Coming out of Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, Washington, Denzel Boston was a little-known three-star wide receiver who showed a lot of promise when he originally committed to Washington under Jimmy Lake’s coaching staff, before wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard and Kalen DeBoer’s staff kept him around.
Then, the 6-foot-4, 207-pound Boston spent the majority of his first two years overshadowed by a trio of NFL receivers in Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Jalen McMillan before he finally got his opportunity under Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff in 2024.
In his first season as a starter, the sophomore exploded, hauling in 60 catches for 807 yards and 9 touchdowns, all numbers that rank inside the top ten of the Big Ten Conference. For many players around the country, numbers like that might compel them to hit the transfer portal in search of the biggest payday, but not Boston.
On Thursday, he reaffirmed his commitment to his hometown school.
“For me, it’s been pretty cut in stone,” he said. “I love this program. I grew up here. I grew up watching UW play on the biggest stages. Obviously, there’s all types of politics that go through it…I’m valued here, you know what I mean? Why would I throw all that away for just a little bit of money?”
According to Boston, unsurprisingly, plenty of teams made a significant push to try and lure him into the transfer portal as is the case in the modern era of college football.
“There’s always other teams trying to come in and offer you more money, but you’ve got to understand where the value is at,” he continued. “Is that real over there? You still have to take the risk to go over there, and you might not like your new life over there. But there’s for sure been a couple of other schools that have reached out.”
He specified, without giving names, that eight teams contacted his representation, with three or four that “really wanted” him to consider finding a new home.
With Boston and star running back Jonah Coleman back in the fold for 2025, along with what is expected to be a much-improved offensive line, the Huskies are looking to take a big step forward next season with quarterback Demond Williams Jr. at the helm.