Inside The Huskies

Roebuck Waits For No One In Becoming Big Husky Contributor

The freshman wide receiver is poised to make his first career start in the Apple Cup.
Dan Raley|
Dezmen Roebuck (81) gets loose on a fly sweep, escorted by Carver Willis (50), to score on a 47-yard touchdown play against UC Davis.
Dezmen Roebuck (81) gets loose on a fly sweep, escorted by Carver Willis (50), to score on a 47-yard touchdown play against UC Davis. | Dave Sizer photo

Dezmen Roebuck came sprinting down the 50-yard line, moving right to left on a fly sweep, when University of Washington sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. shoveled the football to him and the fun began.

Roebuck used a block from redshirt freshman offensive guard Paki Finau to cut upfield. He used another from sophomore running back Adam Mohammed to get through a wave of tacklers at the 45.

He spun away from a UC Davis player who had a momentary bead on him. He used a block from fellow freshman wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright at the 30 to make two other defenders slip and fall.

At the 25, Roebuck broke into the open once another opposing tackler lost his feet and went down, and it was clear sailing.

Reaching the end zone on what was deemed a 47-yard touchdown catch -- though the ball traveled no more than a foot or two through the air -- Roebuck also ran past UW wide receivers in Penn State senior transfer Omari Evans, junior Kevin Green Jr., sophomore Audric Harris, redshirt freshman Justice Williams and freshman Chris Lawson and literally into the starting lineup.

"When he got here, he hasn't flinched," Husky coach Jedd Fisch said of Roebuck's increased responsibility.

Once sophomore starter Rashid Williams was lost to a collarbone injury on the first series of the 70-10 beatdown of hapless UC Davis, the rest of the game basically turned into an audition for who would replace Williams against Washington State in the Apple Cup.

This past Monday, the UC Davis game was barely 36 hours old when Fisch in his media briefing blurted out that the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Roebuck from Marana, Arizona, which sits in the desert shadows of Tucson, would be the replacement starter for Williams.

The coach's reasoning for elevating him over the others was like an attorney's closing argument for making his case. It touched on many salient points.

“Practiced every singl e day. Never missed a day of practice. Never missed an opportunity to meet with his coaches. Never missed an opportunity to dive deep into the playbook and meet with the quarterback. Stayed after every practice and caught balls from the JUGS machine. Made sure that if there was ever an opportunity to improve, he did it. Took coaching exceptionally well. Came in with a ton of talent.”

While nearly every other receiver took part in spring football practice, Roebuck was at home, still finishing up high school, and he didn't join the Huskies until fall camp began.

Dezmen Roebuck is known for his sure hands.
Dezmen Roebuck is known for his sure hands. | Dave Sizer photo

Once in Seattle, he was impressive from the outset, going through all sorts of contortions to catch balls thrown his way, notably one-handing one in the end zone while twisting like a pretzel early in fall camp.

It quickly became apparent he would play right away and skip the typical redshirt route for most newcomers.

Providing the Huskies don't open with two tight ends, he'll join Vines-Bright as a fellow freshman starting receiver against the Cougars, matching what Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan did together against Stanford in 2020.

Roebuck will give the Huskies their third true freshman starter all at once, joining offensive guard John Mills and Vines-Bright -- believed to be a program first.

Dezmen Roebuck and Raiden Vines-Bright were two of six UW freshmen who played in the opener.
Dezmen Roebuck and Raiden Vines-Bright were two of six UW freshmen who played in the opener. | Dave Sizer photo

In 2019, the UW started three ftrue reshmen that season in cornerback Trent McDuffie and safeties Cam Williams and Asa Turner, though never all at once, because Williams and Turner alternated in their spot.

Roebuck has two-game totals of 6 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, trailing only junior Denzel Boston, who leads the team with10 receptions for 142 yards and a receiving score. He's really just getting started.

"I believe that he will just continue to improve," Fisch said of his rapidly elevating newcomer.

And likely he will do it in a hurry, twisting to make the impossible grab and running past everyone, opponents and teammates alike, as if they weren't there.

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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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