Tight end Baron Naone unlocking Washington offense early in season

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Washington Huskies tight end Baron Naone has been a force multiplier for Jedd Fisch's offense through three games.

The second-year tight end, along with wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck, was the first pair of Washington receivers to have 100 yards in the same game since Denzel Boston and Jonah Coleman in the 2025 Apple Cup. Wide receiver Rashid Williams nearly joined them, finishing with 86 yards on 6 receptions. The bulk of Naone's yards came on a 75-yard reception where he broke free from man coverage on a corner route and rumbled down the away sideline. Naone was initially given a 76th yard and a touchdown on the play after fighting off Eastern Washington linebacker Myles Mayovsky, but was ruled down inside the 1-yard line after review.

"I was going through my progression, I worked up in the pocket, and I saw him pop right there on the linebacker that was covering him in man coverage. It was a great job, you know. I'm gonna get on him about getting in that end zone," quarterback Demond Williams Jr. said with a smile about the play after the game.

"I had a corner route, and I saw my guy kinda miss me as he tried to reroute me," Naone told the media. "I just knew I was gonna get the ball. All I had to do was dig a little harder when I got the ball, but Ansu (Sanoe) made a great play the next play, and we got in the end zone. That's what matters."

Naone overtook second-year wide receiver Chris Lawson for third on the team in receiving yards with his performance on Saturday, but going into the season, teammates and staff alike praised the tight end for his blocking ability as he stepped into a role being vacated by Quentin Moore.

"His growth has been almost in every area," Fisch said after the game. "He's gotten stronger, he's gotten faster, he's catching the ball exceptionally well. He's trying to take on a role of kinda what Q Moore did for us a little bit last year too, with the physicality side of it. He's growing into that role. He was a very, very good pass catcher in high school; you all see that now. That corner route was a beautiful catch he made over his shoulder. First thing he said back to me was, 'I gotta get with (strength & conditioning coach Tyler Owens)'. He goes, 'I gotta get faster. I gotta get in the end zone.'"

Washington has leaned into that improvement, rewarding Naone with a co-starter designation on the two-deep depth chart and playing both him and third-year tight end Decker DeGraaf nearly equal amounts. Through three games, DeGraaf has played 169 offensive snaps, with Naone taking 151, per Pro Football Focus (whose numbers for Saturday's game were not fully complete). That shift to heavier personnel has been impactful in both phases due to injuries elsewhere: having a second tight end on the field aids in run blocking for Washington's fourth- and fifth-string running backs (Trey Cooley and Brian Bonner Jr.) and takes some pressure off a wide receiver room missing starting X receiver Christian Moss, who is out until at least November with a lower-body injury.

Williams now has 890 passing yards through three games, only 6 shy of the pace set by USC's Jayden Maiava in his first three games, which led the country before Saturday's games. (Maiava and USC played a Week 0 opponent and thus had already played three games before defeating Rutgers 35-28 earlier in the day.) Washington has struggled to convert those yards into touchdowns – Williams has only 5, compared to 10 for Maiava, 7 for Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez, and 11 for Miami quarterback Darian Mensah in three games heading into the weekend – but having two consistent presences at tight end should iron out some of the red-zone scoring woes Washington has experienced, too.

Williams spoke on Tuesday about his growing connection with the second-year tight end as well.

"Just the strides that he's made, really. Kinda similar to Chris (Lawson), going with the 1s sometimes but the 2s sometimes, but just trying to build up that chemistry before we get to the season. We use him and Decker a lot, and being able to see both of those guys making plays throughout this season is super beneficial for our offense," Williams told the media. "I think the chemistry we've built throughout fall camp and the plays that he made during fall camp is showing up in the games. Just trusting him, trying to put the ball in his vicinity and let him go get it."

Naone now has 10 receptions for 173 yards on the season. If Washington is to continue creating explosives on offense, his contributions may wind up being the catalyst.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Tight end Baron Naone unlocking Washington offense early in season

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