Can Washington Have Three Players Over 1K Yards Again?

The Huskies had two receivers go over 1,000 yards in 2022, what else can the offense achieve?

Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze made Washington history in 2022. The receivers became the first duo in school history to record over 1,000 receiving yards in the same year. 

Factoring in Wayne Taulapapa, who recorded 1,112 yards from scrimmage on his 164 touches, the Huskies had three players go over 1,000 scrimmage yards in 2022. Now the question begs, can they do it again?

Having four players over 1,000 scrimmage yards is incredibly rare, but the Huskies have gotten close to the number before. In 2016, both running back Myles Gaskin and wide receiver John Ross got over 1,000 yards.

However, two players fell just short of the mark. Running back Lavon Coleman finished the season with 971 scrimmage yards, and receiver Dante Pettis finished the year with 822 yards. 

With what has the potential to be a better offense than the record-setting 2022 season, can the Huskies get a third player over 1,000 yards again? And what about a fourth?

Enter running back Dillon Johnson. With the skillset to operate as a true three-down running back, he could almost certainly hit that number with a full workload. During his sophomore season at Mississippi State, Johnson recorded 907 yards from scrimmage on 154 touches.

Compared to Taulapapa, who only recorded 10 more touches during his only year at Washington, Johnson definitely has the talent to make a similar, if not greater impact in 2023. He can certainly break the 1,000-yard mark with enough volume.

And what about a fourth? The most likely candidate to hit that mark would be wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk. Polk recorded 709 yards on just 42 touches, he could definitely break 1,000 yards through the air, adding Washington to truly rarified air.

The Husky offense has the potential to be historically good in 2023, and with head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb running the show, they've given fans the confidence that anything is possible. 

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