Analysis: 8 Washington Huskies Newcomers Who Will Play Crucial Roles in 2025
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Washington Huskies linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdua gives a thumbs up during the team’s spring scrimmage game. Credit: Taariq Al-Uqdua/Instagram [/caption]
New faces will play some essential roles for the Washington Huskies in head coach Jedd Fisch’s second campaign.
If the Huskies are to be playing significant late-season games, it may well be in part due to the holes plugged by some key transfers. While not all of them will be called upon to win games for the Huskies this fall — and winter? — several could be a big factor in a loss.
While returning players like quarterback Demond Williams Jr., running back Jonah Coleman, and receiver Denzel Boston are amongst UW’s most important players heading into fall camp, the Huskies will count on transfers to play key positions such as left tackle, cornerback, and safety.
Though we’ll see more than eight new faces this season, here are eight who seem most likely to factor heavily into Washington’s success, with the caveat that there are still plenty of position battles as the team prepares to begin practicing on July 30.
8. Alex McLaughlin, Safety
The junior transfer from Northern Arizona may end up higher on this list by season’s end, depending on how much he gets on the field. The 6-2, 198-pound box safety made a lot of plays against both the run and pass during spring ball, and wound up spending time with the first-team defense. He’s likely to enter fall camp locked in a battle with Makell Esteen, who’s in his sixth year at Washington. Though it may not be clear who is starting, both seemed destined for significant playing time in new defensive coordinator Ryan Walters’ 5-1-5 base defense. With five or more defensive backs on the field a majority of the time, that would seem to leave some room for three safeties in certain packages. UW safeties coach Taylor Mays indicated during spring that he liked McLaughlin’s history “running down the ball carrier.”
7. CJ Christian, Safety
The FIU transfer’s long road appears to have landed him as UW’s starting post (deep) safety. Like McLaughlin, the 6-1, 205-pound senior may need to hold off Esteen, but he seemed to receive the majority of the reps at post safety during the spring. Christian, a vocal leader, will be responsible for helping hold together the back end of Washington’s defense. He appeared to quickly grasp Walters’ defense, and has some big-play potential in addition to a history of being in the right spot. He’ll play a large role in preventing explosive plays by Big Ten offenses.
6. Omari Evans, Receiver
The Penn State transfer seems most likely to catch on as UW’s No. 2 receiver behind Boston in a position group that may be the most unsettled on the team heading into fall camp. Evans, a 6-0, 190-pound speedster, made some spectacular catches early in spring ball before being sidelined by a leg injury. He was healthy enough to run through some drills and was among a handful of players who rotated in as a punt returner. The senior from Killeen, Texas caught 21 passes for 415 yards and five touchdowns for the Nittany Lions last season. Assuming he holds of underclassmen such as Rashid Williams and Raiden Vines-Bright, Evans will be called upon for more action in the passing game at UW.
5. Taariq Al-Uqdah, linebacker
In Walters’ 5-1-5 defense, “Buddah,” as most call Al-Uqdah, will be the 1 in the equation. The transfer from Washington State played a major role in the upset over Washington last year. At 6-0, 232 pounds, Al-Uqdah will have major responsibilities in playmaking and communication. The junior from Los Angeles will attempt to fill the shoes of Carson Bruener, a seventh-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers after his sixth season with the Huskies.
“Buddah is very instinctual, and I think he’s leading the team in takeaways,” said Walters during spring ball. “The production at Washington State, you see why. He just has a natural feel for the game and being able to find the football.”
4. Anterio Thompson, Defensive Line
Thompson’s arrival is one of several aimed at patching one of the bigger holes from the 2024 team — the defensive line. A transfer from Western Michigan, Thompson appears headed for a major role in the rotation. The 6-4, 306-pound senior has the size to hold up against the run as well as enough athleticism to factor into the pass rush. Thompson also brings some Big Ten experience. He played in seven games for Iowa in 2023 before transferring to Western Michigan, where he started 12 games in 2024. He’ll battle twins Javon and Armon Parker for time in the middle, which will also likely see time from Bryce Butler, Elinneus Davis, Simote Pepa, and Logan Sagapolu.
3. Simote Pepa, Defensive Line
If you found yourself wondering where the beef was in 2024, the Huskies coaches found some in Utah. The 6-3, 350-pound senior transfer from Kyle Whittingham’s Utah squad worked mostly on individual drills during the spring as he recovered from an unspecified injury. The nose tackle will be called upon to clog the middle and free up others to make tackles in the run game. His job will be to help reduce the 4.6 yards per carry allowed by UW last year, which ranked 92nd in the FBS and 16th in the Big Ten. Jedd Fisch spoke often during the offseason about the need for size, and Pepa tips the scales in that direction.
2. Tacario Davis, Cornerback
After nearly following Fisch from Arizona in 2024, the senior enters a year later opposite Ephesians Prysock to give the secondary a pair of 6-4 corners. Davis will fill the spot vacated by Thaddeus Dixon, who transferred to North Carolina to join Bill Belichick and his son Steve, who was UW’s defensive coordinator last season. Dixon led the Huskies in pass breakups last year with 10, and the program hopes Davis will provide even more of a shutdown presence. Davis said during the spring that he’s focused on getting more interceptions “and taking it back to the crib” this season in addition to pass breakups. After toying with entering the draft following his junior season with the Wildcats, Davis decided to stay in school to improve his draft stock and believes he has the ability to become an All-American cornerback.
1. Carver Willis, left tackle
On the short list of places you don’t want a revolving door is the left tackle position on a football team. Washington got significant snaps from three players at the position last year, and that helped result in Washington allowing 3.1 sacks per game, “good” enough for 118th in the FBS. Enter Willis, a senior who played mostly on the right side for Kansas State, where he was All-Big 12 honorable mention. While some thought he might stay on the right side, Drew Azzopardi showed Washington offensive line coach Michael Switzer enough improvement during the offseason to lock up the right tackle spot. That allows Willis to provide some stability on the left side.
Willis is listed at 291 pounds on UW’s spring roster, though he did post a May 22 photo of a scale showing 305.8 pounds. He will continue to adapt his footwork to opposite of what he’s done most of the time for the last few years. He seems to have the tenacity and athleticism to protect the quarterback’s blindside to help make up for the lack of bulk. Williams, who was sacked 21 times in his two starts against Oregon and Louisville, could use a little extra time to work the magic needed by the Huskies to threaten for the College Football Playoff berth in 2025.
Honorable Mention
Gereian Hatchett is technically new after spending last season at Oklahoma, but we left him off the list since he started at guard for UW in 2023. Otherwise, it could be argued he’s among the top three newcomers. Raiden Vines-Bright could threaten for playing time in a cloudy receiver rotation. Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, a transfer from Arizona, should be in the mix at both the edge and defensive line spots. Kevin Greene Jr. transferred from Arizona as well prior to the 2024 season, which he missed with an injury. He could factor into the slot receiver position. Guard Paki Finau was on the team last year and appears in line to start at a guard spot after redshirting in 2024. True freshman John Mills ran with the first team offensive line at times during spring, and could suddenly become very important if one of the guards goes down with an injury. It could also be argued that backup quarterback Kai Horton is the second most important player on the team, as he’s next up if Williams, a running threat, gets banged up.
