The Unique Huskies: Washington has a unicorn quarterback, unorthodox head coach and a roster unlikely to be replicated in a future national title game
With a story and journey to stardom unlike any other, I recently dubbed Michael Penix Jr. college football’s unicorn quarterback.
It’s only appropriate then that Penix Jr. leads a 2023 Washington team — from its head coach to the roster’s entire makeup — unlikely to be replicated ever again as the sport moves further away from the COVID 2020 season.
The Huskies don’t just have a unique quarterback. In a sport dominated by recruiting rankings, blueblood programs and famous coaches, Washington’s entire makeup as a championship contender in 2023 is an outlier.
To wit:
* Kalen DeBoer is the most unorthodox head coach in a national title game in the modern era since? Ever?
DeBoer is a former NAIA head coach who practically never loses. He’s previously opined that he was afforded the luxury of making mistakes as a head coach when no one was watching. To which I would respond, “Show me the mistakes?”
DeBoer is 104-11 in his career as a head coach, with three NAIA championships. He’s 25-2 in two seasons at Washington after inheriting a 4-8 program from Jimmy Lake. The only other Power 5 job DeBoer has ever held was a single season as Indiana’s offensive coordinator in 2019, where DeBoer met Michael Penix.
DeBoer is a 1-2 offensive braintrust with Huskies OC Ryan Grubb. DeBoer’s longtime lieutenant, who turned down Nick Saban for Alabama’s OC opening last offseason, has followed the Huskies’ head coach from Sioux Falls, to Eastern Michigan, to Fresno State and now Washington. It’s a unique partnership that’s had offensive success at every stop, including ranking in the Top 10 nationally in scoring and yards per play in 2023.
* The Huskies have one of the most veteran rosters in the country, with 17 upperclassmen starters. Penix Jr. is a 23-year-old quarterback in his sixth season in college football. He’s one of half a dozen six-year seniors taking advantage of the extra COVID season at Washington this year.
* Washington’s average recruiting ranking the last five seasons (2019-23) is 34.8, per On3 Rankings. The Huskies’ best class was in 2020 (15th nationally), while DeBoer’s first three classes ranked 36th, 80th and 27th. If they beat Michigan to win the national championship, they’ll easily be the lowest-ranked roster of the CFP era. DeBoer has done a nice job plugging holes from the transfer portal. Penix is the headliner, but guys like tailback Dillon Johnson (Mississippi State), corner Jabbar Muhammad (Oklahoma State) and Ja’Lynn Polk (Texas Tech) have all been major contributors in the Huskies’ run to the title game.
* The Huskies don’t remotely qualify for the “Blue Chip Ratio” of national title contenders (teams with at least 50% of 5- and 4-star prospects on the roster), and yet, Washington’s low team-talent composite rating doesn’t paint an accurate picture contextually on the sheer volume of true top-end talent on the roster.
In Penix Jr., the Huskies have a former 3-star quarterback who developed into a weekly laser show that was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. Most programs don’t have one Top 50 pick at receiver. Much-less three. Rome Odunze, who catches everything and has topped 100 yards in 10 games this season, is a surefire 1st Round pick in 2024 NFL Draft, while Polk and Jalen McMillan could be, too. Washington also has a 1st Round rusher in Bralen Trice, while left tackle Troy Fautanu is a future NFL starter, too.
In today’s college football, having future pros at quarterback, receiver, left tackle and pass rusher pretty much checks every box on the “key positions for a contender” bingo card.
Add it all up, and Washington is simply one of the most unique teams playing for a national title in modern history. DeBoer’s add water, see results rebuild has been as unlikely as it has been impressive. Feel free to CC: @OldTakesExposded, but we won’t see another group (coach, quarterback and overall roster) like Washington in the national title again.