Here’s an unfortunate fact:
Michael Penix Jr. can’t play forever.
Sooner or later — and sooner the better — UW must find its future quarterback.
Kalen DeBoer and Co. thought they’d done so this summer, when dual threat South Dakota slinger Lincoln Kienholz announced a commitment to Washington. But as the four-star signal caller’s profile rose, heavyweights took heed.
And last week, Kienholz officially flipped from UW to Ohio State — leaving a hole in Husky land.
“Obviously the glaring hole (in UW’s 2023 class) is the quarterback situation, just from a long-term standpoint,” 247Sports national recruiting editor Brandon Huffman said Monday, two days before early signing day. “But that’s really the only hole. I think 10 days ago, this class had the makings of being a pretty damn good first full class for DeBoer. I think they’ve shown they’re going to play the portal as a big part of recruiting, so they’re going to be OK. Obviously Penix coming back is a big deal for them, but it only solves the quarterback problem in 2023. There’s still the possibility of a quarterback leaving in the portal, and then you didn’t sign a quarterback in 2022 and you didn’t sign one in 2023. You’ve got to wait for (Garfield UW commit) EJ Caminong in 2024.
“But as we’re seeing in college football, more and more schools are going portal — especially newer staffs that inherited quarterbacks from the previous regime. And with Penix and what (DeBoer) did the last two years with (Jake) Haener at Fresno State, I don’t think quarterback is going to be too big of a worry under Kalen DeBoer overall.”
Indeed, DeBoer inherited a pair of scholarship quarterbacks, in sophomore Dylan Morris and redshirt freshman Sam Huard. It’s possible an incumbent will ultimately assume Penix’s spot, but UW will also search for outside options — either via the later signing day (Feb. 1) or the transfer portal.
But DeBoer also inherited other roster holes.
He’ll fill many Wednesday morning.
Most glaringly, the same program that finished 10th in the Pac-12 in opponent pass efficiency rating (146.66), pass touchdowns allowed (25) and opponent yards per pass attempt (7.8) is set to sign at least five defensive backs — four-star corner Curley Reed, four-star safety Vincent Holmes, three-star corner Leroy Bryant, three-star nickel Diesel Gordon and three-star junior college corner Thaddeus Dixon.
On Monday, Huffman said, “They realize that the Death Row secondary definitely had some holes in it, so they addressed that this year. And if they pull off the local flip, that enhances that secondary that much more.”
“The local flip,” of course, refers to four-star Rainier Beach cornerback Caleb Presley — who is expected to flip his commitment from Oregon to the hometown Huskies this week. A Seattle native, Presley is ranked as the No. 1 player in the state, the No. 23 corner in the country and the No. 217 overall prospect in the 2023 class by 247Sports.
“He’s a physical player,” Huffman said. “He can play a variety of spots. He can play corner. He can be a field corner, a boundary corner. He can come play up as a nickel. He can be a safety because of how physical he is, how big of a hitter he is, how rangy he can be. He can return punts. He can return kicks. I don’t see him getting any offensive touches, but he’s a guy who was utilized offensively at Beach.
“He’s just a well rounded defensive back. That may even be a more appropriate title for him — defensive back, rather than cornerback. Because I really feel he could play any of the three spots in the secondary.”
Yes, the Huskies have holes at multiple spots.
And now, they have solutions.
While UW loses a pair of senior starters in guards Jaxson Kirkland and Henry Bainivalu this offseason, the Huskies are also signing five offensive linemen — Elishah Jackett, Landen Hatchett, Kahlee Tafai, Soane Faasolo and Zachary Henning. And while wide receivers Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan ponder NFL draft decisions, four-star prospects Taeshaun Lyons and Rashid Williams and three-star Keith Reynolds are set to compete for future targets.
This is a complete class — outside of quarterback.
But Presley’s prospective commitment may ultimately mean the most.
“You want that (UW 37-34 win over Oregon) to resonate. The win did resonate,” Huffman said. “It showed the program that’s on the upward ascension. And, while it may be too late with the majority of the 2023 class, that 2024 class is watching. Now you have their first local commitment in 2024 (Garfield QB EJ Caminong) being a Seattle kid. You’ve got their highest profile commit in the 2023 class potentially being a Seattle kid. That’s what they wanted to do.
“They pushed the ‘loyal to the soil’ angle. They pushed the ‘hometown hero’ angle. Now those Seattle kids are staying home. Can this open the floodgates for that next batch of top 247 local kids — which includes the top player in the state (2024 four-star O’Dea running back Jason Brown) once again being from Seattle?”
That remains to be seen.
But with 20 Huskies expected to sign this week, the holes are steadily filling.