The Huskies were unable to lure the big name transfers to Montlake this offseason as we prepare for the 2025 season. But the few small moves made are seen as positives.

The first move was in the coaching ranks. Head Coach Robert Herman was given his walking papers after a solid 74-57-4 record and a six bowl game appearances. However, the league seems to have passed him by as he missed the postseason the past two years.

Defensive Coordinator Kenneth Homan was promoted the top position. The hope is his possession offensive scheme plays out well with the new code. Don't get me wrong, RB Myles Gaskin is still the #1 option. We just hope that a slightly different pass philosophy will help the balance. Former LB coach takes over the defense.

A big surprise move was the decision to give Michael Napoli another chance at QB. Napoli was brought in the last minute last season and failed so bad he was let go midseason. Napoli has a skill set that the program loves on paper. We hope that a full off season of practice with the 1st team will leave him more prepared. Regardless, Roy Ackley proved last season he was not the answer. Unfortunately, there is a huge financial commitment to Ackley that may force him to stay on the roster. Robert Vides is still on the roster and is a solid backup. A really big decision looms to choose between keeping 3 QB and leaving a bunch a dead cap money.


Two other players were brought in as well. CB Christopher Wright was a former Marshall recruit. He lacks coverage skills, but brings top end speed and can be a nice special teams player. The upcoming recruit draft will help coaches decide if a position change will help him find his way to the active roster on a week-week basis. The Dawgs also brought in Graduate-Senior Orlando Fulmer. Fulmer can play anywhere across the OLine, and again, the recruit process will determine his landing spot.


Once Fulmer signed on, the coaching staff made the uncomfortable, but necessary decision to release former 1st rd pick, OL Jeff Pahouka from his scholarship. He had one year remaining, but the staff opted to cut him now so he may have more chances to find a new home.


Next up, the recruit draft....Look for the Huskies to go either LB or OL in round one.

No real surprises in one of the least exciting recruiting classes in school history. One coach was overheard "If they bust this year...good chance no one even notices". This is the kind of apathy that has washed over the program after a 2nd straight season without a bowl.

Rd 1) Experts were not impressed with the Huskies 1st signee. LT Roger Coleman was one of the safer OLine available (38 vol). A LT in high school, coaches will leave him there through camp. He lacks a little athleticism, but brings a high ceiling both as a pass blocker and run blocker. With Myles Gaskin, the Huskies crave well rounded OL as much as anyone in the nation. Likely he will move inside, but camp will dictate final resting spots. *Projected LG2*

Rd 2) Another OL. This time, a little more love from experts. Before our 1st pick was named, RT Ramon McLean was mentioned on the podcast as a possible 1st choice. The fact that he lasted until rd 2 was a pleasant surprise. Now, he does carry a 78 vol. but already sits at 87/87 pass block. His Run block is 23/92, so if he doesn't bust, he will be a stud OT. *Projected RT1*

Rd 3) SS Michael Miller was a high school CB, but his speed won't play at the next level. However, he projects as a tackling machine (23/91) and is great against the run. The Huskies will try him at SS, but if he can continue to gain some weight may eventually move up to LB. *Projected SS2*

Rd 4) MLB Carlton Johnson A high risk (92) player with good speed and tackle ability. If he booms, his low coverage skills could be playable and he will start in his 2nd year for 11th year Senior Harold Masters. If he busts, his solid Run defense will fall to nearly useless. *projected MLB2*

Rd 5) FB Joseph Olsen. Last year, the Huskies brought in Rick Fenney as a late pick to start at FB. Fenney showed some ball handling ability (82 yd TD rec). But his poor lead blocking was way to noticeable. Olsen was a RB in high school and brings all the carry ability you could want. If his 59 speed was 70-75, he would have been recruited in rd 2 as a RB. He will move to FB and is expected to start. (53/98 run block). *projected FB1*

Rd 6) WR Adam Moe. The fact that I entered the recruiting season with 52 players on the roster, it is either a miracle or a bad sign on my roster that I still pick up a player that can be active week to week. Moe is nothing flashy, but he matches up nicely with current WR4 Aaron Bernel and may just unseat him. Since our WR2 is also our RB2, we like to keep 5 WR on the roster anyway. *projected WR4*

Rd 7) C William Schell. An athletic OL with low blocking skills. A boom in camp MIGHT force the coaches to consider him. But likely he is camp fodder. *projected waivers*

The Huskies also brought in another Senior transfer. 11th year RDE Jason Ross comes in to compete with an already aging DLine. *Projected DT3*

There will be tough decisions come cut day. We sit at 60 rostered players. It will be tough to find 7 cuts to make.

