Inside The Huskies

In Husky Numbers Game, Name on the Back of 87 Won't Change

Freshman tight end Ryan Otton has claimed his older brother's UW jersey.
Dan Raley|
In Husky Numbers Game, Name on the Back of 87 Won't Change
In Husky Numbers Game, Name on the Back of 87 Won't Change

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Washington Huskies

Jersey numbers have been doled out to the incoming University of Washington football players, which always signifies a symbolic changing of the guard from the old to the new.

Except in one instance. the Huskies have a new player claiming a jersey where the name on the back won't change at all. 

Freshman tight end Ryan Otton will wear No. 87, same as his older brother Cade, who finished his five-year career last fall, entered the NFL draft and is a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Should the younger Otton need to redshirt anywhere along the way, members of his family will wear No. 87 for a full decade at the UW without interruption. 

However, this 6-foot-6, 238-pound Otton, unlike his sibling, comes to the Huskies as a 4-star recruit, ranked higher than Cade, and, hey, he might not need a redshirt year. So eight or nine years in a row. 

The incoming Parker twins, Jayvon and Armon, freshmen defensive tackles from Detroit, never seem to get too far apart and will wear No. 94 and 95, respectively. Ninety-four was abandoned by defensive lineman Taki Taimani, who transferred to rival Oregon, while 95 has been unclaimed since Levi Onwuzurike wore it. 

Freshman edge rusher Lance "Showtime" Holtzclaw has drawn No. 41, worn previously by edge rusher Cooper McDonald, now at San Diego State.

Junior-college transfer and edge rusher Sekai Afoa-Asoau will wear No. 46, which belonged to punter Race Porter for six seasons.

Portal transfer running back Wayne Taulapapa has claimed No. 21, the same number he wore at Virginia.

UAB linebacker transfer Kris Moll will wear No. 9, along with Indiana quarterback transfer Michael Penix Jr., the latter receiving fellow Husky QB Dylan Morris' former shirt this past spring. 

Moll wore No. 6 at his Conference USA school, a digit already claimed at the UW by junior safety Cam Williams on the defense. 

Freshman cornerback Jaivion Green will have a big shirt to fill —he selected No. 22, previously worn by fellow corner Trent McDuffie, who just enjoyed a first-team All-Pac-12 season and was drafted in the NFL first round by the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Nebraska transfer Will Nixon, the new combo wide receiver and running back, will wear No. 8 after pulling on 12 for the Cornhuskers.

Speaking of No. 12, both freshman wide receiver Denzel Boston and incoming safety Tristan Dunn have claimed it. This is shirt previously was worn by Ja'Lynn Polk, who switched to No. 2 this spring, and the departed Jacobe Covington, who transferred to USC.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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