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Husky Roster Review: Kade Eldridge Gives TE Position Big Boost

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 11:55 AM ET

The University of Washington football team previously drew a lot of production out of a local tight end named Cade.

The Huskies now turn to a new guy who answers to Kade, and his presence has to be encouraging, especially since the home team hasn't been able to get the other guy's brother, Ryan Otton, healthy at all.

This spring, Kade Eldridge showed up as a 6-foot-4, 250-pound transfer from USC and originally from Lynden, Washington, who brought an immediate veteran presence to the Huskies.

He's an able pass-catcher, a capable blocker, someone who got his time in under the bright lights at USC and even started once, against LSU. He checked off all of the boxes with the UW.

"I love everything in how tough he plays at the line of scrimmage," tight-ends coach Jordan Paopao said. "I love how he's able to kind of maneuver in tight space and be able to catch some intermediate routes. I just think it's toughness at the line of scrimmage and his ability and feel in terms of a lot of run fits. It's been really, really cool to see him progress."

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

When Kalen DeBoer's staff was in place, the UW couldn't interest Eldridge in Montlake following the coaching change from Jimmy Lake, who didn't do much to advance local recruiting. Eldridge was all in on the Trojans.

That changed when his tight-ends coach Zach Hanson, someone with whom he had made a strong connection, became the USC offensive-line coach. Plus, the Trojans could have used him more, which shouldn't be a problem at the UW.

"You just look at the lineage of tight ends that went to the NFL in his offense -- it's extremely appealing," Eldridge said of Jedd Fisch's approach. "There's so many options for the tight ends to be used and utilized."

This spring, Eldridge took periodic turns with the No.1 offense and at times joined fellow sophomore Decker DeGraaf in two tight-end formations.

In the fourth practice, he caught a 15-yard pass from starting quarterback Demond Williams Jr. In the fifth, he hauled in a 22-yarder from back-up Kai Horton.

In the sixth session, Eldridge got his hands on a 6-yarder from Williams and an 8-yarder from Eldridge, becoming more of a target each time out.

In the next three practices, freshman Dash Beierly found him for a 5-yard gain, Williams for 10 yards and Horton for 15, with each of the UW's top three quarterbacks now looking for him.

Eldridge made a strong first impression on everyone, though he wore a gold jersey to the 14th practice, signifying some sort of minor ailment that would limit his involvement finishing up.

From Cade to Kade, he should offer some plays reminiscent of the other guy.

KADE ELDRIDGE FILE

What he's done: Eldridge is battle-tested at the highest level. He played in 13 games for the Trojans, making his college debut in the 2023 Holiday Bowl against Louisville, a 42-28 victory, and starting the 2024 opener against LSU, a 27-20 win. He caught 3 balls for 19 yards in his stay in Los Angeles.

Starter or not: No one is going to beat out Decker DeGraaf this season, but Eldridge should play a lot. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining, as does DeGraaf, so the position should be in good hands for quite a while.

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This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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