Washington football finished the 2022 season with a strong 11-2 record. The Huskies only lost to UCLA and Arizona State. Both losses occurred by single digits. It should be noted that they avoided USC and Utah, but an 11-2 finish remains impressive. Even more so with a bowl victory over Texas. In this post, we’ll be providing our 2023 Washington football predictions, win total, roster overview, season preview and more.
DraftKings Sportsbook has set the price on Washington’s win total at 9.0, with the over juiced to -130. The Huskies are +340 to win the PAC12, which comes in only behind USC and Oregon. With another elite season expected from bookmakers, let’s dive into Washington’s season preview.
2023 WashingtonFootball Predictions & Season Preview
Washington Football 2023 Season Preview: Coaching Staff
Washington will now enter year two under head coach Kalen DeBoer after a successful run at Fresno State. DeBoer immediately elevated the Washington program and now he brings back almost his entire staff.
At offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb returns after a solid 2022. He previously held the same position with North Carolina from 2019-2022. On defense, William Inge and Chuck Morrell function as co-defensive coordinators. The defense could certainly use improvement, but year two will hopefully bring that for this staff.
2023 Washington Football Season Preview: Offense
Quarterback
Washington returns former Indiana transfer Michael Penix after an elite 2022 season. Penix completed 362 of his 558 passes (64.9% completion percentage) for 4,641 yards (8.3 yards per attempt), 31 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He isn’t really known for his mobility, but Penix finished with 92 yards on 35 attempts. He only took four sacks all season, which marked a stark difference from his time spent at Indiana. Penix did show some rushing ability back in 2019, but he has been reluctant to incorporate that back into his game of late.
Overall, the five year veteran remains as solid as they come. He finished as the PAC 12’s second-highest graded passer, per ProFootballFocus. Behind him, Washington retains backup Dylan Morris, who threw 16 times last year. Morris actually has 489 career pass attempts with a 60.5% completion percentage for 7.2 yards per attempt. He doesn’t offer much mobility, but an experienced backup always helps. Washington also recruited four-star freshman Austin Mack, who stands 6-6, 210 pounds. He should be relied on more for the future.
Running Back
Washington lost their leading rusher Wayne Taulapapa from last year’s team after rushing for 887 yards and catching 24 balls. However, the Huskies hit the transfer portal and grabbed Mississippi State running back Dillon Johnson. Johnson stands 6-0, 215 pounds and played in Mike Leach’s air raid system last year.
He only rushed 89 times for 499 yards and three scores, but he caught 47 balls for 274 yards with just one drop. The year prior he caught 65 balls for 422 yards with just four drops. Overall, he averaged an efficient 3.51 yards after contact and forced a missed tackle on 21.3% of his attempts.
From there, Washington returns Cameron Davis after finishing as their second-leading rusher last year. Davis stands 6-0, 208 pounds and rushed 109 times for 525 yards and 13 scores last year. He also caught 19 balls for 137 yards with two drops. Efficiency wise, he averaged a mediocre 2.53 yards after contact and forced a missed tackle on 10% of his attempts. Washington also returns the oft-injured Richard Newton. Newton stands 6-0, 212 pounds and rushed 45 times for 213 yards and one score last year. His efficiency has bounced all over the board throughout his college career. Expect him to play a depth role alongside Arizona State transfer Daniyel Ngata.
Wide Receiver
Washington returns their top three receivers, starting with PAC 12 receiving leader Rome Odunze. Odunze stands 6-3, 201 pounds and caught 75 balls for 1,145 yards and seven scores last year. He played out wide 84% of the time and his 2.51 yards per route ranked fourth in the conference. Second-leading receiver Jalen McMillan also returns after catching 79 balls for 1,098 yards and nine scores. At 6-1, 186 pounds, McMillan played in the slot 92.5% of the time and his 2.32 yards per route ranked tenth in the PAC12.
Finally, Ja’Lynn Polk returns after catching 41 balls for 694 yards and six scores last year. Polk stands 6-2, 199 pounds and played out wide 62.4% of the time. His 1.84 yards per route ranked 26th last year. Washington even returns their WR4 from last year Giles Jackson. Jackson stands 5-9, 185 pounds and caught 28 balls for 328 yards and one score. He split his time in and out of the slot and his 2.04 yards per route ranked 18th in the conference. From there, Washington added former four-star recruit and Michigan State transfer Germie Bernard. Additionally, they recruited a pair of four-star freshmen themselves in Rashid Williams and Taeshaun Lyons. With Denzel Boston also back as a depth piece, this receiver room remains loaded.
Tight End
At tight end, Washington returns their top two options in Jack Westover and Devin Culp. Westover played 511 snaps and Culp played 469 in a near-even timeshare. Westover stands 6-3, 245 pounds and caught 31 balls for 342 yards and one score last year. He only blocked on 42.9% of his snaps last year.
Culp stands 6-4, 239 pounds and caught 29 balls for 266 yards and one score last year. He blocked on 53.3% of his snaps. Washington also added Cal Poly transfer Josh Cuevas, who stands 6-5, 245 pounds. He caught 57 balls for 672 yards and six scores at the FCS level last year. Like the receiver position, this group remains loaded.
Offensive Line
Washington lost left guard Jaxson Kirkland, right guard Henry Bainivalu, center Corey Luciano, and Victor Curne from last year’s offensive line group. Fortunately, this group returns both of their tackles. Troy Fautanu will hold down the left tackle job after playing 949 snaps last year. Even in his first year as a full time starter, Fautanu showed elite potential. On the right side, Roger Rosengarten returns after 955 snaps.
