With fall camp and the regular season right around the corner, it’s time took look at five questions that face Washington under new head coach Kalen DeBoer.

1. Who starts at Quarterback?

Washington fans have been dying to know who will be the starting QB. DeBoer has not given much of a hint as we approach fall camp. Through most of spring ball, Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. seemed to have a commanding lead until Sam Huard dominated the spring preview.  Huard’s performance turned a lot of people’s heads, and he made an exclamation point with a game-winner to receiver Rome Odunze on the final play of the day. Entering fall camp it does appear it will be a two-horse race between Penix and  Huard. After a disappointing 2021 season, Dylan Morris will have to really flash in fall camp to win back his job. I’m predicting Penix wins the job as Huard continues to improve throughout camp and into the season.

2. How big of a drop-off does the defense take? 

There’s an assumption that the Huskies will have a drop-off on defense with the departures of Kyler Gordon and Trent McDuffie to the NFL.  While that’s a fair assumption, there’s reason for hope.  Despite struggling to get off the field and uncharacteristically soft against the run at times, the Huskies finished third in total defense in the Pac-12 last season. The good news is that UW will get a healthy Zion Tupuola-Fetui back. If he returns to his regular form, the defense might not take a step back at all.  If Tupoula-Fetui doesn’t return to his 2020 form Washington’s secondary could take a hit with a down pass rush.  I do believe the pass rush will significantly improve this season making the untested secondary’s job a little easier. The Huskies will likely give up more big plays this season, playing a more aggressive style of defense. With that said, UW should be much improved at stopping the run. Overall, I think Washington’s defense drops off slightly but they should be one of the better defenses in the conference.

3. The offense will be improved, but by how much? 

Washington’s offense was brutal to watch a season ago. There was no identity and often struggled in every facet—especially in lighting up the scoreboard.  Under DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, the passing game has the makings of a masterpiece. Last season, the duo led Fresno State to a 10-3 record and finished 14th in the nation in yards per game. The Huskies return star left tackle Jaxson Kirkland and talented wide receivers Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan. This unit should see significant improvement with the right coaches in place and talented pass catchers on the outside.

4. Breakout star of 2022?

There are a ton of candidates for breakout player of 2022, but I’m putting my money on edge defender Bralen Trice. It’s no secret he has the talent to be a real force in this conference. Former UW defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe said that Trice would be better than former Washington standout Joe Tryon. But there’s more to the physical traits why I think Trice will breakout this season. With a healthy ZTF defenses will be forced to double team him and leave Trice with plenty of opportunities to attack the QB. Everything is in place for the former 4-star recruit to take the next step this season.

5. What’s a realistic goal for this season? 

For the last six seasons, it was a realistic expectation that the Huskies would be one of the favorites to win the conference. This year, that’s not the case. Depending on where you look, UW is around 12-1 odds to win the conference. It should be an absolute expectation that this team gets back to a bowl game. I think the team goal should be 9-3 in the regular season. I expect the Huskies to go 8-4. For the Huskies to win the conference they will have to click all the right buttons and stay healthy.