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Inside The Huskies

Coming Out of Spring, Huskies Pigeonholed In Poll

They're probably better than the experts think during offseason hiatus.
Dan Raley|
Husky quarterbacks and running backs go through a spring drill.
Husky quarterbacks and running backs go through a spring drill. | Dave Sizer photo

Twenty-one would be a welcome number if it represented points for the University of Washington football team next season, especially if they came before halftime, with another three touchdowns possible after the break.

Twenty-one announced over the PA system on game day would mean that redshirt freshman Quaid Carr dressed in that jersey number was now the starting running back, providing plenty of speed for the Husky offense.

Twenty-one, however, in the middle of May probably isn't going to be celebrated in Montlake with much enthusiasm when it's where the UW sits in a post-spring Top 25 ranking, such as the one FOX Sports released on Monday.

The immediate reaction is the pollster likely didn't take more than precursory look at a 9-4 team from 2025 that returns two-thirds of its starters and now boasts a defense from front to back that could create a lot of problems for Big Ten opposition.

Twenty-one?

Too low.

Maybe six slots too low with the now three-year Jedd Fisch rebuild making steady progress.

FOX has the Huskies listed directly behind Florida, which is in a major rebuild; four slots behind Penn State, likewise trying to restore things following a coaching change, and seven places behind USC, which hasn't beaten the UW since 2016, losing three times, including in Los Angeles.

While some might dismiss Demond Williams Jr. at quarterback because of his diminutive 5-foot-11 size, the pollsters may have forgotten that someone, presumably LSU, reportedly was willing to pay the speedy kid upwards of $6 million to run its offense.

Williams also has four of his starting offensive linemen returning from 2025, but not all of them might reclaim his spot because of the talent on hand.

The Huskies stand to be better than No. 21, maybe more suited for something such as 15, because it has a defense filled with playmakers in tackle Elinneus Davis, linebacker Jacob Manu, cornerback Dylan Robinson and safety Alex McLaughlin.

The Huskies also have a highly favorable schedule, with their first four games played at home, and five of their first six coming in Montlake.

Granted, the mystery currently surrounding the UW starting running back role is enough to prevent the UW from starting out in exalted company in the polls, but this team has far more depth, size and speed than it's had over the previous two seasons.

The Huskies aren't a Top 10 team, but they're not as far away as people either.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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