Inside The Huskies

Taj Davis Won't Play in Cal's Bowl Game, With Destination Unknown

The former Husky receiver has a year of eligibility remaining.
Dan Raley|
Taj Davis Won't Play in Cal's Bowl Game, With Destination Unknown
Taj Davis Won't Play in Cal's Bowl Game, With Destination Unknown

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Washington Huskies

With a strong finish, the California Bears earned a spot against Texas Tech in Saturday's Independence Bowl, in a battle of 6-6 teams in Shreveport, Louisiana.

It's not a top-tier game, but the hospitality previously shown by the bowl organizers to its visitors, including the University of Washington once before, is over the top with countless dinners and activities. 

However, those planning to watch former Husky receiver Taj Davis in action for Cal won't have that opportunity.

Without offering a reason, the Bears released their bowl game roster and Davis, who finished second on the team with 39 catches for 399 yards and 3 touchdowns, wasn't on it.

The presumption is Davis, who spent four seasons at the UW, has opted out and will either put his name in for the NFL draft or use a final season of eligibility somewhere else. 

Here's a purely speculative thought: What if Davis returned to the Huskies in 2024 to finish up? 

He forever remains in the program's good graces after his 2022 performance for Kalen DeBoer's staff, which included his 62-yard touchdown catch against Oregon with 3:07 left to play in Eugene, tying the game at 34 and enabling the Huskies to pull out a 37-34 win at the end.

When the UW hosted Cal this past season, Husky coaches and players alike crowd around the popular Davis after the game to greet him. He caught a 24-yard TD pass that day in the Bears' 59-32 loss.

The Huskies are expecting to lose all or mosts of their starting receivers in Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja'Lynn Polk to the draft once this season ends. They've already made sure Giles Jackson retained an extra year of eligibility to return as a senior pass-catcher for 2024. 

Davis, with 47 UW career catches for 606 yards and 4 scores, has proven credentials in Montlake and would provide another veteran presence.

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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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