Rd 4)

Cut Day....

A couple surprises, a couple, not so much.

First with the glamour position of QB

Mike Napoli was brought back to go through a camp with the team. Napoli had a fairly spectacular opening preseason scrimmage, but found himself outplayed the other 2 games by Sophomore Robert Vides. That combined with some other tough decisions made the Husky staff decide to release Napoli for good. Vides will open the year as the starter with Ackley as the #2. Ackley did not get a chance to show how he reacts to 04.4 in camp, but he may very soon.
Recruiting staff are already on the road looking for a long term option.

A surprising camp casualty will be DE Jason Ross. Expected to be part of the DT rotation, he is just a victim of numbers.

Freshman class:
5th round pick FB Olsen had a solid camp and will enter the season the the Dawgs 3rd FB1 in 3 seasons.

6th rd pick WR Adam Moe also had a very good camp and will rotate in as WR4.

4th rd pick MLB Carlton Johnson looked very good and will begin spend the season learning from 11th year Husky Harold Masters as his heir apparent

3rd rd pick SS Michael Miller did not show any long term potential growth (-1), but his +20 to his current rating showed how quickly he learns and he will be the surprise SS1 entering the season

Now the bad:
7th rd pick C William Schell had a good camp (12/3) and I would be surprised if he doesn't get picked up. but two veterans stand in his way at C, and quite frankly, the Dawgs have a lot of future dead cap money invested into camp busts on the OL.

1st rd pick LG Roger Coleman busted to a tune of 8/-5 in spite of a fairly safe 38 vol. He will be in street clothes while he tries to build on his skills and will be the backup OG in case of injury.

2nd rd pick RT Ramon McLean had a horrible camp (0/-7). Not only is his future not as bright, he learned nothing. He still has skills, but, will sit next to Coleman on the bench waiting on an injury, either at OT or C.

2025 Regular season recap:

The Huskies were one of the few teams to benefit from the move to 4.04 code. Not that our offense broke any records. But the strength of the team has always been the ability of the RB to make plays in the pass game. We have never been great in the deep pass game. Therefore, the code change simply hurt us less than others.

All time rushing leader Myles Gaskin lost a step in training camp at the beginning of the season. Showing a 10% retirement chance in year 9 says that there is a decent chance he doesn't see season 11. Not shocking since he has shouldered a huge work load in his career and has missed at least 2-3 games most every season. (Again this season draws a questionable tag heading to the bowl game).

Not all bad though as Napolean Kaufman has shown that he is ready to take the reigns moving forward. Kaufman will get the start versus UCLA and Gaskin will be ready in the #2 role. A setup that may just continue into next season.

The new code did no favor the to WR group. Rookie Adam Moe led WR with 3 TD (Kaufman had 4 rec TD, but two of them came while playing RB). This is the 4th consecutive season that a rookie has led the WR group in TD. (Dalton, Skansi, Kaufman).

K Allen Mata got All American honors for the 2nd time. (2nd team). While he had a couple hiccups on short kicks, he was an impressive 13/13 from 50+.

On defense, a couple highlights. DE Steve Entmen led the league with a team record 28 sacks and he did so in only 13 games. (his backup added 6 sacks).

MLB Harold Masters played his final season in Montlake. He was 2nd (leading all LB) in the league with 8 int. A cool fact that he is only the 2nd player all time with 25+sacks and 25+int. It will be hard to watch him play a transfer year in another uniform.

