Inside The Huskies

Reassessing Expectations for Washington in 2023

After an 11-2 season, what should fans expect from the Huskies in 2023?
Roman Tomashoff|
Reassessing Expectations for Washington in 2023
Reassessing Expectations for Washington in 2023

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Washington Huskies

Washington is an early favorite to win the 2023 off-season, with nearly all of their draft-eligible underclassmen opting to return to school. If All-American junior receiver Rome Odunze also announces his return, Kalen DeBoer's squad will be bringing back 14 of their 22 starters from their impressive 2022 campaign.

Assuming Odunze returns, the Huskies will be bringing back three All-Americans, with edge rusher Bralen Trice and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. joining him. When Penix announced his return to school, he changed the entire trajectory of the team's offseason.

While bringing back Penix is the highlight of the offseason, the Huskies are also dominating the transfer portal. Their class, highlighted by four-star players in wide receiver Germie Bernard, cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, tight end Josh Cuevas, and running back Dillon Johnson, is currently ranked sixth in the country by 247 Sports.

This high-impact transfer class should be expected to contribute right away at key positions. If Muhammad can prove that he has the ability to be an elite, No.1 corner who can lock down a team's best receiver every week, he can completely turn around this defense. 

Combining Muhammad with an elite high school recruiting class of cornerbacks, highlighted by four-stars Caleb Presley from Rainier Beach (Wash.), and Curley Reed from Lake Charles (La.), fans should expect to see an improved secondary in 2023.

If the coaching staff can straighten out its pass defense, it takes the Huskies, who will most likely finish inside the AP's top 10 at the end of the season, up to a whole different level. However, the schedule is going to look a little different (and a lot harder) next season.

While the official schedule hasn't been released yet, Washington will have to match up with the Pac-12 champion Utah Utes at Husky Stadium, and will also have to travel to Los Angeles to play the Pac-12 runner-up USC Trojans. Those teams will replace Colorado and UCLA on the docket.

It won't be easy, and even though it's January, it's starting to feel like it's playoff or bust for this Husky squad. There's going to be a lot of hype around this team as summer approaches, and now the question is, can DeBoer make sure his team lives up to it?

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Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

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