Like Fautanu, this will be his second year starting. At right guard Nate Kalepo should take over after playing 263 snaps last year. Now in his fourth year with the program, he will attempt to take the next step. Matteo Mele should take over center duties after 209 snaps last year. He now enters his fifth year with the program. Left guard has been rumored to be Julius Buelow. Buelow played 64 snaps in five games last year, but he logged 308 the year prior.
Washington also added a pair of four-star recruits in Elishah Jackson and Landen Hatchett on the offensive line. Finally, Washington added Kansas State transfer Jalen Klemm, who previously came to the Wildcats as a four-star recruit in 2022. With Washington replacing every starter on the interior, they could take a step back in 2023.
2023 Washington Football Season Preview: Defense
Washington ranked 105th on defense in 2022. This included the 110th-ranked run defense, 36th-ranked pass rush and 112th-ranked secondary. Washington lost a couple of defensive backs and edge rusher Jeremiah Martin. Otherwise, most of this unit is intact and the Huskies will hope for a jump forward from the incumbents. Washington only added three transfers and three four-star recruits to bolster this position.
Defensive Line
Mentioned above, Washington lost Martin on the edge after recording 11 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks last year. Fortunately, this group should remain in good hands with Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui back. Trice played 611 snaps last year and led the team with 12 tackles for loss and nine sacks. Tupuola-Fetui only played 384 snaps, but he also logged 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Now in an elevated role, Washington will hope to receive similar production from this unit. The depth pieces should be Maurice Harris and transfer Zach Durfee, who comes over from Sioux Falls.
On the interior Washington returns both starters in Faatui Tuitele and Tuli Letuligasenoa. Tuitele played 420 snaps last year, logging just 12 tackles. He was the weakest link on the defense, but will hope to take a step forward. Letuligasenoa played 420 snaps and logged 4.5 tackles for loss and 30 tackles overall. He should remain a space-eater for this defense. For depth, Ulumoo Ale comes back after 213 snaps last year, while Jacob Bandes returns 176 himself. Overall, the defensive line should be a strength for Washington.
Linebacker
At linebacker Washington lost Cam Bright, but he struggled through most of the season. They will now move forward with Alphonzo Tuputala and Edefuan Elofoshio as the projected starters. Tuputala played 571 snaps last year and ranked second on the team with 71 tackles. Elofoshio only played 84 snaps last year, but he now has 827 snaps of experience through his Washington career.
If he cannot take the next step, the Huskies also added USC transfer Ralen Goforth. Goforth played 306 snaps with the Trojans last year, but he battled injury. He started and played 558 the year prior. The problem is that Goforth has never been an above average starter. He should function as a depth piece, unless an injury occurs. Washington also retains rotational backer Carson Bruener, who played 202 snaps last year.
Defensive Back
At corner, Washington lost Jordan Perryman, who played around league average last year. They also lost safety Alex Cook, which is notable because Washington will now move a few pieces around. Their lone returning starter at corner looks like nickel Mishael Powell, who played 503 snaps last year. Powell played average in coverage, logging 43 tackles in the process.
From there, Washington has lined up Elijah Jackson as a starter at boundary corner so far this year. He only played 101 snaps last year, but Washington seems to have high hopes. The final starter should be Oklahoma State transfer Jabbar Muhammad, who played 832 snaps last year. Muhammad had nine pass breakups and one interception. He should immediately slide in as the best corner on the roster. Very little experience exists behind this group, making a step forward from the incumbents imperative.
At safety, Washington moved former corner Dominique Hampton to the vacant spot. As a corner last year, Hampton logged four pass breakups and 42 tackles on his 631 snaps. Washington returns their other starter Asa Turner, who played 595 snaps. Turner broke up one pass and logged a pair of interceptions to go along with 52 tackles. They also retain Kamren Fabiculanan as depth after playing 499 snaps last year. Fabiculanan recorded 38 tackles and three pass breakups in his time on the field last year. Overall, it is hard to see Washington’s secondary getting any worse.
2023 Washington Football Win Total Predictions & Schedule
Washington Football 2023 Schedule
The Huskies play a non-conference schedule comprised of Boise State, Tulsa, and Michigan State. They do travel to East Lansing, but the Spartans don’t have a pulse right now. Within conference play Washington draws Oregon, USC, and Utah. However, they dodge UCLA. Ultimately, this won’t be the easiest schedule, but other teams in the conference have it worse.
Washington Football Win Total Prediction Bet
The Huskies Over/Under 9.- wins comes in juiced to the over at -130. Ultimately, the defense remains an issue for this team, but the schedule looks favorable. In fact, Washington can lost to USC and Oregon and still have this win total come through. This makes the Utah and Oregon State games exceedingly important. With the over only slightly juiced, it is worth a shot here.
Best Washington Football Win Total Bet: Over 9.0 Wins (-130 at DraftKings)
You can read the rest of Matt Gajewski’s 2023 college football season previews and predictions below!
- Alabama Season Preview & Predictions
- Arkansas Season Preview & Predictions
- Auburn Season Preview & Predictions
- Baylor Season Preview & Predictions
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- Iowa State Season Preview & Predictions
- Kansas Season Preview & Predictions
- Kansas State Season Preview & Predictions
- Kentucky Season Preview & Predictions
- LSU Season Preview & Predictions
- Michigan Season Preview & Predictions
- Mississippi State Season Preview & Predictions
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- Oklahoma State Season Preview & Predictions
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- TCU Season Preview & Predictions
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- Texas Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas A&M Season Preview & Predictions
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- Vanderbilt Season Preview & Predictions
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