Inside The Huskies

Why Taj Davis Likely Entered the Portal Rather Than Remain at UW

The wide receiver made a lot of contributions, but likely needed a bigger platform.
Dan Raley|
Why Taj Davis Likely Entered the Portal Rather Than Remain at UW
Why Taj Davis Likely Entered the Portal Rather Than Remain at UW

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Washington Huskies

Following his Oregon touchdown catch last season, Taj Davis was one of the players of the moment for the University of Washington.

A requested interview. A big-play guy. The center of attention.

He had to enjoy the moment, maybe wonder why he couldn't make this a regular thing. 

In fact, someone casually mentioned to Davis during this exchange that he could be the Huskies' No. 1 receiver someday and he smiled at that thought and said, "Thank you."

On Friday, he walked away from the UW no doubt in search of a greater platform likely to enhance his NFL ambitions.

Davis faced the prospects of playing behind Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja'Lynn Polk for yet another season. He couldn't be faulted for thinking that one of those guys would have moved on following last season and made him a full-time starter and one of the Huskies' top 3 pass-catchers. 

Yet it didn't happen for him. Unless the California native wanted to keep waiting until 2024, this was a move he had to make.

Davis will be missed by the fan base for the contributions he made. The 10 starts in two seasons. His 62-yard dagger through the Oregon secondary's heart. His Alamo Bowl touchdown.

At the same time, the way the Husky program has evolved behind Kalen DeBoer's lead, Davis will be easily replaceable. That's not a slam, it's a fact.

The UW has assembled one of the nation's deepest collections of receivers. Michigan State transfer Germie Bernard and redshirt freshman Denzel Boston made notable strides during spring practice and put themselves in position for considerable snaps this fall.

That's not to say Davis would have lost what he had in coming off the bench, but he most likely would have had to share more.

Taj Davis transfers out after catching 47 passes for 606 yards and 4 scores over his two seasons of active play at Washington.

Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb checks in with Giles Jackson (0) and Taj Davis (3) during stretching exercises in spring ball. 

Taj Davis appeared in 24 games for Washington and started 10 times, either getting the call as an injury fill-in or as part of a strategic formation to open a game.

Taj Davis congratulates Cam Davis after a touchdown. No relation, they played high school football together before coming to the UW. 

Taj Davis left an Oregon defensive back in his wake as he scored on a 62-yard scoring strike to tie last season's game at 34 with 3:07 remaining. 

Taj Davis scored the Huskies' second TD of the 2022 season against Kent State and next-to-last TD against Texas in the Alamo Bowl. 

Taj Davis slides into the end zone after grabbing a 6-yard touchdown pass from Michael Penix Jr. in a 27-20 victory over Texas in the Alamo Bowl. 

Taj Davis celebrates his Alamo Bowl touchdown catch while offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten and tight end Jack Westover are among those rushing over to congratulate him.

Taj Davis opted out of the 2020 season at the height of the pandemic after coming down with myocarditis, an inflamation of the heart.

Without him, the Huskies will send out Odunze, McMillan and Polk as the starters, as expected all along. A preseason All-America selection. The Huskies' leading returning receiver with 79 catches. The guy who destroyed Michigan State's secondary with a 3-TD effort.

Those are pretty hefty credentials for any Power 5 program.

During spring ball, DeBoer even mentioned how one of the more competitive position battles anywhere on his team involved his second-unit receivers alone.

Without Davis, the Huskies likely will turn to Bernard, Boston and Giles Jackson, all guys who regularly drew spring plaudits. 

In a few months, 4-star recruits Rashid Williams and Taeshaun Lyons, both tall and talented signees from Northern California, will join the program and further complicate the competition. 

It would be wrong to say that Davis ran from this logjam, but he no doubt felt the need for a bigger stage all to himself, and he needed it now, in order to become an NFL draft choice.

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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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