6 Huskies in the Running at Running Back and Where They Stand

Two weeks from the opener against Boise State, nearly everything was firmly in place for the University of Washington football team and then running back Cam Davis went down with a season-ending injury in need of surgery.

Momentarily, this threw everything for a loop for the Husky offense.

Davis was more familiar with the intricate DeBoer/Grubb pro-style attack than anyone else, appearing in 11 games in 2022, and drawing carries in each of the four previous seasons; and he had scored more rushing touchdowns last season than any of the others in the running for the job, with 13 coming in his back-up role.

That leaves any combination of six players to pick up the pieces.

"There was a definitive line where Cam really cemented himself and now there's a lot of guys who are very close," Husky offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. "I'm wanting to see some separation, to be honest, and I haven't seen anybody separate yet, not even two guys. We still have some work to do to see who those guys are going to be."

The following is a breakdown of the remaining UW running-back candidates, in the order of their expected place on the depth chart, and what to expect. We rank them 1 through 6.

1) Dillon Johnson

The Mississippi State transfer, with his solid 6-foot, 218-pound physique, would seem to be the logical replacement for Davis as the starter, bringing 1,198 yards rushing and 854 receiving from his SEC career. He's played in 35 games and started 14. Yet the junior comes off a pair of minor knee surgeries, one at Mississippi State and another at the UW during the spring, that have left him in recovery. Mostly, his ability to make all the right moves in an intricate offense will determine whether he's the No. 1 guy right away or not, plus he admittedly acknowledges he's not the best blocker.

2) Will Nixon

If Johnson isn't quite ready to go as the featured back, Nixon will slide into the role, much like Wayne Taulapapa did the previous fall, as someone physical and mistake-free. The one-time Nebraska transfer worked harder than everyone in his position group over the offseason, adding 15 pounds to his now 5-foot-11, 202-pound frame. The sophomore appeared physical enough coming through the line in fall camp. Appearing in 11 UW games in 2022, Nixon got a taste of the offense by rushing 21 times for 89 yards and a pair of TDs and catching 7 passes for 66 yards.

3) Daniyel Ngata

The Arizona State transfer had been slowed by a leg injury in spring ball and learning the UW playbook, but he seemed to gain more opportunity as fall camp came to a close. At 5-foot-9 and 192 pounds, Ngata has been described by Grubb as his back most likely to break a long one. The junior comes off a season as the Sun Devils back-up in which he rushed 54 times for 272 yards and a touchdown — with his short scoring run coming against the Huskies in Tempe. With a couple of ASU starts in his career, he could handle a heavy load if needed.

4) Richard Newton

The sixth-year senior replaced an injured Davis as the Husky back-up runner last season in the Alamo Bowl, and rushed 11 times for 44 yards against Texas, showing he still has something left in the tank. UW coach Kalen DeBoer remarked how Newton seemed healthier now than at any time since the new staff took over. At 6-foot and 223 pounds, Newton is bigger than the others. He has career totals of 224 carries for 971 yards and 14 touchdowns, 10 coming in 2019 as a back-up; and 12 receptions for 119 yards and a pair of scores. His 36-yard TD grab at California showed him make an acrobatic grab and offer a powerful stiff arm to get him into the end zone. He has three Husky career starts. Blocking, however, might be his drawback.

5) Sam Adams II

Injured for most of his first two seasons, Adams fell behind the others in his development, with running-backs coach Lee Marks suggesting he still might not be at his optimal best until 2024. However, the 6-foot-2, 207-pound sophomore played for the first time last fall and rushed 13 times for 40 yards and caught 5 passes for 35 yards and a pair of touchdowns. While he has a natural running style, he remains somewhat of a mystery man on the roster. He's the only one who doesn't do media interviews.

6) Tybo Rogers

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound shifty freshman from Bakersfield, California, came to the Huskies highly regarded — both USC and UCLA made a late run at him — impressed everyone with his spring showing as possibly the most advanced first-year player at any position and then squandered all of that momentum by getting suspended early in fall camp. He's back now, but behind the others. His goal should be to get back in good standing with the coaching staff and see how much he can get on the field on game day and make things happen.

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