The biggest story of the day probably wasn’t the play on the field, but who didn’t suit up for the spring game. Before Sunday’s deadline for players to enter their names into the transfer portal, among those not participating were defensive back Jacobe Covington, offensive lineman Myles Murao, and edge rusher Sav’ell Smalls. That doesn’t necessarily mean that all of those players are transferring, as Kalen DeBoer has said numerous times that he wants to play it safe with anyone dealing with any kind of injuries.

Four running backs: Caleb Berry, Richard Newton, Emeka Megwa, and Cameron Davis, all missed the extended scrimmage, as did defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele, who has been in a walking boot for the majority of the spring. Offensive linemen Henry Bainivalu and Jaxson Kirkland also didn’t participate, the former has been dealing with a nagging injury all spring, and the latter’s waiver to return to play still hasn’t been approved by the NCAA.

However, despite the worries of players rumored to be transferring and the light crowd in attendance, the product on the field should be very exciting for Husky fans.

Let’s start on the offensive side of the ball, and the two biggest winners of the day were quarterback Sam Huard and wide receiver Junior Alexander. “Sam had one of his best days today,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said following the spring preview, “I’m really proud of him and it was great to see him not overthinking and second-guessing himself.”

Senior safety Alex Cook was also very excited to talk about the redshirt freshman quarterback. “He’s so talented… he makes throws out there that nobody else can make,” he said.

“Junior didn’t practice much the last few weeks because he’s been dinged up, and seeing him getting out there and getting a chance to make a few plays is great,” DeBoer said of the redshirt freshman who transferred from Arizona State. “We need him, and I really hope some of the plays that he made today will springboard him to the next level. I see the guys really starting to trust him, and he’s got a chance to be a big-time player for us.”

“It was like being back in high school,” Alexander said. “To be out there in front of Husky fans, I shed a tear because I felt like I should’ve been here a long time ago.”

All three quarterbacks made some great plays on Saturday, and it’s very easy to see that DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb have had a huge impact in the first few months of working with them. Michael Penix Jr. made a great throw on a corner route to Jalen McMillan, and Dylan Morris gave Ja’Lynn Polk a perfect feed for him to go up and make an incredible, athletic catch. Rome Odunze finished off the day and gave the offense a win over the defense with a highlight-reel touchdown where he broke two tackles before waltzing into the end zone.

The offense featured naked bootlegs, counter plays, and everything that a 21st-century college offense should have in their playbook, which should go without saying, but is a major step up for Husky fans. As for the defense, there shouldn’t be much of a drop-off on that side of the ball either, linebacker Cam Bright called it the “B.I.A., best in America” after the spring preview.