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UW Football Youth Movement Continues to Flourish

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 2:21 PM ET

Think about this: the University of Washington football team took the field against Ohio State with four freshmen in its starting lineup.

The Buckeyes had none, choosing to go mostly with juniors and seniors, with largely seasoned, veteran talent, in their 24-6 victory on Saturday at Husky Stadium.

While the UW preference to turn to so many youngsters at the beginning of the game might be seen as an indictment on the older players on the roster, it's much more fanciful to consider the rapid development of players such as freshman offensive guard John Mills.

The 6-foot-6, 325-pound San Francisco product has started all four Husky games this season and realistically could be touted as one of the best in the nation by the time he's a junior or senior.

Recognize that freshman wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright from Tempe, Arizona, has started three games, missing out only in the opener because the Huskies went with two tight ends and one less wideout to begin against Colorado State.

Note that freshman pass-catcher Dezmen Roebuck, who's from Marana, Arizona, and stepping in for injured sophomore Rashid Williams, has two starts and handled himself well against the Buckeyes. He finished with a team-leading 4 receptions for 58 yards and a fly sweep for 6 yards.

And understand hat freshman cornerback Dylan Robinson from La Verne, California, made his first college start against the Buckeyes and acted as if he belonged out there all along.

"I thought Dylan did well," UW coach Jedd Fisch said in the postgame media session "The way the game was going, I thought we kept them where we wanted to keep them. We kept the score down. ... Dylan did a great job of doing the defense. We're excited about Dylan."

In the history of the program, the Huskies have never started so many freshman players all at once.

Initially, it was thought that safety Rylon "Batman" Dillard-Allen drew a start against Ohio State -- potentially making it five freshman in the opening lineup that day -- but a review of the game footage showed him not entering until the game's second defensive snap.

Dillard-Allen, who's from Phoenix and one of six UW freshmen to appear in all four games this season, played in a three-safety alignment, which was used much of the time in place of a nickelback. He proved to be no liability against the Buckeyes either, coming up with 3 tackles.

"I thought RDA did well," Fisch said of the safety. "I thought Roebuck had a really good game. I thought Raiden had a good game. John Mills [too]."

A sixth first-year player, edge rusher Devin Hyde from Menlo Park, California, likewise has played in all four UW games, pulling special-teams duty and scrimmage snaps.

In all, the Huskies have used 12 of their 28 freshmen in games so far.

Cornerbacks Ramonz Adams Jr. and D'Aryhian Clemons, tight end Baron Naone, offensive guard Champ Taulealea and wide receiver Chris Lawson each made their college debuts in the 70-10 blowout win over UC Davis.

This freshman breakdown doesn't even include freshman linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, thought to be the prized player of this particular UW recruiting class. He's been in uniform on game day and is getting closer to getting medically cleared following a high school knee injury.

The Ohio State game didn't have the desired Husky result on the scoreboard, but it served up benefits that should emerge later on.

"Six freshmen played a lot of snaps," Fisch said, "and think that bodes really well for us and for the future."

For that matter, these guys and their fellow UW freshmen are the only ones on the roster who will get another shot at Ohio State, which doesn't face the Huskies again until 2028 in Columbus.

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

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