How Huskies' 9 Portal Transfer Newcomers Fared This Season

Well before the Alamo Bowl was played, Kalen DeBoer was in a competitive mood while sitting with the media one afternoon. As the early recruiting signing period came and went, the first-year University of Washington football coach casually mentioned how other programs were just now catching on that his staff was pretty good at judging talent.

He didn't cite a specific example, but this seemed like a veiled reference to Ohio State coming in late and stealing South Dakota quarterback Lincoln Kienholz out from under the Huskies. It took the Buckeyes a while to figure out the kid's exceptional skill set and get him to flip.

By all accounts, DeBoer's staff not only did well in recruiting, but it helped itself in a big way in adding supplemental veteran players to give the inherited roster a noticeable boost, adding nine transfers in all, foremost former Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

All Penix did was lead the nation in passing with a school-record 4,641 yards as the trigger man for an 11-2 season that ended with an emphatic 27-20 victory over the Texas Longhorns in San Antonio.

Penix' presence alone was reason enough to give these guys an overall A-plus grade for their portal efforts, which consisted of four players becoming starters for the Huskies.

Now DeBoer's staff wasn't perfect, with a couple of the newcomers brought in not getting on the field this season or barely at all. But the overall results were highly favorable as shown in the following breakdown of transfer performances:

Michael Penix Jr.

The Huskies did what the quarterback's former Big Ten team could not do — they kept Penix healthy for a full season in this case all 13 games. At Indiana, he suffered four season-ending injuries for the Hoosiers and never got farther into a regular-season schedule than six games and never appeared in a bowl game. At the UW, the Florida native completed 362 of 554 passes for those gaudy 4,641 yards and 31 touchdowns. He was sacked just 5 times while throwing 8 interceptions. He also ran 35 times for 92 yards and 4 scores. More than willing to play another season in Montlake, he's already considered a viable Heisman Trophy candidate and his presence has spurred some early national championship conversation. Grade: A+

Wayne Taulapapa

After leaving Virginia with modest yet workmanlike stats, Taulapapa, in a pass-first offense, led the Huskies in rushing by carrying the ball 140 times for 887 yards and 11 touchdowns. He rushed for more than 100 yards four times, including in each of the final three games. He also caught 24 passes for 225 yards and another score. Touted as reliable and versatile coming in, the Hawaiian player started a dozen games and was far more productive than envisioned in his single season in Seattle. Yet the sixth-year senior only got to spend a single season in Seattle before his eligibility ran out. Grade: A

Cam Bright

Brought in as a one-year starting linebacker replacement for the injured Edefuan Ulofoshio, this Pittsburgh transfer wasn't nearly the playmaker that Ulofoshio has been yet he started all 13 games and did what was needed. He finished third on the team in tackles with 60, which included 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 of which were sacks, and he had an interception. Grade: B

Jordan Perryman

The UC Davis cornerback, a two-time All-Big Sky selection, had the great misfortune of getting injured in the season opener, missing the next three games and being hampered thereafter. He picked up just one pass-defense stat, a lone break-up, and got picked on even in the Alamo Bowl. Still, he helped bolster the short-handed UW secondary, the team's biggest position area of concern caused largely by inexperience and a spate of injuries, by starting 10 games. He came with eligibility for only one season at the UW. Grade: C

Will Nixon

The Nebraska transfer was fairly productive early in the season, used more as a running back than the Cornhuskers wide receiver that he was, before injuries slowed him some. Appearing in 11 games as a reserve, he rushed 21 times for 89 games and 2 scores, and he caught 7 passes for 66 yards, plus he played special teams. Nixon has three seasons of UW eligibility left and should be a steady contributor. Grade: B

Kris Moll

A two-time, first-team Al-Conference USA selection, Moll settled for a reserve role for the Huskies. Although a little undersized, this tough-minded linebacker appeared in all 13 games as a reserve player and picked up 41 tackles, including 3 TFLS and a sack. He was brought in for depth and he did his job. He was one and done. Grade: B

Lonyatta Alexander Jr.

The Arizona State transfer came home to the Seattle area with great hopes, four seasons of eligibility and stood out in the final spring scrimmage. However, he found himself buried on the wide-receiver depth chart during the regular season and just re-entered the portal. He appeared in 11 Husky games, mostly as a special-teamer, and had a catch for 9 yards and a tackle, and recovered an onside kick. Grade: C

Kevin Ryan

The Idaho State transfer was the fifth-leading FCS punter with a 45.6-yard average in 2021, but he got beat out by redshirt freshman Jack McCallister for the Husky job during the spring and he was used for just one 37-yard punt against Colorado. He was basically a spare tire in case there was a flat. He was one punt and done. Grade: D

Aaron Dumas

New Mexico's leading rusher as a freshman in 2021 with 658 yards never stepped on the field for the UW and his future with the program is uncertain. At the Alamo Bowl in his home state, the El Paso, Texas, native still was in uniform and went through warm-ups before the game, but that's as far as he got. He's either deficient in his blocking or receiving skills, which will limit a back in the Grubb/DeBoer offense. Dumas, who basically redshirted for the Huskies, has three seasons of college eligibility remaining. Grade: N/A

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