Move to Block: UW Tight Ends Will Line Up For This Duty

Just over a month before spring ball, the University of Washington football team has plenty of tight ends, healthy ones, injured one, young ones.

Yet the pressing question, as the Huskies began pulling sled equipment out of storage, is do they have one who can block?

On and off, for the past three seasons, the UW had Quentin Moore whenever he was healthy ready to knock someone out of the way and help Dillon Johnson or Jonah Coleman pick up big yardage going around the corner.

Moore, however, is done at the college fooball level and because of his blocking prowess likely has a very good chance of getting drafted and landing an NFL job.

Jedd Fisch called him the best college blocking tight end he's ever had and, with the way he used him, Kalen DeBoer and his staff likely would concur.

OK, so who's next up to fill this all-encompassing role for a Fisch team always bent on establishing the run?

Decker DeGraaf hauls in a touchdown catch against Eastern Michigan in 2024. | Skylar Lin Visuals

Currently, there are seven candidates, in various stages of good health and experience.

Again, this is largely for a specialized assignments and not necessarily the starting role.

Considering previous game snaps and demonstrated physicality, the first option likely is 6-foot-4, 250-pound sophomore Baron Naone.

He appeared in seven games in 2025, burning his redshirt status as a freshman, and played against the likes of Michigan, Illinois and Oregon, so he's gone up against quality competition. He wasn't in there catching passes, because he's still awaiting his first college reception.

The next option would be Decker DeGraaf, who's started 16 games over two seasons and showed himself fairly capable as a multi-dimensional tight end entering his junior year.

While he's caught 47 career passes for 593 yards and 5 touchdowns, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound DeGraaf is still working on honing his blocking skills, which surely will determine what kind of NFL prospect he eventually becomes.

Austin Simmons made three UW game appearances during 2025. | Dave Sizer photo

Next up is Naone's fellow classmate, 6-foot-5, 245-pound redshirt freshman Austin Simmons, who played against Purdue, UCLA and Boise State in the LA Bowl and preserved another season of eligibility.

He was singled out by tight-ends coach Jordan Paopao for picking up things rather quickly. If Naone isn't the UW's top blocking tight end, maybe it's Simmons.

Kade Eldridge (44) shares a special-teams moment with Quentin Moore (88), Dylan Robinson (6) and Ryan Kean (33). | Dave Sizer photo

If he hadn't gotten hurt in game 7 at Michigan, Kade Eldridge might be making this conversation moot.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound junior was used like another Jack Westover, inserted as a blocking and rushing fullback -- he scored a touchdown on a 1-yard plunge against Colorado State -- before having foot surgery at midseason.

It's unclear when he might be medically cleared, though it wouldn't be a surprise if he came back after next season begins.

Charlie Crowell catches a breather during 2024 fall camp. | UW

Charlie Crowell came in with DeGraaf, but unlike his classmate, his UW career has consisted of nothing but bad luck.

While his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame would suggest he could be an effective blockers, the third-year sophomore has had season-ending injuries in each of his first two years in Montlake and hasn't played.

That leaves a pair of incoming freshmen in 6-foot-5, 255-pound Kekua Amua from Kahuku, Hawaii, and 6-foot-4, 225-pound Sam Vyhlidal from Lake Oswego, Oregon, to come in and show what they're capable of doing. Amua appears heavier than all of the tight ends.

Entering spring ball, it's possibly Naone, DeGraaf and Simmons as first up in vying to be the Huskies' blocking tight end.

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