DeGraaf Was Steady Performer in Huskies' Uneven Maryland Outing

While the University of Washington football team played hot and cold against Maryland, tight end Decker DeGraaf kept catching passes no matter what the score was. He was consistent when everyone else in a gold helmet was not.

Whereas his team overall had to rebound in a significant manner on the East Coast, he just kept going in making things happen.

This past Saturday, as the Huskies fell behind 20-0 before rushing back to pull out a 24-20 victory on Saturday, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound DeGraaf enjoyed a career day and finished with 6 receptions for 62 yards.

The sophomore from San Dimas, California, caught a 6-yard pass from Demond Williams Jr. on the UW's third offensive play.

He got his hands on an 8-yarder on the Huskies' third possession.

In the second quarter, he came up with 8- and 10-yard receptions.

And in the third quarter, he pulled in 9- and 21-yard throws, with those finally leading to the UW's first touchdown, a 3-yard scoring catch to Denzel Boston early in the final period and a lot of momentum.

In the fourth quarter, DeGraaf simply had the lead block on Jonah Coleman's game-winning 1-yard touchdown run with 3:21 left to play that brought the UW all the way back from a near three-touchdown deficit.

"What was nice about it, " Husky coach Jedd Fisch said, "was Decker was very confident out there."

Five games into his second UW season, DeGraaf ranks fourth on the team in receiving with 13 catches for 112 yards, which are two grabs and 121 yards shy of his 13-game totals in his debut season as a freshman.

DeGraaf established himself right away as a first-year player in 2024, catching a 33-yard scoring pass on one of his first college snaps against Weber State and another touchdown throw, from 41 yards out, against Eastern Michigan in his second game.

What he's done since is not only become an effective blocker, but he's gotten even better catching the ball with someone tightly guarding him.

"The ball was stuck on him, but there was no shying away from the catch there," Fisch said. "He used his hands. He didn't use his body. He was able to turn up the field."

Decker DeGraaf catches a 41-yard touchdown pass against Eastern Michigan in 2024. | Skylar Lin Visuals

The Husky coach felt DeGraaf, who was a first-team freshman All-America selection in 2024, took a big step forward the week before against Ohio State in his tight-end progression.

In the third quarter, the young tight end peeled off the line, got his hands on a Williams pass in the left flat, carried a defensive back five yards after the catch and finished with a 23-yard gain to the Buckeyes 7.

"I think the seam route he hit against Ohio State really gave Decker that confidence," Fisch said.

And Maryland paid for his added belief in what he does with that football many times over.

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