Husky Roster Review: Luchini Had UW Walk-On Breakthrough

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 11:58 AM ET

Walk-ons used to get walked on at the University of Washington. They had their own locker room away from the scholarship football players. And those with full rides used to address the uncompensated simply as "Hey walk-on," rather than learn the guy's name.

For that matter, some walk-ons didn't help their cause by making no bones about showing up just to get the latest athletic swag for free and a trip to a bowl game at the end of the year.

Not any more.

A walk-on is almost like a special-forces guy now, part of an elite support group where just 12 currently show up on the Husky roster, with four able to say they've played in a regular-season game.

Luke Luchini fits both categories.

A wide receiver from Meridian, Idaho, he turned up in the Sun Bowl against Louisville on the UW's punt-return team, this after making his college debut in the second game of the season against Eastern Michigan.

Two appearances such as these for a guy not getting paid to play the game in Montlake are huge accomplishments, especially when the outcome was in doubt in El Paso with him on the field and not a mop-up role.

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.

Luchini, which rhymes with zucchini, is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound sophomore wide receiver from the Boise suburbs. He joined Kalen DeBoer's 2023 Husky team after earning first-team Idaho all-state and conference offensive player of the year accolades.

He's the one with the rugged looks, with an old-style mustache, an appearance that could probably land him a job as a Hollywood stunt double.

This spring, he experienced the good and the bad.

Luchini stepped up by catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from Kai Horton in practice No. 10, but he missed the spring game after getting injured. He showed up kneeling on a non-weight-bearing cart and wearing a protective boot on his right foot.

While it's unclear if walk-ons get to share in any revenues, they do get football health care.

LUKE LUCHINI FILE:

What He's Done: Again, Luchini was a much decorated player from Idaho, catching 10 touchdown passes as a senior to help his Rocky Mountain High School team to a 10-2 record and the 5A state semifinals. He has those two UW game appearances. He's one of the Huskies' dirty dozen of non-scholarship players.

Starter or not: Realistically, he'd be on scholarship if he was going to be a Husky starter. He'd probably have to transfer to Idaho or some other Big Sky school to be in the running for a first-unit assignment.

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

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