We enter the playoffs humbled by a week 16 loss at Stanford. Not embarrassing as the Cardinal are greatly improved. (Trust the process...see the 76ers as an example)

A rematch of a tough game against UCLA looms. Historically, the Dawgs are 2-5 in bowl games and would really love to go forward knowing the 4.05 looms and my other teams have not achieved the same success. (my 86 default rated QB in NCAA2 has an 8/22 TD/int ratio,)

I guess there is no question where I'm looking on draft day...lol.

Anyone under 290 lbs need not apply.

I think we are all getting to the point where we start saying goodbye to original draftees.

After 9 seasons, The Huskies bid farewell to the following career Dawgs:

G Matthew Mullikin...Team high 135 starts in 9 years. A solid, if unspectacular career. Allowed a respectable 29 sacks in 9 seasons.

DT John Winston....Mostly special teams, he was a solid depth player that will need to be replaced this off season.

C Juan Ware...2 time All American (2nd team). Ware allowed only 12 sacks in 9 seasons. Replacing Ware may be the #1 goal in the draft.

MLB Harold Masters...Saved his best for last. In season 11, he was named All American for the first time. Masters finishes among the all time leaders with 743 tackles. He added 27 sacks and 26 int to be only the 2nd player to reach 25+ in both categories.


*Masters and Mullikin both will give the Huskies dead cap money....I am VERY hopeful not to have any surprise retirements.

2026 Preseason News:

The Huskies have not often made big splashes in the transfer market. (Not for lack of trying)
But this year the Dawgs went 2/2 with their targets.

Long time Clemson Center David Walker makes his way out west. The promise of a starting spot on a bowl game competitor were enough to lure him over. A 12th year rent a player, the Huskies were in solid cap position this offseason and were able to basically give Walker a blank check.

The Huskies also brought in FB Jerry Ingrassia. A former Midshipmen, he brings the Dawgs their closest look at a Nat'l Championship ring. Still in his 7th year, he fits the mold of the Huskies in that the FB is a part of the offense, both on the ground and in the air. Last season, Freshmen Joseph Olsen had a solid season with 300+ yards from scrimmage and a couple TD, but Ingrassia is a slight upgrade and solidifies the position for years to come.

The Huskies also surprised the faithful (and really surprised the former head coach) by bringing in a new HC. Brian Dituillo brings an upgrade and a slightly different playbook. The Huskies have perennially disappointed come bowl season, and our AD thinks that the opponents have been too successful scouting the team in the postseason.

2026 Draft Day

Round 1:
The Huskies surprised the experts by passing on hometown recruit Taylor Rapp and selected SS Darnell Savage. Savage lacks M2M skills, but the Huskies predominately leave their Safeties in zone anyway. Very good speed and the ability to help in the run game were enough to convince coaches he was the right guy. Almost always picking in this part of the 1st rd, the Dawgs rarely get a chance to pick up a DB with speed as their premium gets them selected well above slot value. Savage can play either FS or SS, we project him starting at SS, with the potential of replacing 10th year FS Bryant down the road.
Camp results: +9/-2....Not a horrible bust, but not a boom either. Will still be a starter due to his speed, just not elite
Won the starting FS job in camp. Will be a mainstay there for the next 11 years

Round 2:
The Huskies addressed a pressing need by selecting DT Dexter Lawrence. A high volatility guy with more upside than down. The dawgs came in with little depth and one DT in year 11. Getting at least one DT was imperative. A boom with this pick will give the Huskies a major stud here.
Camp result: +7/+8...Great camp for the highly thought of DT, will jump straight into the rotation and be a solid player for a long time.
Slots in as DT2, which is essentially a starter. Needs to tighten up his pass rush skills, but will soon

Round 3:
Another high vol player is RG Nate Davis. The Huskies have had a horrible track record with drafting OL. The difference here (hopefully) is as a 3rd rd pick instead of a 1st or 2nd, a bust won't hurt as bad....But, like Lawrence in rd two, a boom here will give the Huskies a much needed top end OL.
Camp results: +10/+6....Best player of camp. Almost maxed out his blocking potential. Once he gets a little experience, will start somewhere on the OL. Could play G or T
Needs to reach his potential before starting. Sits as RG2 behind an 11th year player. Starter next year and beyond

