Can Any True Freshmen Crack the Depth Chart in 2023?

In 2022, Washington had to call on the services of multiple true freshmen on defense. Safety Tristan Dunn was able to retain his redshirt, but cornerback Jaivion Green and defensive tackle Jayvon Parker played in more than the NCAA-allotted four games (not including their Alamo Bowl matchup with Texas).

While the freshmen were thrust into action mainly due to a combination of injuries and subpar play in the secondary, coach Kalen DeBoer has shown that no matter what year they are, the best players will play. With that being said, are there any members of the 2023 recruiting class who can crack the depth chart?

“Lockdown” ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/92VaeSrOWJ
— Curley “Lockdown”reed 3rd (@d1curloo) August 29, 2022

A lot of attention is going to be on the secondary, as DeBoer and Co. put together a promising recruiting class that is headlined by four-star cornerbacks Caleb Presley and Curley Reed. If the back end of the defense struggles as it did in 2022, fans are going to be clamoring to see what the true freshmen can do.

While fans will most likely see glimpses of both Presley and Reed, as well as three-star corner Leroy Bryant and safety Diesel Gordon, they probably won't crack the depth chart. Now of course, there are exceptions, especially if a few injuries pile up, or on the off chance somebody comes in and plays at the level Trent McDuffie did in 2019.

The same can be said for Washington's wide receiver class, which is headlined by four-stars Taeshaun Lyons and Rashid Williams. However, that depth chart is going to be even harder to crack thanks to the team's elite depth at the position.

There are a few other candidates who have potential but also have some high-caliber talent in their way. For example, defensive lineman Anthony James is blocked by a lot of veterans on the edge, but could be asked to take on a bigger role depending on the long-term effects of the injury redshirt sophomore Maurice Heims suffered on the first day of spring practice.

If you had to put money on one freshman to crack the depth chart, James might be the answer. DeBoer had high praise for offensive lineman Zach Henning and running back Tybo Rogers after the first week of spring practice, but just like at many other positions, there's too much talent to see a realistic path to immediate playing time.

Of course, anything can happen between now and the season opener against Boise State on September 2, but expecting true freshmen to become major contributors on this Husky team doesn't feel likely. However, come 2024 when in all likelihood everyone will have preserved their redshirt, there could be multiple starters from this class.

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Inside the Huskies stories — as soon as they’re published.

Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.

Find Inside the Huskies on Facebook by searching: Inside Huskies/FanNation at SI.com or https://www.facebook.com/dan.raley.12

Follow Roman Tomashoff of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @rtomashoff34 or @UWFanNation

Have a question? Message me on Twitter!