SOTC Update: Washington Huskies

Jedd Fisch has a really tough first year under his belt in Seattle. Now, he loses both Coordinators to work for their famous fathers as they return to coaching. So, what's next for the Huskies?

Mar 06, 2025

State of the Chart™ Recap Edition

Live All-In Ranking: 43rd
Offense: 52nd
Defense: 28th
2024 Results: 6-7 (4-5 in Big Ten)

The following information is just the beginning, and everything will be updated in our first edition of the State of the Chart™ digital magazine. Slated for a launch in July of 2025, learn more about this and shoot us your email to be kept up-to-speed on launch dates and receive sneak previews…

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|||||| STATE OF THE CHART™ SUMMARY

Jedd Fisch inherited a tough situation. You may ask, ‘How is taking over a team that played in the National Championship game ever a tough situation’? And that’s a fair question. This day in college football is certainly not like the past. Take the rematch of that 2023 National Championship game that took place on October 5th. Both teams were 4-2, and neither was ranked in the top 25. Turnover happens quickly, not just on the player personnel side but coaches as well. The additional challenge is bringing this program from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten and the schedule that came with it. It was a brutal slate, and their six wins seemed like a reasonable outcome considering everything going on. Fisch now has that first year under his belt but must adjust to new coordinators as both just so happen to go to work for their famous coaching fathers, who jumped back into the game in 2025. DC Steve Belichick is headed to Chapel Hill to join Bill in his new digs. OC Brennan Carroll will work for his dad, Pete, who took the Las Vegas Raiders job his off-season. As always, there is a lot of roster turnover here, and with the new leaders on both sides of the ball, Fisch has his work cut out for him — even if the schedule relents (slightly) in 2025.

|||||| HEAD COACH AND COACHING STAFF

Jedd Fisch moved over from Arizona after Kalen DeBoer took this team to the National Title game and promptly bolted for Alabama. This was a tough spot. High expectations, making an entrance into the Big Ten and a depleted roster. Six wins is about what was expected in ‘year zero’ but now it’s time to begin to turn that corner. He’s bringing in an impressive 2025 recruiting class and is strategic in the portal.

Coaching Staff Notes/Changes:

Fisch hired Steve Belichick to run his defense in 2024 as a part of his inaugural staff in Seattle. It was a good hire and not just because of the name recognition. Unfortunately, his dad, Bill (you may have heard of him), is headed to the college ranks and it was an obvious hire in Chapel Hill. So, Fisch goes back to the drawing board and hires former Purdue head coach Ryan Walters to run his defense. He got that Purdue job for his work at Illinois, when he led that unit to a top finish in scoring defense (just 12.8 points per game) in 2022. He was fired after two seasons of really poor football in West Lafayette.
Brennan Carroll came to Seattle with Fisch from Arizona. He took this offense and did what he could despite a lot of cohesion needed in a short period of time. And, with the unrelenting schedule, it was nearly an impossible feat. The numbers weren’t great, but the experience that was given to their young future at the quarterback position was valuable. Carroll moves on to the NFL and Fisch promotes from within, elevating Jimmy Dougherty to the role. That move should hold on to some continuity and keep the progression of Demond Williams Jr.
Chris Petrilli comes over from Purdue as well, likely influenced by Walters, to take over the special teams unit.
Safeties coach Vinnie Sunseri left the program to first become the defensive coordinator at Jacksonville State, before Florida came calling and named him their co-DC and safeties coach on Billy Napier’s staff. The replacement is former NFL safety and USC player and eventual defensive analyst, Taylor Mays. He joins the Huskies staff after two years with Trojans to start his coaching career. He grew up in Seattle before moving to Inglewood to play for the Trojans.

Note: This is a “dynamic” article; meaning we will update any information that comes in this “off-season” and post a note when impactful moves are made or news breaks.

