5 Huskies In Football Limbo, Looking To Climb Out Of It

For all the freshmen inroads made this past season within the University of Washington football team, a handful of Husky veterans -- each with two or more years in the program -- find themselves stuck well down the depth chart.

Unless he's someone with John Mills' prodigious talent, often times there's just a small window of opportunity for someone to prove his worth as a college player and it's well into their career.

This is why teams have regularly scheduled meetings between the players and their position coaches following each season to assess current status and see if it's worth it for both sides to continue their relationship.

Nothing is automatic about college football, not good health, not playing time, not good fortune.

Such is the case for wide receiver Kevin Green Jr., defensive tackle Omar Khan, offensive tackle Elishah Jackett, offensive tackle Justin Hylkema and tight end Charlie Crowell.

You probably won't seen any of them in the transfer portal because they don't have much or any game tape to show to a new program.

They simply are left to press on and look to get in the mix of things.

KEVIN GREEN JR.

The 5-foot-11, 165-pound senior from Mission Hills, California, was on his way to a regular playing time in 2023 at Arizona, appearing in 11 games and starting twice, including in a 38-24 Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma.

He looked to be ready to hold a similar role for the Huskies until two weeks before the 2024 opener against Weber State when he tore up a knee in a final scrimmage and missed the season.

This past fall, Green was back but he still seemed to be in recovery. He appeared in just seven games and didn't catch a pass. He found himself behind at least three eager freshmen who came ready to play right away. He might have been lacking some of his trademark quickness.

The Huskies likely are losing a pair of starting receivers in Denzel Boston to the NFL Draft and Raiden Vines-Bright to the transfer portal, so there's a need for Green if he can get himself right and regain his playmaking ability.

OMAR KHAN

This Kalen DeBoer recruit arrived from Texas as a defensive tackle who doubled as a championship wrestler in the Houston area.

At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, Khan could mesmerize people who watched him stretch before Husky practice, putting his oversized body through all sorts of interesting contortions.

In two seasons in Montlake, he's played in just one game, against UC Davis this past September, as he could best be described as in development. The Huskies are greatly in need of defensive-line help for next season, so there's incentive for him to move up.

ELISHAH JACKETT

Another Kalen DeBoer recruit, Jackett from Orange, California, came in with fellow offensive linemen Landen Hatchett, Zach Henning, Soane Faasolo and Kahlee Tafar. As a 4-star prospect, he was rated higher than all of them except Hatchett.

Three seasons later covering 41 Husky games, he still hasn't played. Not even close. While he appears to have plenty of athleticism, the 6-foot-7, 270-pound Jackett has struggled mightily to put on anywhere near sufficient weight to be competitive.

By all accounts, he's gained just 10 pounds in all that time. Offensive guard Paki Finau arrived a year after Jackett in 2024 and proceeded to put on 40-plus pounds over 12 months. Not Jackett.

It's a quandry with no ready solution in sight.

Moose Hylkema waits his turn during spring ball. | Skylar Lin Visuals

JUSTIN HYLKEMA

At the LA Bowl, the player called "Moose" made his Husky debut at offensive tackle against Boise State.

For two seasons, the 6-foot-8, 328-pound rising sophomore from Santa Clara, California, has been in development. He's bigger than most, maybe not as agile as some.

His concern would be that so many freshmen offensive linemen came in ready to play for the UW this past season while he stood and watched on Saturdays. Typically, linemen are given plenty of time to make a breakthrough and he'll need plenty of that.

CHARLIE CROWELL

At times, the Huskies have been short on tight ends over the past two seasons and forced to use interior linemen as outside blockers. One reason is the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Crowell from Bend, Oregon, has suffered a season-ending injury in each of two years in Montlake.

When healthy, he looks promising enough as a pass-catcher and he has all of that size seemingly to be an effective blocker.

Crowell can only hope that his injury misfortune is behind him and he can make a run at playing time in 2026.

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