In fallout from Kalen DeBoer’s exit, UW loses projected starting QB, other stars
Shane Lantz
Jan. 12, 2024 at 2:54 pm Updated Jan. 12, 2024 at 7:47 pm
By
Seattle Times staff reporter
With Kalen DeBoer set to leave for Alabama, some major dominoes have begun to fall for the University of Washington football program, including the program’s projected quarterback for 2024 and their top recruit.
Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers joined a growing list of players attempting to leave the program amid DeBoer’s departure, only weeks after joining the team.
Rogers is the SEC’s career leader in completions with 1,301 over his four seasons with the Bulldogs, and set a conference single-season record with 505 completions in 2021. His 12,315 passing yards is
second most in conference history, and his 94 passing touchdowns put him fourth all-time among SEC quarterbacks.
He was set to step into Michael Penix Jr.’s shoes as the teams’ starting quarterback in 2024, but he entered the transfer portal, according to Pete
Nakosof On3 Sports and
Max Olson of The Athletic.
Nakos also reported that linebacker Ethan Barr has also entered the portal. Barr played the past four seasons at Vanderbilt, and finished with 55 tackles in 2023. He committed to UW on Dec. 16, but is seemingly on his way out less than a month later.
A few other players have also decided to skip out on UW in the wake of DeBoer’s departure. Top UW recruit Zaydrius Rainey-Sale has decided to de-commit from the program, as the four-star linebacker
announced Friday that he is reopening his recruitment just four days after announcing that he would be joining the UW program.
Rainey-Sale, a junior at Bethel High School in Spanaway, is the top-ranked Class of 2025 player in the state according to 247sports.com, and is rated as the No. 79 prospect in the country.
He announced his
commitment to UW on Monday, the day of UW’s national title-game loss to Michigan, but changed his mind when the DeBoer news broke.
“With the uncertainty surrounding the UW Football program I have decided to de-commit and open back up my recruitment. Please respect my decision,” Rainey-Sale said on X.
Defensive back
Mishael Powell and cornerback
Jabbar Muhammad have also entered the transfer portal, according to Chris Hummer of 247sports.com.
what to know DeBoer leaving UW for Alabama
Powell and Muhammad were key members of UW’s defense this season, finishing the year with 38 and 46 tackles, respectively, and both finishing the year with a team-high three interceptions.
Powell joined the Huskies out of O’Dea High School in 2019. He did not see any game action in his first or second year, but became a crucial part of the team’s secondary in 2021. He switched to the “Husky” position last season, and was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week after returning an
89-yard pick-six against Arizona State.
Muhammad will join his third college program after transferring to UW from Oklahoma State in late 2022. Muhammad finished second in the Pac-12 with 20 passes defended, and was named to the All-Pac-12 second team. Muhammad was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week and Bednarik Award Player of the Week after putting up two interceptions, a fumble recovery and four pass breakups in UW’s 22-20 late-season win over No. 10 Oregon State.
Two other newcomers also decided to look elsewhere for their next opportunity, in transfer tight end Tre Watson and incoming freshman Dominic Kirks.
Watson recently joined the program after spending the past three seasons at Fresno State. He had 38 receptions for 378 yards and four touchdowns in 2022, and announced his commitment to Washington on December 24. But after DeBoer’s departure, Watson has entered the portal according to Hummer and
Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports.
Kirks is a four-star defensive lineman from Riverside High School in Painesville, Ohio, who verbally committed to the Huskies this past June. Kirks announced his change of heart on Friday afternoon on X with a post saying: “After careful consideration, I will be humbly de-committing from The University of Washington.”
A few Washington players decided to weigh in about the DeBoer situation and ensuing fallout on social media, with linebacker
Zion Tupuola-Fetui saying on X: “Sometimes we have to be reminded it’s all a business…”.
Left tackle
Troy Fautanu, who declared for the NFL draft earlier in the week, also commented on the social media website, saying “I’m sick for the boys, man.”
Linebacker Carson Bruener kept his reaction to the news simple, saying “Wow… just wow.”
Shane Lantz on Twitter:
@ShaneMLantz.