How Former Huskies Fared in First Two Weeks of Season

Parker Brailsford ran with the football for 13 yards last weekend when normally he just snaps it. Emeka Megwa no longer carries it -- he's a linebacker now. Sam Huard played for the first time in two seasons, taking the final snap of USC's 73-13 rout of Missouri State.

These were just some of the season-opening developments for 45 former University of Washington players (providing we didn't somehow miss one) now appearing on other college football rosters as portal transfers. Eleven of them were starters, 19 were reserves and 15 didn't play.

Husky coach Jedd Fisch says his aim is to slow down the steady stream of departures that is anemic to nearly every FBS school these days.

"I love the fact in our program we are not going to be one where people come and go," he said. "We're working really hard for that to be the case."

Brailsford, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound center who started for the Huskies' 2023 national championship runner-up team, picked up a fumble after his Alabama quarterback was sacked and rumbled upfield with it to set up a field goal. It wasn't enough to prevent the Crimson Tide's 31-17 upset loss at Florida State.

Former Husky Emeka Megwa transferred to UNLV. | UNLV

Megwa, carrying a more robust 6-foot, 220-pound frame, was a highly touted running back out of Texas who spent one season at the UW recovering from a serious high school knee injury and two seasons as a little-used rusher at Oklahoma. UNLV has converted him into a linebacker. He hasn't played in a game yet.

Huard, a one-time 5-star recruit with previous stops at the UW, Cal Poly and Utah, is a senior and a third-team quarterback for USC. He's waiting in the wings should the Trojans need him.

Proving the grass, or the artificial surface, isn't always greener elsewhere, a number of ex-Husky players were involved in the two biggest upset losses for college football last weekend suffered by Kalen DeBoer's Alabama team and by North Carolina, with Bill Belichick's new team getting routed by TCU 48-14 in Chapel Hill.

Former UW wide receiver Germie Bernard had 8 catches for 146 yards in Alabama's opener. | Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brailsford, a junior, was joined on the field by senior wide receiver Germie Bernard and junior tight end Josh Cuevas as Crimson Tide offensive starters and one-time Huskies. Bernard had 146 yards on 8 catches. The 6-foot-3, 251-pound Cuevas caught a 27-yard touchdown pass.

Two former Huskies were in the starting lineup for Belichick's coaching debut at North Carolina in sophomore linebacker Khmori House and senior cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, who were part of a defense that gave up four touchdowns and pair of field goals.

Speaking of cornerbacks, eight have left Montlake in recent seasons and are playing for other teams.

At San Jose State, sophomore cornerback Caleb Presley didn't start a 16-14 loss to Central Michigan, but he apparently has found a home with the Spartans. He came up with 5 tackles and a quarterback hurry in his most extensive playing time on the college level.

Likewise, edge rusher Jayden Wayne, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound junior edge rusher, seems to have found a better fit at California. He came off the bench and picked up a pair of tackles, including a half sack, in the Bears' 34-16 victory over Oregon State.

Running back Cam Davis, after six years at the UW, was a reserve in his first game for Minnesota and ran four times for 12 yards in a 23-10 win over Buffalo.

Former UW offensive guard Gaard Memmelaar was a first-game starter for Central Florida. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Sixth-year senior offensive guard Gaard Memmelaar was an opening-game starter for Central Florida in a 17-10 victory over Jacksonville State.

The Huskies' top two punters from last season, Jack McCallister and Adam Saul, punted against each other in the opener for Purdue and Ball State. McCallister averaged 50.3 yards per kick for the Boilermakers, who shut out the MAC team 31-0, and Saul averaged 40.8 for the losing side.

Sophomore safety Diesel Gordon, who left the Huskies following a suspension for an off-field incident in 2024, has re-emerged at Sacramento State, where he is teammates again with former UW running back Sam Adams II. Gordon spent last season playing for Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas.

Players such as edge rusher Anthony James, safety Vince Nunley and linebacker Jordan Whitney weren't found on any rosters and all appear to have given up the game with eligibility remaining.

A breakdown of the ex-Huskies playing for other teams is as follows:

FORMER HUSKIES	OPENING OUTINGS
Sam Adams II, RB, Sacramento State	reserve in opener, no stats
Lonyatta Alexander Jr., WR, Idaho	didn't play in opener
Davon Banks, CB, Boise State	started opener, 3 tackles, 1 TFL, in opener
Darren Barkins, CB, Cal Poly	didn't play in opener
Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama	started opener, 8 catches for 146 yards
Parker Brailsford, C, Alabama	started opener
Ryder Bumgarner, RB, Central Washington	reserve in opener, 5 carries for 52 yards, TD
Roice Cleeland, OG, UC Davis	didn't play in first two games
Josh Cuevas, TE, Alabama	started opener, 3 rec. for 31 yards and TD
Cam Davis, RB, Minnesota	reserve in opener, 4 carries for 12 yards
Thaddeus Dixon, CB, North Carolina	started opener, 4 tackles, 1 PBU
Tristan Dunn, S, California	reserve in opener, 1 tackle
Diesel Gordon, S, Sacramento State	didn't play in opener
Jay Green, CB, Stanford	started opener, 5 tackles
Austin Hartineaux, LB, Nevada	reserve in opener, 7 tackles
Justin Harrington, S, West Virginia	reserve in opener, no stats
Maurice Heims, ER, Idaho	didn't play in opener
Lance Holtzclaw, ER, Utah	reserve in opener, 1 tackle
Khmori House, LB, North Carolina	started opener, 7 tackles, 1 TFL
Sam Huard, QB, USC	reserve in opener, no stats
Elijah Jackson, CB, TCU	reserve in opener, 1 tackle
Jalen Klemm, OT, Arizona State	didn't play in opener
Logan Lisherness, LB, Central Washington	started opener, 4 tackles
Taeshaun Lyons, WR, UNLV	reserve in in first two games, no stats
Austn Mack, QB, Alabama	didn't play in opener
Jack McCallister, P, Purdue	punted 3 times in opener for 50.3 average
Emeka Megwa, LB, UNLV	didn't play in first two games
Gaard Memmelaar, OG, Central Florida	started opener
Will Nixon, RB, Syracuse	started opener, 9 carries for 33 yards
Bryun Parham, LB, Connecticut	started first two games, 7 tackles in each
Kuao Peihopa, OT, Hawaii	didn't play in first two games
Troy Petz, P, Washington State	didn't play in first two games
Caleb Presley, CB, San Jose State	reserve in opener, 5 tackles
Sawyer Racanelli, WR, Wake Forest	reserve in opener, no stats
Curley Reed III, CB, Louisiana	didn't play in opener
Keith Reynolds, WR, Miami of Ohio	reserve in opener, no stats
Jason Robinson Jr., WR, North Carolina	didn't play in opener
Adam Saul, P, Ball State	punted 5 times in opener for 40.8 average
Jordan Shaw, NB, Texas A&M	didn't play in opener
Sav'ell Smalls, TE, Colorado	reserve in opener, no stats
Zakhari Spears, CB, Idaho	didn't play in opener
Kahlee Tafai, OT, Minnesota	didn't play in opener
Griffin Waiss, TE, Stanford	reserve in opener, no stats
Peyton Waters, S, North Carolina	reserve in opener, 2 tackles
Jayden Wayne, ER, California	reserve in opener, 2 tackles, 1 TFL

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