Subject to Change, What a UW Starting Lineup Would Look Like Now

The quarterback is always the starting point in putting together a football team.

With Will Rogers on board, the University of Washington just improved from scrambling to become a break-even newcomer to the Big Ten to something a little more fearsome.

On Tuesday, new coach Jedd Fisch showed off his salesman skills by getting the Mississippi State transfer to remove himself from the portal and begin preparing for the upcoming season.

Consider the coach's sales pitch, using his NFL background front and center, to a 12,315-yard passer he just had to have.

"Coach Fisch told me today, 'I want to treat you like a professional football player,' " Rogers said to ESPN. "I told him that's what I want, and that's what I'm looking to do."

With the team's major building block in place, Fisch can concentrate on rebuilding both lines, his receiving corps and a secondary.

While as many as 20 guys could be added to the UW roster, we decided to take Rogers and other recent additions, plus players who have declared they aren't leaving, put them altogether and see what a lineup might look like, starting at the top:

MONTLAKE CENTRAL STATION

Offense

QB Will Rogers — While Rogers has the second-highest passing total in SEC history, he needs to show he can win again. Win a lot. Mississippi State went 5-7 and without Rogers for four games last season after he injured a shoulder at midseason. The Bulldogs were just 4-4 in games in which he started.

RB Jonah Coleman — The Arizona transfer, similar to last year's starter Dillon Johnson, had his own USC moment, rushing for 145 yards in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, or 111 less than Johnson. Coleman finished with 892 yards in 2023 and will likely consider nothing less than 1,000 yards a successful intro to Husky football.

WR Giles Jackson — Appearing in just seven games after breaking a thumb, Jackson finished as the UW's eighth-best receiver with 14 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. With a healthy season, he should quadruple those numbers across the board.

WR Denzel Boston — A player with plenty of potential, he caught 5 passes for 51 yards last fall rotating in. He should generate those numbers at the very least in every game next fall as he earns a chance to become a starter.

WR Jeremiah Hunter — While there's been no news about the California transfer since he committed during the CFP run, it would be a real surprise if he doesn't sign in February. His 63 catches for 750 yards and 7 scores last season give him No. 1 receiver potential for a quality QB.

TE Josh Cuevas — The one-time Cal Poly transfer appeared in all 15 games and showed he could block. Come to think of it, he showed he could catch, too, with a pair of 57-yard receptions among his 4 catches for the season.

OT Drew Azzopardi — As the 6-foot-7, 305-pound sophomore sat and watched the national championship game, with his huge frame hard to miss, the previous Husky coaching staff might have been tempted to send the San Diego State transfer into the game against Michigan and see if he could have better luck opening some holes..

OG Gaard Memmelaar — This 6-foot-4, 299-pound junior has appeared in just four career games over four seasons, sitting out last fall with a knee injury. He brings a veteran presence in the trenches and should be ready to go.

C Landen Hatchett — If we read this guy right last season, don't be surprised to see young Hatchett remove himself from the portal and bounce back from his knee injury because he has a veteran quarterback to snap to and become the local guy who really flourishes.

OG Zach Henning — He has two games on his ledger as a 6-foot-5, 292-pound freshman last fall, but he brings another Colorado presence up front, same as Roger Rosengarten.

OT Jalen Klemm — The Kansas State transfer got seven Husky games under his belt last season and still needs to put more size on his 6-foot-5, 281-pound frame, but he's battle-tested in two leagues while headed for a third.

Defense

ER Zach Durfee — He has a four-play Husky career so far, no fault of his own, just an NCAA paperwork error  he'll put way behind him. Durfee should shoot for 11 sacks, which he had at Sioux Falls in 2022.

DT Jayvon Parker — He's been ready to play since arriving on campus two years ago and brings 21 Husky games of experience to the upcoming competition.

DT Sebastian Valdez — The 6-foot-4, 291-pound senior and Montana State transfer arrives in Montlake with 16 career sacks, which is an impressive figure for a D-lineman no matter what level they've come on.

ER Jacob Lane — The Huskies couldn't keep him off the field during his freshman season, with the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder appearing in nine games, including all three postseason outings. Time to turn him loose opposite Durfee.

LB Carson Bruener — OK, tell us again why Bruener wasn't a full-time starter in 2023? As a sub, he collected 86 tackles and an interception, and was selected as an All-Pac-12 honorable-mention pick. From an emotional standpoint and full of big hits, he should be the UW's defensive leader.

LB Deven Bryant — Alphonzo Tuputala could claim this spot, but he was non-committal about coming back when asked during the playoffs. Bryant came ready to play as a freshman and will be the fastest starting linebacker the Huskies have had in a number of seasons.

CB Elijah Jackson — Jackson was treated to a full baptism as a 15-game starter and finished with 61 tackles and 6 pass break-ups, including a final-play deflection in the end zone to beat Texas in the Sugar Bowl. He should become tough to beat.

CB Leroy Bryant — He played in seven games as a freshman, including all three postseason outings, as the first-year corner most ready to play and seems poised to step up as a starter.

SS Kam Fabiculanan — While injured multiple times last season, the now sixth-year senior was at his best to close the season, playing physical. He's an 11-game career starter who will be a defensive leader. 

FS Makell Esteen — He started his first UW game at Stanford and was the defensive star of the Apple Cup last season with a late interception and a TFL, and he seemed eager to embrace the new defensive staff after feeling confined by the old one.

NB Jordan Shaw — The last time the Huskies added an Indiana transfer his name was Michael Penix Jr. Shaw is a former Hoosier who, as a freshman, played in four games and drew a pair of starts. If he does a fraction of what Penix did, consider him a success.