New Dawg Report: Daniyel Ngata
It's very clear that Washington running backs coach Lee Marks and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb have a specific mold in mind for the position. Over the last two years, the coaching staff has secured commitments from four running backs through the transfer portal, and the first in the 2023 cycle in former Arizona State Sun Devil Daniyel Ngata.
The younger brother of former Husky outside linebacker Ariel Ngata, Daniyel was ranked as the 125th overall player in the class of 2020 by 247 Sports. Over his three years in Tempe, he rushed for 689 yards and six touchdowns and added 14 receptions for 98 yards.
Ngata's usage at Arizona State was a bit of a shocker, as one of his best attributes coming out of high school was his ability as a receiver. His high school film displayed him catching the ball both out of the backfield and lined up as a wide receiver, however, the Sun Devils coaching staff rarely asked him to do that.
That won't be an issue at Washington, as the Huskies consistently asked Wayne Taulapapa and Cameron Davis to line up out wide, sometimes before motioning them into the backfield. Ngata can create a lot of personnel mismatches for Grubb's offense, and add a whole new layer that opposing defenses barely saw in 2022.
While the offense was one of the best in the country in 2022, coaches are always looking for new ways to evolve. Two running back sets with the personnel that Washington has can wreak havoc on defenses that are slow at linebacker, and can stretch the field laterally as well as vertically, giving skill players more room to operate.
If Ngata can prove that he can hang as a pass protector, he's almost certainly going to be part of a lot of Grubb's third-down packages. While he might not see as many carries as he did at Arizona State, he could record 500 receiving yards in 2023.
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