Round 4:
I mentioned in rd 1 that we were happy to finally pick up some speed at DB. FS Jamal Peters offers more speed on the back end. There is upside to be had, but at worst, Peters makes a great special teams option.
Camp results: +2/-5...First real bust of camp. Still has great speed. A good camp would have allowed him to be a starter, now he will be a #2 and special team player
Not a good camp, but still made roster. Inactive most weeks this season unless there is an injury. Sits as FS3 behind a 10th year player. After that, will be backup and special teams

Day 2
Round 5:
One need for the Dawgs this offseason was to replace long time C Juan Ware. The right guy did not fall to Washington on day one, so coaches were resigned to wait until next season. A message from a fellow owner pointed at TE William Carey. Carey was a TE in high school, but a you tube video of Carey doing some amazing trick shots as a long snapper went viral. A 100 vol player with a lot of work to do as a blocker. Best case scenario, he becomes a solid #2 Center, at worst, he is an athletic special teams guy that will be the long snapper.
Camp results: +7/+7....Another OL with a great camp (nice change for me). Took his athletic ability and snapping skills and was able to develop passable blocking ability. Will not be afraid to play him
Carey had a great camp and the Huskies are happy to have him active as C2. However, the starter is a 12th year player and a starter will still be on the shopping list next year, just not an emergency

Round 6:
LB William Gehl has good athletic ability and continues the Dawg coaches drive to add speed to the defense. A very good run defender, we hope a good camp will make him decent against the pass as well.
Camp results: +7/-9...Poor camp. Still has OK speed, but nothing else. The team only needs to make 3 cuts and Gehl is at risk
Final day cut

Round 7:
More speed on defense, DE Charles Omenihu can run (81 speed). Now, he might not know what to do when he gets there, and his 30 vol doesn't scream upside, but hopefully accidentally get in people's way.
Camp results: +9/-2....Did nothing at camp. Will not make the team
Surprise decision by coaches that he made the final roster. A lack of depth at DE helped him out. Coaches chose to keep Omenihu over backup DB Kidd

2026 Year in review:

7-9 was not exciting, but not an overall bust. The Dawgs won 3/4 to finish the season just one game back of Division champ WSU.

New starter at RB, Napolean Kaufman had a solid year in his first shot at top billing. He led the team in both rushing (886) and receiving (798) yards.

In limited snaps, All-time RB Myles Gaskin stayed healthy and averaged 5.0 ypc (441 total).

On defense, two LB stepped up big time this year. MLB Carlton Johnson had big shoes to fill after the graduation of Harold Masters. Johnson responded by being named 2nd team All-Am after a 113 tackle and 4int season.

Not to be outdone, LB Jioe Kelly broke the team record with 117 tackles.

2026 GRADUATES

LT David Gray had a solid, but unspectacular career. He did garner one 2nd team nomination for All-Amer in 2025.

DT Dexter Russell. An ultimate team player. Russell was never a starter, but played in 111 games for the Dawgs.

CB Budda Baker. An early graduate of the UW, Baker will be leaving after his 9th season. There is a decent chance he retires, but also a chance he plays one more year. IF he doesn't retire, Husky coaches will try and convince him to return to finish off his career. Baker ranks 19th all time in passes KD.

Finally, the big loss. K Allen Mata will leave the team and play out his 12th season somewhere else. Mata just completed his 2nd perfect season. Likely his lack of XP opportunities kept him as 2nd team All-Amer instead of 1st. Mata was named to the All American team 4 times and won the Lou Groza award in 2023. He will be missed.

Surprise retirements

TE David Stewart chose not to complete his 11th year. Stewart leaves the Huskies ranked 2nd in receptions (481) 2nd in yards (6336) and 1st in recTD (42). Stewart has been the TE1 since day one and leaves a HUGE hole at TE.

FS Billie Bryant also leaves football. Bryant had a fine career in spite of his less than stellar speed. his 524 tackles ranks 5th in team history and 18 int rank 4th. Bryant was named 1st team All-American in 2024.

Big Splash!...

