Cam Davis Could Play A Bigger Role Than Ever

Cam Davis scored 13 rushing touchdowns in 2022, giving him the third-most scores in the Pac-12 last season. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb loves to throw the ball but has stressed since his arrival that Washington's offense is built on balance.

The coaching staff brought in a few transfer running backs over the offseason, Dillon Johnson and Daniyel Ngata from Mississippi State and Arizona State, respectively, but it still looks like the majority of the workload will fall to Davis to begin the year.

Johnson is still working his way back from a knee injury he suffered in 2022 and Ngata hasn't shown he can handle a heavy workload just yet because he's never touched the ball more than 63 times in a season.

The Huskies also have running backs Richard Newton, Sam Adams II and Will Nixon waiting in the wings, but questions surround that group, too. Newton doesn't seem to fit the scheme Grubb wants to run, which resulted in him receiving only 48 touches on the year, while Adams has struggled with injuries.

Nixon has looked explosive during fall camp and could carve out an ample role for himself, but the coaching staff seems to trust Davis the most at this point in fall camp.

Grubb said Johnson is still working his way back from a knee injury he suffered at Mississippi State and there are no plans to rush him back, which makes Davis' role even more important.

"With Dillon, we're definitely being super, super cautious with him; he's still recovering from that clean-up with his knee," Grubb said after Washington's third fall practice. "It's taken awhile and part of the reason it's taken awhile is he came back too quickly. We want to make sure we don't make that mistake again."

Once Johnson is 100 percent ready to go, the coaching staff probably will take a similar approach to the 2022 season when the majority of snaps were split between Davis and Wayne Taulapapa, with the rest of the committee of runners sprinkled in where the staff sees necessary.

Plenty of talented backs are in the position room, but Davis' seniority has him out in front of the group. Expect the coaching staff to lean on him early and often in the early parts of the season.

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