Washington Huskies Football: 2023 Transfer Portal – Part 1 Running Backs
Changes are coming to the Washington Huskies running back group in 2023, and the transfer portal is a big reason for it.
Herb Nightengale
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Changes are coming to the Washington Huskies running back group in 2023 and the transfer portal is a big reason for it.
After beating Texas 27-20 in the Alamo on December 29, the Washington Huskies‘ successful 2022 season is over. They end the year with an 11-2 record and ranked 8th in both major polls.
In this business, there is very little time for coaches to rest, especially with the transfer portal.
We are going to look at the transfer portal position by position. Later we can return to each position as players come and go. For Part 1, the running backs are in the spotlight.
In head coach Kalen DeBoerโs offense, the passing game is the most important thing. However, the running backs need to catch passes as well as run the ball if they want to get in playing time.
Last year the Washington Huskies had three running backs who transferred in. Wayne Taulapapa from Virginia, Will Nixon from Nebraska, and Aaron Dumas from New Mexico.
Taulapapa impressed the coaches and became the starting running back at the beginning of the season. He justified their belief in him with 887 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. on 140 carries and 11 touchdowns. The ex-Wahoo also added 24 catches for 225 yards and 1 touchdown.
Nixon can play both running back and receiver. The Huskies were loaded at receiver, so he went to the backfield.
He carried the ball 21 times for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns and added 7 catches for 66 yards. Meanwhile, Dumas didn’t have any running attempts or catches. There are no guarantees that either will return in 2023.
Redshirt sophomore Daniyel Ngata transferred to Washington from Arizona State just before Christmas. Ngata had 54 carries for 272 yards and 1touchdown for the Sun Devils in 2022. Coming to Mountlake, he should be in the mix at the running back position.
Also headed to the Washington Huskies is Dillon Johnson from Mississippi State. In three seasons, Johnson ran for 1,202 yards and 11 touchdowns on 229 carries.
With Taulapapa graduating, the above four backs will compete for playing time with three other holdovers.
Cam Davis, a rising redshirt junior is the biggest returning producer. He ran 107 times for 522 yards and had 13 touchdowns along with 19 receptions for 137 yards.
Richard Newton‘s star has diminished since his breakout freshman seasonfor the Washington Huskies in 2019. Injuries have slowed him since then but don’t count him out in 2023.
Sam Adams II, a redshirt freshman, the son of former Seattle Seahawks star Sam Adams was able to get in a little playing time in 2022. It will be hard for him to push his way into the mix.