Husky Roster Review: Cuevas Was Big Hit at TE in Spring Ball

The Cal Poly transfer impressed with his physical style.

Among the transfers brought in for University of Washington spring football, those joining the competition at defensive back, running back, linebacker and edge rusher had to know the Huskies had openings in the two-deeps and an immediate need for their services.

At tight end, it wasn't clear right away where Cal Poly newcomer Josh Cuevas would fit in. 

Looking at the Husky pecking order, the newcomer from the Big Sky Conference initially had to be behind sixth-year seniors Devin Culp and Jack Westover, one-time JC transfer Quentin Moore and legacy player Ryan Otton. 

However, Cuevas demonstrated fairly quickly in a Husky scrimmage that he probably deserves more, that he brings the full package at tight end if not a more physical approach than the others.

"He had two crushing blocks," offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said in April. "He absolutely smashed two D-ends in a row, on back-to-back plays. He showed he's not just a pass-catcher, which is something we're really excited about — because I think he's a super athlete."

That performance alone might have leapfrogged him over some of the others when it comes to finding a way on to the field this fall on game day.

Going down the roster from No. 0 to 99, Cuevas, who wears No. 85 on offense, is next up in a series of profiles about each of the Huskies' scholarship players and assorted walk-ons, summing up their spring football performances and surmising what might come next for them.

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New tight end Josh Cuevas impressed the UW coaching staff with crunching blocks during a spring ball scrimmage. 

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Josh Cuevas came to the UW after catching 57 passes for 622 yards and 6 touchdowns for a 2-9 Cal Poly team in 2022.

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Tight-ends coach Nick Sheridan offers marching orders to Devin Culp (83), Quentin Moore (88), Josh Cuevas (85) and John Frazier (91) in April.

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Cal Poly transfer Josh Cuevas goes one-on-one with Oklahoma State transfer cornerback Jabbar Muhammad in spring ball. 

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Josh Cuevas got his coaches' attention during UW spring football by knocking people off their feet. 

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Josh Cuevas had four games of seven catches or more last season at Cal Poly, topped by a 10-reception outing against Portland State.

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Cuevas brought a sort of ruggedness and wiry look about him as he was transformed into a Power 5 player this spring, showing maybe he belonged at this level all along.

While former Husky quarterback Sam Huard turned to Cal Poly to resurrect his college football career, Cuevas had to get out of San Luis Obispo to see if he could enhance his pro football ambitions.

For a bad 2-9 team in 2022, he was really good, catching 57 passes for 622 yards and 6 touchdowns, and earning third-team All-Big Sky honors. 

"Washington was giving an opportunity to me where it would make me a more well-rounded tight end, and that's what I wanted," said Cuevas, who has three seasons of eligibility remaining. "It's just going to help me get to the next step to the NFL."

From Campbell Hall High School in Los Angeles, Cuevas appeared to be one of those guys who got lost in recruiting because of the pandemic. His senior season was reduced to four games and moved to the spring of 2021. This was after he caught 86 passes for 1,080 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore and a junior.

One of the things that attracted Cal Poly to Cuevas was his tough-guy mentality. He also played outside linebacker at Campbell Hall and finished with 62 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4 sacks and 4 interceptions.

"He played on both sides of the ball, which you really like to see because that shows somewhat of a mentality for playing a lot of snaps and playing tired," said Beau Baldwin, former Cal Poly, Eastern Washington and Central Washington coach and now the Arizona State offensive coordinator. "Some of the physicality he showed on defense really excited us."

After seeing him knock down some of their guys, the Husky coaches surely will find room for him in the tight-end rotation.

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JOSH CUEVAS FILE

Service: He came off the bench for the first two games in 2022 before Cal Poly fully realized what it had and started him for the final nine. He appeared in a dozen games over two seasons, using a redshirting in 2021.

Stats: Cuevas caught 61 passes for 678 yards and 6 scores over his two Big Sky seasons.

Role: Anything goes. He's got veterans ahead of him, but the Huskies should use him at the very least as a situational player. When a coach uses the word "crushing" to describe you, that usually means playing time.

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