Inside The Huskies

UW Fills in QB Blanks, Adds Colorado State Grad Transfer

The California native began his college career at Nebraska and will now take on a sixth college season.
Dan Raley|
UW Fills in QB Blanks, Adds Colorado State Grad Transfer
UW Fills in QB Blanks, Adds Colorado State Grad Transfer

After losing three reserve quarterbacks in a week, the University of Washington football program wasted no time in beefing up the depth chart on Thursday by adding Colorado State graduate transfer Patrick O'Brien.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound O'Brien once was a top 10 quarterback recruit from San Juan Capistrano, California, who began his college football career with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

At first glimpse, the newcomer with his size and pro-style credentials resembles another Jacob Sirmon, who left the UW program for Central Michigan. With the Huskies, the new guy will be taking on a sixth college season.

"Everyone’s journey is different and my college experience has taken me to some incredible places," O'Brien wrote on social media. "I am so thankful for every opportunity that has been given to me. With that I would like to announce my commitment to the University of Washington."

O'Brien started three of Colorado State's four games during the recently completed pandemic season, completing 45 of 80 passes for 591 yards and 3 touchdowns, with two interceptions, as the Rams finished 1-3.

He came off the bench in the season opener against Fresno State and former UW quarterback Jake Haener in a 38-17 loss. While O'Brien completed 7 of 10 passes for 82 yards and a score, Haener riddled his Mountain West team with a 22-for-32 effort for 311 yards and 3 TDs.

O'Brien's best outing came in a 34-24 victory over Wyoming, one in which he completed 18 of 26 passes for 255 yards and two scores. 

In 2019, O'Brien was one of three quarterbacks who started for Colorado State during a 4-8 season, taking over for the final nine games. He connected on 209 of 338 passes for 2,803 yards and 13 TDs. The Rams went 3-6 with him as the No. 1 guy.

That season, he lit up Toledo for 405 yards and a score on a 32-for-52 passing performance in a 41-35 defeat.

At Nebraska, he redshirted in 2016 and made four back-up appearances the following season, completing 18 of 30 passes for 192 yards, with most of it coming against Minnesota.

Looking for more playing time, O'Brien transferred to Colorado State and sat out the 2018 season.

He joins a UW quarterback depth chart that begins with sophomore-to-be Dylan Morris, the returning starter, and incoming freshman Sam Huard, the much-discussed 5-star recruit.

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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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