|||||| 2024 SCHEDULE / RESULTS ANALYSIS

Welcome to the Big Ten. The Huskies were given no easy transition plan into their new digs with this slate of competition. Part of it is that their rival and Apple Cup opponent, Washington State is a pretty solid outfit, combined with their first conference schedule featuring road games at Iowa, Indiana, Penn State, and Oregon (!). Again, six wins seems like a minor overachievement. That Apple Cup loss certainly didn’t get things off on the right foot, especially because they gave that one away. They were able then to ease into Big Ten play with a win over Northwestern, but then dropped a game they really should have won across the country in Piscataway, New Jersey (Rutgers). They beat Michigan in a much different-looking re-match of last year’s National Championship and were crushed by Iowa, all of that before their first bye week. They were then greeted with a completely revamped Indiana squad in Bloomington, Indiana, which was also not close in proximity. They ended up handling two of their old PAC12 brethren in USC and UCLA, which doesn’t hurt recruiting since they do a good amount of it in California. They finished with a toss-up loss in the bowl game to Louisville. Our final deserved wins (dWIN) metric points to a win total of 7.2, so they deserved better here.

||||||| POSITION GROUP CHECK-INS

OFFENSE: Brennan Carroll came with his head coach over from Arizona, where he brought the Wildcats to new heights with Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillian leading the way. Everybody was waiting for those two to enter the portal and make this transition a lot easier for their coaches. But, in the end, they stayed in Tucson. Instead, they went for the veteran Will Rogers from Mississippi State and brought with them some other key contributors, highlighted by running back Jonah Coleman. They were able to retain some talent from the past Huskies roster, including wide receiver Giles Jackson, who ended up leading the wide receivers group. The biggest flaw was the lack of attention to the offensive line. In their new conference, that just doesn’t fly. Rogers ended up doing the best he could before getting injured and giving way to the future here in Demond Williams Jr.. Carroll bolted for the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders this off-season and Fisch promoted Jimmie Dougherty to the offensive coordinator role to keep some continuity. Williams got the seasoning he needs and now this offense must turn it up a notch.

||| QB

Will Rogers was brought here from Mississippi State as a veteran presence with a lot of throws in his career to this point. This is the best way to smooth over a transition. He did fine on the field and helped mentor the future, a 4-star true freshman, Demond Williams Jr.. When Rogers was ultimately injured, we got to see that future — and it was quite impressive. Williams is an exceptional athlete and can make a lot of throws. 2025 should be a big growth year.

||| RB

Jonah Coleman coming over with Fisch from Arizona was a big ‘get’ and he performed like the star he has become. He’s also sticking around for another go after a 1,000+ yard, ten-touchdown season here. That forces one backup Cameron Davis out to Minnesota, but Adam Mohammed was just a true freshman and got some seasoning. He’ll take over as the primary backup behind Coleman.

||| WR

This room was a strength after they could keep Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston around. They were the 1-2 here. Jeremiah Hunter came in from Cal and chipped in, but not to the level they were hoping for. With Jackson and Hunter moving on, Rashid Williams is a name to watch out for taking a big step up in ‘25. Omari Evans comes in from Penn State and will factor in as well. There is work to do here to match the talent level of ‘24.

||| TE

Keleki Latu was perfect for what they needed here. A good blocker with the ability to chip in on the passing game. He caught 40 passes and showed exceptionally well in run blocking. He moves on, but Decker DeGraaf, a true freshman, appears ready to step in. He caught 15 passes in just 244 snaps, three of which were touchdowns. They could have a future star in the making here. Quentin Moore will backup and play a role. Kade Eldridge is a transfer from USC who will compete for snaps.

||| OL

This is where the finger was pointed for the struggles this offense faced. Granted, they also faced one tough group of opposition throughout the season. The interior of the line will need to be replaced. It’s an opportunity to improve. They also need an upgrade over Drew Azzopardi at right tackle. They bring in Carver Willis from K-State to compete and likely win that role. Geirean Hatchett returns after a quick trip to Oklahoma, where he didn’t play. He looks to finally achieve that 4-star status. Maximus McCree returns as the starting left tackle. Improvement is needed and it’s on the way.

DEFENSE: Steve Belichick’s work here may be overlooked. In his one season at the helm of this defense, he led one of the best pass defenses in the nation. They allowed just 166.5 yards per game (4th in FBS) and 5.7 yards per throw (1st). That secondary was special. The linebacking corps also chipped in nicely in pass coverage. That is partially due to scheme. Teams did find some success in the run game against this outfit, managing 4.6 yards per carry (88th). That tracks with the types of offenses they faced in the Big Ten. They limited big plays, especially in the passing game, with just eight plays going for over 30 yards — first in the nation by a big margin. They kept things in front of them, which means less all-out blitzes and therefore, less havoc created in the backfield. They had just 20 sacks (109th) and 48 tackles for loss (126th). That’s the give-and-take — and it worked. The 2025 version of this defense will look very different as Belichick moves on to work for his dad at North Carolina and the player losses are substantial.