The Huskies have toiled with over-achieving 3* caliber QB for the entire run of the league. For the first time, the Dawgs' successfully recruited a high level talent.

Former Kansas QB David Baker heads west to lead the Huskies for the next two years.

The Huskies have rarely been big players in the transfer market, so the resources were there to convince Baker to switch to Purple/Gold.

Now, if we could just sign some OL that don't bust....lol

---Update---
After Baker arrived on campus, he made a plea to the coaching staff and they obliged. Baker's long time Center, Mark Winn agreed to transfer to the west coast as well. This is Winn's 12th and final season, and he was more than happy not to have a new QB putting hands on his *** for this final season.

2027 Signing Day

Needs coming in to this year's signing period:
Starting caliber TE
Long term DL to replace older players
LB depth
OL depth, with at least one future starter
DB depth

1. When I set up my list, there was only one OL and one TE that would be an option at pick 1.13. Unfortunately, OL Wilson went #3 and TE Cooke went #8. So the next guy up was RDE Ronald Wild. Higher Vol than I would like, but there wasn't a safe/talent combo in a position need available to me here. Wild will enter camp as a RDE, but will likely see time at DT as well.
Camp result: +7/+2...can't ask for more than that with a 1st rd pick. Once the veterans graduate, Wild will be a long time starter

2. When I picked Wild at 1.13, there were 2 OL that I had set up in the queue in hopes they would be there at 2.12. We were happy that one of them, RG Thomas Anderson made it to us. He lacks elite upside with 80+ potential in both pass/run block, but he comes to camp with those skills already fairly established. So the 48 vol seems like it should be a big issue. He will enter camp as a LG and learn behind 10th year starter Fralick.
Camp result: +6/+4...A rare, very good camp for an OL. Capped off his potential pass/run block at 100. Good speed/agi/str to go with it...Very happy here

3. We really wanted a LB here, but were not excited about anyone available. (The next LB would not be picked for 15 slots, so I'm not the only one). The Dawgs signed a 12th year transfer to play Center this year, so we went with the best C available in Timothy Grover. Not exciting, but the run block is set at 64/67, so can really only go up. Pass block is scary and a bad camp could make him unusable. (But what's new for my squad...lol).
Camp results: My only bad camper. +2/-2 isn't horrible, but his pass block potential is now only 45, Will not be a starter, but will likely make the team

4. Still really looking for LB or TE. We went with MLB Michael Mercado. After the pick, his vol jumped to 100, so, there's that. But with very good speed/strength for a 4th rd defender, even a bust makes him a better option than my current depth.
Camp results: Best camper of my day at +6/+7, Mercado will be rewarded by being moved to SLB and taking the starting nod. Not an All-American candidate, but a better option than we have now.

Day two will have to yield at least a backup TE I hope. Other than that, I will taking taking some risks, hoping for a jackpot.

Day Two:

Round 5 sees the Huskies gamble on a freak athlete. Eugene Garcia comes out of High School listed as a 6'4" 275lb LB with 82 speed!. Unfortunately showed almost no actual football skills. The Dawgs will send him to camp as a DE in hopes he can learn how to get to the QB.
Camp results: +4/+2...Not bad. He adds 100 strip ball to his high level athleticism. He did not develop pass rush skills unfortunately, but could be an awesome ST player

Round 6 we went with TE Herman Morgan. (Nothing to see here) Morgan offers absolutely nothing exciting. However, his skills translate to at least not embarrassing himself. Will be no better than TE2...EVER, but will have to do for now.
Camp result: +14/+3...Morgan made the best current gain. He won't ever be a stud, but he is a good blocker and can run routes if needed. Solid #2

Round 7 there was nothing left. LB Marvin Calhoun comes in as a tremendous zone cover guy, but with not much speed. We will give him a shot to be LB depth, but will need a positive camp to make the squad.
Camp results: +6/+3...He needed a great camp to make the team. I'm not sure this is enough. Tough coaching decision coming up here.

That said, only 55 on the roster. One cut will be QB Roy Ackley after he takes a few preseason snaps to prevent injury to more important players.

We added some UFA depth for the preseason. Since my guys didn't bust, they likely get cut before game one.