UW Roster Review: Lawson Had Not Much Spring In His Step

The sophomore wide receiver, contending for a starting job, twice went out with an injury.

Chris Lawson remains a candidate for the third starting wide receiver position. | Dave Sizer photo

Chris Lawson's spring football attendance was a lot like a double-hitch route.

The University of Washington sophomore wide receiver took the field with the No. 1 offense for the first week of practice, sat out several workouts with a "soft-tissue" injury, rejoined his teammates for a week and was sidelined once more when everything ended.

Soft-tissue turned out to be code for a hamstring. A nagging hamstring.

Whatever you want to call it, Lawson missed out on an opportunity to lock down the third starting wideout position that would pair him with junior Rashid Williams and sophomore Dezmen Roebuck,

Instead, the 6-foot, 184-pound pass-catcher from San Francisco will have to come back in Fall Camp and see if he can solidify a game-opening role with the team at that time.

"Chris Lawson wants to be the starter," Fisch said before spring ball began.

Chris Lawson had his spring football interrupted by a hamstring injury. | Dave Sizer photo

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did in spring practice and what to expect from them going into fall camp.

After appearing in eight games and catching 10 passes as a UW freshman, Lawson looked ready to stake a claim to a starting job once spring ball began.

Early in the second practice, he caught a 15-yard pass over the middle from Demond Williams Jr.. He ended his day by hauling in a 30-yarder behind the secondary, also coming from Williams.

Chris Lawson warms up for the UW-Ohio State game. | Dave Sizer photo

Yet, as they tend to do, the football gods intervened in a painful manner.

Lawson pulled his hamstring, as did transfer receiver Christian Moss from Kennesaw State and possibly freshman Jordan Clay, and each became spectators almost simultaneously for varying periods of time.

In the eighth practice, Lawson re-emerged to pull down a 25-yard pass up the sideline from sophomore quarterback transfer Elijah Brown

For practice No. 9, he caught a pair of 16-yarders from Williams and redshirt freshman Kini McMillan, and that's the last anyone saw of Lawson wtih a ball in his hands during team play.

So spring ball ended with most positions locked in place, yet the third starting receiver was no closer to being settled than it was on the first day.

"It it Lawson?" Fisch said, naming him among a bunch of other candidates after the Spring Game.

What he's done: As a freshman, Lawson was productive whenever he got on the field. In his eight appearances, he caught a ball in every outing except against Maryland. He came up with a pair of receptions against Rutgers, Illinois and UCLA, with his longest catch going for 42 yards against the Bruins.

Starter or not: Entering spring ball, Lawson was considered the leader for the third receiver spot. He should be a strong candidate to win the job in August, providing that hamstring remains agreeable.