Husky Roster Review: McCree Waiting for Football Luck to Change

One of these days, college football is going to go a little easier on Maximus McCree, whose name makes it sound like he was once a gladiator from another time. Maybe it will call off the lions someday and let him take a deep breath.

Last season, the 6-foot-6, 296-pound University of Washington offensive tackle sat out the Weber State opener because the NCAA had transfer concerns with him and he wasn't cleared until an hour before the next game against Eastern Michigan.

Once the Big Ten schedule began, McCree became the Husky starter at left tackle and opened against Northwestern, Rutgers, Michigan and Iowa, only to break his thumb eight plays into the road outing at Iowa City.

After missing the final five games of the regular season, he reclaimed the No. 1 left tackle job for the Sun Bowl against Louisville, only to see the UW later go out and get a another tackle from the transfer portal in Carver Willis from Kansas State.

Max McCree is back for a second season with the UW. | Skylar Lin Visuals

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

McCree still is waiting for his football luck to change. Before coming to the UW, he played in two games for Maryland in 2022 until going home to Kansas City and taking a job to support his family once both of his parents became physically unable to work.

In 2021, he was recruited by plenty of FBS schools, but was forced to spend a season at Iowa Central Community College because he didn't have the grades to go directly to the higher level.

Max McCree drew his third UW start at left tackle against Michigan. | Skylar Lin Visuals

For the recent UW spring football, McCree looked spry and mobile enough to get through 15 practices. Yet he spent nearly all of it running behind Willis at left tackle while occasionally flipping to the right side and lining up behind returning starter Drew Azzopardi. He drew a handful of opportunities with the No. 1 offense.

Should the Huskies need another starting tackle for whatever reason during the upcoming season, McCree would be a willing and adequate replacement bringing athleticism and now more FBS experience.

Of course, that probably would mean that someone else would have to encounter some unexpected bad luck for him to move up.

MAX MCCREE FILE

What he's done: McCree has nine college games at two Big Ten schools on his football resume, with seven coming last season for the Huskies. So nothing should be a surprise to him if he's summoned onto the field.

Starter or not: He was the starter last season when the UW beat Northwestern and Michigan, which are notable credits for him. While listed as a senior, McCree might have more eligibility than that if he can get a favorable NCAA hardship ruling after appearing in those two Maryland games in 2022 and none the following season.

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