Since taking over the Washington Huskies’ football program in January, the biggest question mark facing Jedd Fisch has been the offensive line.

Every starter and first man up from the best offensive line in the country is no longer in the program:

Left tackle, Troy Fautanu—Pittsburgh Steelers
Left guard, Nate Kalepo—Ole Miss
Center, Parker Brailsford—Alabama
Right guard, Julius Buelow—Ole Miss
Right tackle, Roger Rosengarten—Baltimore Ravens

Even Geirean Hatchett, UW’s sixth man, is with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Who is left is some promising names but question marks around their health.

The biggest question mark is Gaard Memmelaar— member of on of the most anticipated linemen recruiting classes in program history.

The 2020 offensive line dubbed “The Western Front”  class include  Roger Rosengarten, Geirean Hatchett, Myles Murao, Samuel Peacock and Memmelaar.

Coming from Caldwell, Idaho Memmelaar, was heavily recruited by Washington, committed and shut down any avenues outside of the Huskies.

His tape is still one of my favorites from an offensive linemen. When I evaluate other linemen I grade them on my “Memmelaar Scale” on how well they pull from their guard position to lead as running play downfield.

Back in high school the had elite speed and quickness to get into the second level to escort ball-carriers into the end-zone.

However, his college career has been marred by injuries and has limited his on field production.

It was a true gut punch when in 2023 Kalen DeBoer announced he would be out for the season. His versatility and depth would have been a huge help to a group that was nagged with injuries throughout the course of the season.

At UW media day Jedd Fisch stated that Memmelaar and Landen Hatchett should be healthy to start the 2024 season—the former

If both players are ready to go, this line starts to take shape. Hatchett brings a physicality to the center position that would be helpful for the new line, while the addition to Memmelaar could lead to possible elite left side of the line.

If he is healthy and able to regain his pre- injury form, the 6-4, 299-pounder could help solidify the left side of the line along with Drew Azzopardi.

Right now, the San Diego State transfer is penciled in as one of the bookend tackles. With Memmelaar’s size and athleticism being a true X-Factor, it would go a long ways in turning the biggest question marks into a program strength.