Members of the Washington Huskies 2023 team received rings commemorating their Pac-12 championship and Sugar Bowl victory Monday night, but by Tuesday morning, it was time to look ahead. 

From the Touchdown Terrace inside Husky Stadium, Washington hosted a bowl-game style media day, where featured coaches and players made their final remarks on the eve of the first fall camp practice. 

Here are five takeaways as the Huskies officially, unofficially, kick off the 2024 season. 

‘The trifecta of change’

Head coach Jedd Fisch knows that the circumstances are unprecedented. 

“It’s almost the first time ever that you would have 46-48 new players on a roster, along with 30 new staff members, coming off of a 14-1 season,” Fisch said. “It’s certainly new and unique to college football, but we’re really excited for the opportunity.” 

Fisch mentioned that there are roughly 30 players who weren’t seen in the spring who will make their fall camp debuts Wednesday, and that the first time under his administration, it’s time to see how this team can play together as a unit. 

“I really don’t know what our team’s going to look like as a collective unit,” Fisch said. “I’ve seen a lot of individual players and workouts, so the chance to get this group together, to see what the offensive line’s going to look like, the defensive line, is going to be a great opportunity.” 

Will’s World

It’s Will Rogers’ team — he just won’t necessarily see QB1 written in permanent sharpie just yet. 

The fifth-year Mississippi State transfer and preseason Maxwell Award watch list recipient is the presumptive starter for Washington, but while Fisch confirmed that he will get the first-team reps to show for it beginning fall camp, he also wouldn’t commit to crowning Rogers the starting job just yet — he’ll first have to compete with freshman Demond Williams Jr. 

“[Williams] a great player, first of all,” Rogers said. “He’s a tremendous player, he does a lot of great things, and he’s probably the fastest guy on the team. But competition is healthy for everybody, so I’m looking forward to it, and I think he’s thinking the same thing.” 

Rogers, who threw for 12,315 yards over his four years in the SEC, also possesses the intangibles that you wouldn’t find by scrolling through his EA College Football 25 ratings. 

“I think people underestimate who I am as a person, and how fiery and competitive I am,” Rogers said. “Everybody sees the numbers and all that, and they take that for what it is. But once you really get to know me, once I’m in the locker room, people see how competitive I really am and how I can bring the team together and get ready to go win games on Saturday.”

But who will block for him?

Fittingly, the first inquiry Fisch fielded from his purple podium – the nanosecond his opening statement wrapped up – had to do with the biggest question mark on the roster, the offensive line unit. 

The group – which won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s best offensive line in 2023 – was hemorrhaged by the departure of all five starters, leaving about 1,500 pounds to fill. 

The Huskies did return some talent to the roster, and received three reinforcements through the transfer portal. But, admittedly, the picture remains foggy. Fisch cited the health of Landen Hatchett and Gaard Memmelaar, as well as the placement of Enokk Vimahi, Max McCree, D’Angelo Titialii, and Drew Azzopardi, as several uncertainties. 

“I really don’t have a great idea of what our offensive line is going to look like come August 31,” Fisch said. “Really not sure how it’s all going to look, we’re going to move guys around, we’re going to check all the different body types, see where everybody fits in, and then try to put everybody together.” 

Coming together, after the unit dismantled itself in the offseason, will be crucial for the offensive line to prove that it can still perform to last year’s standard. 

“There’s a bit of a chip on our shoulder, but it’s all about just putting in the work and doing what we can do,” Hatchett said. “There is a culture at UW with offensive line play, and I don’t expect that to change.” 

Money Talks

In college football’s current arms race to build up NIL budgets rivaling that of the Pentagon, recruiting has become an extra challenge for head coaches. 

This past offseason, Fisch suspects that the Huskies may have been outbid in a number of their pursuits. 

“We battled for a couple [transfers], and for one reason or another, traditionally financially, some guys might have ended up somewhere else.” 

NIL allotments are kept largely close to the vest for most programs, but UW can only hope that its arsenal of resources continues to keep up with the elite programs across the country. 

Veteran Presence

Much like fans did, Washington’s players felt the gut punch when Kalen DeBoer packed his bags days after a national championship game loss and jetted for Tuscaloosa. 

But there was no time to dwell on the abrupt exit last January, and Washington’s returners grew accustomed to the new administration – the second, third, or even fourth new coaching staff for some of the Huskies’ players. 

“It’s been a little weird, up and down, having a new coaching staff coming in,” senior linebacker Carson Bruener said. “Had to get adjusted to them, but at the end of the day I’m still here, and I chose to be here, and I still get to play the game I love to play.” 

The limited, yet steady, presence of veterans – who have seen success on Montlake to the highest degree – has acted as a very necessary bridge as Washington crosses over into a new era. 

“I’ve experienced a lot of things, and I’m able to share those with people,” sixth-year running back Cam Davis said. “It’s a virtue to have for sure, it helps me to be a leader and I feel like we have a room filled with a lot of experienced guys. Everybody brings a little bit of leadership.”

Extra takeaways:

-Wide receiver coach Kevin Cummings said that sophomore Denzel Boston is the leader when it comes to culture building in the unit. 

-Redshirt freshman cornerback Jordan Shaw has lofty individual goals for himself: make the freshman All-American team, and lead the NCAA in interceptions. 

-Cam Davis said that he feels “100%” entering fall camp. 

-Will Rogers said that running the pro-style offense at Mississippi State last year has helped him learn coach Fisch’s system.