The Husky Position Area the Experts Aren't Sold On
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Outsiders like a lot of what they see in a University of Washington football program under repair.
Kalen DeBoer's track record for winning and putting the ball in the air and points on the board. A veteran coaching staff pieced together. The linebacking corps, the edge rushers, the wide receivers, the rebuild of each Husky line and even the stockpiling of running backs.
If there's a quibble, the analysts still aren't quite sure what to make of the UW's quarterback situation.
Last week, Athlon Sports ranked the current Husky collection of QBs ninth among all Pac-12 schools, ahead of only Arizona State, California and Colorado.
While offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and DeBoer have a reputation for getting ex-Husky reserve turned Fresno State starter Jake Haener ready to play, questions remain whether the UW can get Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr., returning starter Dylan Morris or legacy player Sam Huard to flourish behind center this season.
Critics suggest that Penix is too injury prone, Morris is an overachiever after becoming a two-year starter and Huard simply isn't ready yet.
The counter argument to Penix's situation is this: while he's had four season-ending injuries, a couple of them were cheap shots that were hard to avoid, such as a Penn State linebacker driving the quarterback into the ground and maybe purposely hurting his shoulder. A 6-foot-3, 214-pound junior, Penix also might need to slide more. Grubb said the staff would examine his past history and look for ways to keep him on the field.
At his best, Penix was named as the 2020 second-team All-Big Ten quarterback, making him better than everyone league-wise except Ohio State's Justin Fields that season. He threw five touchdown passes against the Buckeyes in Columbus.He's a 17-game starter with a 12-5 record. He's been very good at times.
In support of Morris, he won the job in 2020 over Jacob Sirmon (now at Northern Colorado), Ethan Garbers (UCLA) and Kevin Thomson (eligibility used up), showing his competitive side. He did so without adequate coaching, or did you not notice his previous offensive coordinator John Donovan was fired after just 13 games at the UW?
Michael Penix Jr. and Dylan Morris have 32 college starts between them.
Skylar Lin Visuals
Grubb has tried to impress upon Morris, who led the Pac-12 in interceptions with a dozen, that he needs to take far better care of the football. A 6-foot, 202-pound sophomore, Morris was a 2020 All-Pac-12 honorable mention pick. He's a 15-game starter with a 7-8 record. He has a track record of winning games late at Stanford, Arizona and at home against Utah, with two of those victories coming inside the final 35 seconds.
Huard, the one-time 5-star recruit and son and nephew of former UW QBs Damon and Brock Huard, was brought along conservatively as a true freshman in three spot appearances before starting the Apple Cup season finale. He threw four interceptions in a 40-13 defeat to rival Washington State. It was a lost season for a broken team without its head coach or offensive coordinator, so that outcome doesn't count for much.
Sam Huard (7), shown celebrating a touchdown pass, had an encouraging end to spring practice.
Skylar Lin Visuals
The young lefty recently closed out UW spring practice with an encouraging showing in a limited scrimmage that better matched his reputation. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. With four seasons left to play, the 6-foot-2, 194-pound redshirt freshman is probably right on scheduled. He still holds a lot of upside.
DeBoer and his staff seem encouraged by having so many quarterbacks on hand who've started Power 5 football games. These guys will need to keep Penix healthy, Morris mistake-free and Huard confident.
No Huskies appear on any of the national lists breaking down the quarterbacks, but Haener the former Husky shows up at No. 40 on the above list.
The UW will take the three-man QB competition into fall camp in six weeks and let it play out. This might be the only time DeBoer's staff doesn't have a quarterback on a top 50 list such as this.
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