Open season in the Transfer Portal is nearly upon us. 12-5-22 isn’t just a winning combination in the Mega Millions Jackpot lottery, it’s also the date that many college football teams hope to strike it rich when the Transfer Portal opens up.
The Huskies struck gold with edge defender transfer Texas A&M Jeremiah Martin, receivers Ja’Lynn Polk from Texas Tech and Giles Jackson from Michigan, Virgina running back Wayne Taulapapa, and of course quarterback Michael Penix from Indiana.
So the Huskies will be looking to shore up the one glaring weakness on Washington’s 10-2 team: the defensive backfield.
One big help is the expected flip of Rainier Beach cornerback Caleb Presley. The 6-0, 180 pounder is rated a 4-star DB is the top rated player in the state of Washington for 2023. He projects as an early contributor. If he flips from Oregon he would become the highest-rated player pulled in by DeBoer and conjure up Budda Baker’s impact on the Husky program overall.
Former West Virginia CB Mumu Bin-Wahad is another Transfer Portal name to keep track of. Originally from Loganville, Georgia the 3-star corner’s athleticism is hard to miss.
Mountaineers Now’s evaluation of Bin-Wahad reads:
“Play and route recognition is an area that he excels in. He makes good jumps an routes to record a PBU or an interception. Bin-Wahad is solid in press coverage and is a tough corner to get a completion on in man-to-man coverage”.
Bin-Wahad didn’t have an offer from the the Huskies coming out of high school but reported 18 Power 5 offers including Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Arkansas, South Carolina and Arizona State.
Defensive backs coach Julius Brown has his eyes set on Trinity Valley Community College CB Channing Canada. Like Presley, the JuCo transfer stands at 6-0 and 180 pounds. He visited Washington November 18th and is checking out Mississippi State this weekend. The following weekend he’ll take in Illinois on the 9th and TCU on the 11th.
Two other names in the transfer portal will sound familiar to Husky fans as they have connections and were heavily recruited by Washington’s previous staff. Both are 4-star DBs in former Minnesota Golden Gopher Steven Ortiz, Jr. and former Texas Longhorn JD Coffey.
Washington was once thought to be Ortiz’s school of choice before Minnesota made a late push and won him over. Originally out of Goodyear, Arizona, Ortiz has the CB frame the Washington staff is looking for, 6-0 and 175 pounds. He will have three years of eligibility remaining, having used a red shirt in 2021 season. He was used sparingly this past season and announced his intention to leave Minnesota on the 29th of November.
Coffey had the Huskies high on his list before selecting Texas. As a Longhorn he’s played in 6 games each of the past two seasons and has 2 years of eligibility left. A 4-star defensive back out of Kennedale, Texas near Fort Worth, Coffee is familiar with the Husky community, also entered the Transfer Portal on November 29th.
Reportedly, the Washington is expected to lose, on the low side 5 players and on the high side 10 players to the Transfer Portal, with the first likely being DB Cam Williams. Beginning December the 5th, the Transfer Portal will have a 45-day window when players can transfer without penalty.
As the Huskies begin to remake portions of the roster, expect to see a lot of activity in the coming weeks.