||| DL

This group was acceptable but certainly not the strength of the unit. The top three — Voi Tunuufi, Sebastian Valdez, and Jacob Bandes — are all out of eligibility. The health of Zach Durfee is going to be a boon, and Elinneus Davis is a name to know for 2025, as he showed well in limited opportunities. They bring in some higher upside players from the portal to help mitigate the losses. This is one position group may end up in better shape than it was a year ago.

||| LB

Carson Bruener was good here in the middle, leading the way for this entire defense. Alphonzo Tuputala worked on the edge and provided most of the pressure applied to opposing quarterbacks. Everybody who played a snap here is headed out due to expired eligibility or the portal. So, they hit the portal themselves to bring in a good one from the other side of the Apple Cup — Taariq Al-Uqdah from Washington State. They also get UCF transfer in Xe’ree Alexander. Both have two years remaining. Bruener is a big loss, but they should be able to sustain a high level here in 2025.

||| DB

This unit gets the gold star. Star CB Thaddeus Davis follows Belichick to North Carolina. S Kamren Fabiculanan was exceptional from his position over the top. He's out of eligibility. CB Epheisans Prysock was good and returns, but NB Jordan Shaw and CB Cameron Broussard need to be replaced. Alex McLaughlin (Northern Arizona), Tacario Davis (Arizona), and CJ Christian (FIU) are the portal adds they hope to piece together to keep this at a high level. A full repeat can not be expected.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Place kicker Grady Gross had some moments resembling his own last name. He missed eight field goals, but retains a relatively high rating from previous seasons. He’ll need to bounce back in 2025. Punter Jack McCallister was solid, but he’s transferring out to Nebraska and they’ll need a replacement. Keith Reynolds and Daniyel Ngata split the kick return duties. Both are leaving and will need to be replaced. Punt returner Denzel Boston did not share that role. He did a fine job and is returning.

Reader feedback is requested and encouraged! Who knows these teams better than their passionate fan bases? We don’t pretend to know it all and would love your feedback. We will update/edit based (and credit) for anything that is brought to our attention. Let’s do this together…

|||||| TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER

Overall, there is more leaving via the portal than coming in. Though, it’s relatively close. The biggest loss is CB Thaddeus Dixon, who is following his defensive coordinator Steve Belichick to North Carolina. They lose six more “above average” players (rating 14-16). The big addition is Washington State LB Taariq Al-Uqdah, who has a big role to play and shoes to fill. They need help on the offensive line and one step towards that is Carver Willis coming in from K-State. Again, they are strategic in the portal, getting a few defensive backs to help supplement some big losses in that high-performing group.

Below is a screen shot of the full, live Transfer Portal Tracker over at CFBDepth.com. Click the image or the button below to view it in its entirety…

Live Washington Portal Tracker >

|||||| 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

This looks promising. Sure, it’s aided by a big class (29 recruits), but that increases the chances of ‘hitting’ on some of these youngsters. The focus is on the wide receiver group, with five coming in, headlined by three 4-stars — hitting up California for two of them, Marcus Harris and Chris Lawson. Raiden Vines-Bright is coming in from Florida. The linebacker group is also very impressive, led by their top recruit in the class, Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, an in-state holdover and a big win.

Here is a snapshot of the 2025 Recruiting Class+ with a link to the live page with updates throughout the cycle:

2025 Washington Recruiting Class+ >

|||||| 2025 SCHEDULE LOOK AHEAD

They were looking for a little repreive from that Big Ten welcoming parade of hell that was thrust upon them in their first season in the conference. This may be a slight one, but still will be ranked as a tough schedule. The opener with Colorado State will be no cake walk. It could be a good thing to be tested early as Washington State is going through a big of a rebuild in Pullman, so they may be down a bit, making the Apple Cup more attainable. They get the National Champion Buckeyes coming to the Pacific Northwest early (week five). They have to go to Michigan this year and that can’t be expected to yield similar results from the previous year. They’ll finish up with Oregon in Seattle.

There is a lot of movement and decisions to be made throughout the off-season, including more portal moves, winter workouts and spring ball. Get all caught up with the full-on State of the Chart Magazine coming in July. If you missed the ad before, get more information and give us your e-mail to stay in the loop on everything SOTC!

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