Finding Starting Wide Receivers Is UW's Next Priority

Boston is expected to be available for the opener against Colorado State, but it's unclear how much lead time he'll get because of whatever ails him. The only clue is he hasn't been limping.

That leaves any number players to team with him as starters in the opener on August 30 against Colorado State who are in the competition in as a transfer, off a season-ending injury, off a reserve role or out of the high school ranks.

"We're in a good spot," said UW coach Jedd Fisch, either hoping for the best with a largely unproven though clearly a talented cast or convinced that these receivers won't need much time at all to produce for him.

Initially, it was envisioned that Boston might team with holdover sophomore Rashid Williams and Penn State transfer Omari Evans as starters.

Yet for last Saturday night's full-on scrimmage, the Huskies initially went with holdover sophomore Audric Harris, who played in eight games and had 2 catches for 17 yards in his first season; junior Kevin Green Jr., coming back from a knee injury kept him from playing in 2024, and Williams, who had 11 receptions for 138 yards and a score last fall.

An exceptionally talented and large group of freshmen consisting of Raiden Vines-Bright, Dezmen Roebuck, Chris Lawson, Marcus Harris and Deji Ajose could provided at least one of these Husky starters.

"Rashid is playing well," Fisch said. "KJ [Green] is playing well. The young guys are playing well."

The wild card is Evans, a six-game starter as a deep threat with 21 receptions for 415 yards and 5 touchdowns for the Nittany Lions in 2024. He's been injured more than he's been healthy since coming to Seattle.

In the weekend scrimmage, however, the 6-foot, 180-pound Evans finished with 4 catches for 53 yards and a pair of scores covering 2 and 25 yards.

"Omari probably had his best night [on Saturday]," Fisch said. "Omari made a lot of plays."

Of the young players, the 6-foot, 180-pound Vines-Bright was a UW Spring Game standout with 8 catches for 132 yards and a score, but he missed Saturday's outing. Fisch hopes to have him back on Tuesday.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Roebuck, arriving for fall camp, has proven to be an exceptional receiver capable of making every acrobatic catch imaginable. On Saturday night, he had 5 catches for 28 yards.

While Harris sat out of the scrimmage with an injury, Lawson came up with 4 catches for 38 yards.

Ajose didn't have a scrimmage reception, but he showed off plenty of high-end speed returning kickoffs, especially on one 100-yard sprint he took unheeded just to show off a little.

Add to the mix 6-foot-4, 210-pound redshirt freshman Justice Williams, who wowed everyone last week with a one-handed catch in heavy coverage, and these Huskies certainly have plenty of potential.

It's time for Boston to get healthy and at least two others to step up and join him in the lineup. It wouldn't surprise anyone if he started with Williams and Evans.

Or Williams and Vines-Bright.

Or Williams and Green.

Or Williams and even one of the Harrises.

Don't forget Roebuck either.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: