Washington Huskies offense faces an uphill battle in 2020
Major coaching changes, the departure of key players, and COVID-19 have formed a perfect storm of chaos for the Washington Huskies offense in 2020.
College football is a sport that is in flux from year to year. Even under normal circumstances, there are annual challenges for any program. In 2020, those challenges have been magnified due to COVID-19.
To start, with the Washington Huskies promoting Jimmy Lake to head coach as well as bringing in a new offensive coordinator, John Donovan, with a new offense game plan, preparation for this season was tough. Due to Covid-19, Washington’s challenges became exponentially hard.
Returning Huskies will be familiar with Lake since he was the defensive coordinator for the last four years, although the offensive players will see more of him now. They also must get to know Donovan as well. The Huskies will go with a pro-style offense in 2020. It might not be vastly different than the one fans saw the past several years. However, the terminology and formations will be. The players have had video contact with the coaching staff throughout the spring and early summer. That isn’t the same as meeting together in person or stepping on the practice field to work through new plays.
More new faces
Each position group will have significant changes from the offense that averaged 32 points per game in 2019.
Quarterback Jacob Eason left after one season. The former transfer from Georgia decided to leave school early for the NFL. Sophomore Jacob Sirmon, who took snaps in three games last year, was expected to be the heir apparent. However, the Huskies were able to bring in a graduate transfer to compete for the starting job. Kevin Thomson, a local product from Auburn, Wa, comes home to finish his college football career.
The 25-year-old signal-caller has been around college football for some time turning. Before transferring to UW, he was at Sacramento State from 2016–19. The past two seasons, Thomson was the Hornets starting QB. Last year, the Big Sky Conference 2019 Player of the Year, completed 265 of 450 passes for 3,216 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also did some damage on the ground, running for 619 yards and 12 more scores.
For the most part, Washington will have a new offensive line. Center Nick Harris, right tackle Jared Hilbers, and left tackle Trey Adams have all graduated and are making their way to the NFL. this leaves three O-Line positions to be filled.
Someone will need to step up among the receiver/tight end group to catch passes from either Thomson or Sirmon. Both receiver Aaron Fuller and tight end Hunter Bryant were marvelous for the Washington Huskies in 2019. Both have graduated and moved on to play Sundays. The most likely men to inherit their roles are Terrell Bynum and Cade Otten, respectively.
Last season’s leading rusher Salvon Ahmed also left early for the NFL. Washington will miss Ahmed’s production but should be in excellent shape with Richard Newton and senior Sean McGrew. As a redshirt freshman in 2019, Newton ran for 498 yards and ten touchdowns.
How do you think the Washington Huskies offense will do in 2020? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.