass breakups. Brantley would have one year of eligibility remaining. The defensive backroom at Washington will be losing veterans Kamren Fabiculanan and Cameron Broussard next season, and these two look to be targets for the staff.
Huskies on the Way Out
In addition to Tafai and Memmelaar, there are currently over a dozen Washington Huskies in the transfer portal. Cameron Davis is in the transfer portal and will play a seventh year of football. He was the team’s second-leading running back behind Jonah Coleman with 190 yards on the year. Sam Adams II is also in the transfer portal at the running back position. Camden Sirmon has also entered the portal at wide receiver.
On defense, Lance Holtzclaw has entered the transfer portal and will not play in the Sun Bowl. He made the final tackle to clinch the victory over USC in November but played limited snaps this season. He’s already made visits to BYU and Boise State. Bryun Parham is also officially in the portal after opting out of the season in September to preserve eligibility. Curley Reed, Tyrese Johnson, Tristan Dunn, and Maurice Heims are other defensive players who have entered the portal.
Two Husky punters are in the transfer portal with Jack McCallister and Adam Saul both announcing their decisions on social media. Fisch confirmed that McCallister would still punt for Washington in the Sun Bowl against Louisville. Long snapper Caleb Johnston and backup kicker Addison Shrock are also in the transfer portal.
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