The Washington Huskies came into Jedd Fisch’s first season at the helm with a patchwork offensive line, mainly strung together through the spring transfer portal window, and inexperienced young players. In 2024, that line has looked exactly as expected.
It has shown flashes of potential but has been largely overwhelmed by the Big Ten’s top talent, but has been able to impose its will against weaker competition. The Huskies have allowed 24 sacks in 2024, which ranks No. 14 in the conference, but Fisch is confident that his young building blocks at the position will make big strides going forward.
Against UCLA, the nation’s No. 7 rushing defense, Washington mustered 125 yards on the ground while also limiting the Bruins front to a single sack. During his bye-week press conference, Fisch praised the group’s performance.
“We went against a really good defensive line,” he said. “I think [edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo] and [defensive tackle Jay Toia] are as good as they get, so we had some challenges at times, but I thought we did some really good things at other times. I thought we were able to get out of the pocket cleanly in moments and had chances to make some big plays; sometimes we did, sometimes we didn’t…I thought they had a nice night, but there’s a lot to improve upon.”
Freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. showcased his impressive ability to evade rushers and get out of the pocket when he took over in the third quarter, which could also take some pressure off the front when he assumes full-time starting duties in 2025. But, according to Fisch, he’s also going to have plenty of help from his line.
“Kahlee Tafai is continuing to improve; he’s going to be a really good player for us. Landen Hatchett continued to improve; he’s going to be a really good player for us. Drew Azzopardi continued to improve, so as we continue to see this group grow and get better, I’m looking forward to the future.”