Husky Roster Review: Warner Deals With Rigors of UW Walk-On

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 12:45 PM ET

Playing as a walk-on for the University of Washington football can be the ultimate tease.

Consider Tristan Warner's time spent in Montlake as a reserve safety.

Just when the Tacoma product no doubt felt he was making progress with the Huskies -- by appearing in the first four games of the 2023 season -- he didn't get on the field again for the next 23.

He watched the last 11 outings for the national runner-up team coached by Kalen DeBoer, then sat out all 12 regular-season games for his successor, Jedd Fisch, until getting called on to play special teams in the Sun Bowl against Louisville.

In his case, thank you transfer portal. Not for him to leave, but most likely for providing Warner with an opportunity to play again after others had opted out of the game in El Paso.

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.

The 6-foot-1, 206-pound Warner is one of a dozen walk-ons currently on the UW roster and one of four who have played on game day for the Huskies, topped by edge rusher Milton Hopkins Jr.'s 18 appearances, Warner's five outings, linebacker Griffin Miller's four and two for wide receiver Luke Luchini.

Warner is a seasoned veteran now after putting in all of that practice time and facing Boise State, Tulsa, Michigan State and California for DeBoer's staff and getting in against Louisville last December, but he probably hasn't felt rewarded enough.

A junior with a redshirt, he probably has just one more season in him before he'll contemplate whether to graduate and be done, or keep going and hoping for something to happen.

TRISTAN WARNER FILE:

What he's done: Coming to Mountlake after being named as an all-conference running back as a high school senior, Warner is in his fourth UW season. He has 4 tackles, 2 against Tulsa and 2 against Cal. That's more than most walk-ons can expect.

Starter or not: Again, you need to be a scholarship player to be considered in the starting mix at Washington, so Warner most likely will have to settle for whatever special-teams duty he can muster up. The only alternative would be to transfer down to play a lot.

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

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