ESPN ranks Washington Huskies' offseason as subpar

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While coach Jedd Fisch appears very confident in the Washington Huskies' offseason, some outside observers at ESPN are not.

While ranking the offseason for every Power 4 program, ESPN's Eli Lederman, Max Olson, and Adam Rittenberg placed the Huskies as the No. 12 team in the Big Ten. While the loss of NFL talents like wide receiver Denzel Boston, running back Jonah Coleman, and cornerbacks Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock are significant blows, ESPN also focused on UW's exits in the transfer portal.

"Washington still must replace running back Adam Mohammed, who could have stepped in for Coleman but transferred to Cal," the article reads. "Other key portal exits include starting linebacker Deven Bryant, who transferred to USC, offensive linemen Paki Finau (BYU) and Zachary Henning (Arizona), and talented young receiver Raiden Vines-Bright, who landed at Arizona State."

While the loss of Mohammed was significant, and Vines-Bright would have certainly been in the mix in the rotation out wide after starting 11 games as a true freshman, Finau and Henning transferred to their respective Big 12 programs for an opportunity to earn starting jobs. After Bryant earned a starting job at the beginning of the year, he had taken a backseat to the trio of Xe'ree Alexander and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, while Jacob Manu mixed in since he only played in four games while preserving his eligibility.

As for the positives, the Huskies were able to hold on to quarterback Demond Williams Jr. after his brief flirtation with the transfer portal, and did an impressive job retaining top talent like its trio of Freshman All-Americans: safety Rylon Dillard-Allen, offensive lineman John Mills, and wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck.

"Washington focused on retention and was mostly successful, bringing back experienced linebacker Jacob Manu, safety Alex McLaughlin, and an offensive line featuring several promising young players and also veterans Drew Azzopardi and Geirean Hatchett," the article continued.

"The Huskies took only 14 transfers, headlined by (Emmanuel) Karnley, who started for Virginia last year, and (Kolt) Dieterich, who started at right tackle for Sam Houston State. (Oregon running back Jayden) Limar and journeyman Trey Cooley will have opportunities to contribute at running back. Fisch signed the nation's No. 18 recruiting class, featuring eight SC Next 300 prospects and addressing both lines, wide receiver, and cornerback."

Fisch has chosen to rely heavily on his freshman class all over the field, including left tackle Kodi Greene, defensive linemen Derek Colman-Brusa and TI Umu-Cais, outside linebacker Ramzak Fruean, and wide receivers Trez Davis and Jordan Clay. While the former blue-chip prospects are all unproven, if they can step in and contribute right away, the Huskies could prove to be one of the most underrated teams on the list.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: ESPN grades Washington Huskies' offseason as subpar

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