Patient Lawson Lost Fall Battle, Won the War

The UW wide receiver hung in there and became the starter after getting beat out.

Chris Lawson made his first career Husky start against Utah State. | Dave Sizer photo

Chris Lawson is the perfect example for why University of Washington football players shouldn't immediately head straight for the transfer portal with hurt feelings should they get beat out for a starting job.

After battling through fall camp and coming in second to Kennesaw State transfer Christian Moss as the replacement for the departed Denzel Boston, the sophomore from San Francisco was a reserve for all of one play.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Lawson stepped into the X position in the season opener against Washington State after Moss tore a quadriceps muscle and later had surgery.

As the Huskies reach the midway point of the regular season against Iowa, Lawson has started four consecutive games and ranks as the Huskies' second-leading receiver with 18 catches for 294 yards and a touchdown.

Chris Lawson is the Huskies' second-leading receiver with 18 catches for 294 yards and a touchdown. | Dave Sizer photo

Not only that, he wowed everyone by making a difficult 43-yard catch of a fourth-down pass from quarterback Demond Williams Jr. against USC last weekend that gave the Huskies a chance to win that game.

"I trust in my ability, so it was kind of like a routine play," Lawson said in a great understatement.

Showing how football fortunes can change in an instance, Lawson has fully launched his career while Moss, whose return is uncertain, could end up as a Montlake trivia question: Who was the guy whose entire Husky football career spanned just a painful snap?

Lawson was part of a Bay Area triumvirate of Catholic high school players that arrived last year and also included offensive linemen John Mills and Champ Taulealea.

The receiver and Mills, in fact, played for rival schools in Archbiship Riordan and St. Ignatius from the West Catholic Athletic League and they twice went head to head in highly competitive battles.

As juniors, Lawson's school took a 41-34 victory over Mills and Company, while the big lineman's team won 31-28 when they were seniors in 2024.

Chris Lawson (8) and John Mills (72) are San Francisco products who are UW teammates. | Dave Sizer photo

"Once we got here, I was hanging out with him a lot," Lawson said of Mills. "Him and Champ, who was also in the W Cal League, so we had a pretty good connection when we got here."

All three of these second-year guys from San Francisco were in the starting lineup when the Huskies took the field against USC this past Saturday.

While he and his teammates lost the game 25-21, Lawson further advanced his Husky career with that memorable catch of a last-ditch Williams pass with two minutes remaining.

"Demond made a great play and I just caught the ball and did my job," Lawson said, offering a veteran response.