As an injured Cade Otton rode out of Husky Stadium on Friday on a scooter, he actually rode off into the sunset.
Amid all the University of Washington coaching chatter suggesting Kalen DeBoer will be the next coach, the highly regarded tight end from Tumwater, Washington, on Monday said goodbye to the Huskies and college football.
In a social media post, Otton thanked everyone from his wife to his coaches and teammates for his five-year success at the UW. He leaves as a junior in class standing because of pandemic provisions, with another season of eligibility available had he wanted it.
Presumably, Otton's next stop is April's NFL draft, where he should be a middle- to high-round draft pick. He's considered an elite blocker for his position, as well as a proficient receiver.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Otton last played in the Huskies' 35-30 loss to Arizona State and injured his left foot, which was encased in a boot and forced him to miss the Colorado and WSU games. Earlier, he sat out the California and Oregon State game because of COVID-19 issues.
He leaves after appearing in 39 Husky games and starting 35 of them over parts of four seasons.
He finishes his UW career with 91 catches for 1,026 yards and 9 touchdowns, hauling in a personal-best 32 as a sophomore in 2019.
He even came up with 4 tackles.
Otton was the first-team All-Pac-12 tight end and a John Mackey Award semifinalist.
While this Otton moves on, his family name will remain firmly ensconced in the UW program, with younger brother and fellow tight end Ryan Otton signed and arriving in the next recruiting class.
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