3 Husky Redshirt Freshmen Making Spring Moves

The UW's promising 2023 class soon should have several players bidding for game time.

Leroy Bryant is getting ample opportunity to pull No. 1 spring snaps. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Kalen DeBoer's long-term gift to the University of Washington football program is his 2023 recruiting class of 20 freshmen, 18 of whom remain on the roster for a second season, believed to be a most talented group.

People didn't get to see much of these guys last season for a Husky team that relied mostly on a veteran lineup to win 14 of 15 games and make it to the CFP national championship game against Michigan, greatly limiting advancement for most newcomers.

Running back Tybo Rogers, center Landen Hatchett and edge rusher Jacob Lane were the only ones who pulled significant snaps right away, or at least enough to use up their freshman eligibility.

Now three practices into spring ball with a new coach in Jedd Fisch, at least three more members of this gilded 2023 recruiting class are making strong bids to get on the field and contribute with greater frequency -- wide receiver Rashid Williams, cornerback Leroy Bryant and center/offensive guard Zach Henning.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Williams, a 4-star recruit from Pittsburg, California, and considered one of the UW's prize 2023 players, appeared in just one game last season, catching 2 passes for 30 yards against the California Bears.

Fisch's staff repeatedly has put him on the field with the first batch of receivers for spring scrimmage-like snaps that also includes sophomore Denzel Boston and sixth-year senior Giles Jackson

Williams not only has good size and sure hands, he's an elusive route runner and should expect to play a lot this fall, regardless of whether he lands in the starting lineup or not. If he's not a game-opening player, he could assume the departed Germie Bernard's fourth-receiver role.

Bryant, a 5-foot-11, 178-pound cornerback from Fairfield, California, drew plaudits last year for his instinctive coverage abilities. That helped land him in four regular-season games, which enabled him to preserve his eligibility, and then he played in all three postseason outings against Oregon, Texas and Michigan, which didn't count against him retaining redshirt freshman standing.

He arrived at the UW as the least heralded of three well-regarded corners signed in his class -- with Caleb Presley from Seattle and Curley Reed IIII from Lake Charles, Louisiana -- but he was the only one of them to play in games as a freshman.

Fisch's staff has regularly teamed Bryant with either junior Elijah Jackson or Arizona sophomore transfer Ephesians Pryscck, both of whom were full-fledged Pac-12 starters last season and expected to assume No. 1 roles. However, Bryant won't make it an easy decision for the coaches to automatically settle on that pair.

Finally, there's the 6-foot-5, 292-pound Henning, who's a Centennial, Colorado, product and an overly valuable member of the Husky offensive line all of a sudden. As a freshman, he appeared at offensive guard in games against Michigan State and California. He readily could have expected to spend spring ball at that position while competing for a starting role.

However, Hatchett went out with a knee injury during Sugar Bowl practice in December and this forced Henning to widen his skill set. The latter will serve as the No. 1 center for the duration of the spring, or likely until Hatchett receives medical clearance to play again.

Of the others from the 2023 class, linebacker Deven Bryant played in four games and appears ready to compete for regular playing time when healthy -- yet he's currently wearing a protective boot and can't practice.

Vincent Holmes played in four games at safety and as a special-teamer as a freshman, but since has switched positions to wide receiver, where he joins fellow 2023 receiver Keith Reynolds, who appeared in two UW outings last fall.

Offensive linemen from the rest of a 2023 five-man group that was signed are Kahlee Tafai, Soane Faasolo and Elishah Jackett, who each are putting on weight or building strength while awaiting for their UW debuts.

That leaves edge rusher Anthony James, defensive tackle Elinneus Davis, linebacker Jordan Whitney and safety Diesel Gordon trying to move up this spring. Yet the 6-foot-5, 272-pound James has been limited by some sort of spring injury and not involved in contact. Davis appears trimmer than his listed 6-foot-2, 322-pound size while the 6-foot, 215-pound Whitney looks much more filled out, especially in his upper body. Gordon must contend with the arrival of multiple freshmen safeties in the incoming class.

Gone from the 2023 class are touted quarterback Austin Mack, who followed DeBoer to Alabama after reclassifying as a high school player to come to the UW early, and wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons, who decided he didn't like Montlake, even when DeBoer was still coach, and transferred to Utah.

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