Caple: 5 UW Huskies additions primed to contribute this season

Aug 12, 2024, 12:11 PM | Updated: 12:12 pm

Cal tight end Keleki Latu goes up for a pass againt Oregon's Steve Stephens IV in 2022. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

BY CHRISTIAN CAPLE

UW Huskies Insider

It was obvious based on the sheer number of post-spring additions from the transfer portal — 14, to be precise — that the UW Huskies would rely this season on several players who are practicing with them for the first time during this month’s training camp.

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Sure enough, more than a handful of those players already seem primed for big roles in 2024.

Here are five new additions who, through UW’s first several camp practices, appear in line to either start or contribute for the Huskies in coach Jedd Fisch’s debut season.

• S Cameron Broussard

This was quietly one of UW’s biggest offseason acquisitions. Broussard, a former All-Big Sky selection at Sacramento State, joined teammate Deshawn Lynch in transferring to UW during the spring window. He’s listed at 6-3 and 193 pounds, and while he seemingly has an inside track to a starting safety job, Broussard’s size also has coaches lining him up in the box in certain packages. Kam Fabiculanan, Makell Esteen and Oklahoma transfer Justin Harrington all will compete on the back end, but Broussard is getting a bunch of reps already with the No. 1 defense.

Right place, right time for Cameron Broussard… first turnover of the night as the Hornet sophomore picks it off for the INT! #StingersUp @BigSkyConf pic.twitter.com/kYqXdv1OSr

— Sac State Football (@SacHornetsFB) October 9, 2022

• WR Kevin Green Jr.

Though UW’s starting receiver trio of Denzel Boston, Jeremiah Hunter and Giles Jackson appears more or less set, the Huskies obviously are going to need other players to contribute. Green, a third-year sophomore transfer from Arizona, will likely be one of them. He played sparingly for the Wildcats as a redshirt freshman last season, catching only eight passes for 97 yards. The Huskies’ early camp practices, though, have found the 5-foot-11, 155-pound Green running regularly with the No. 2 offense in the slot, catching plenty of passes from Demond Williams Jr. and occasionally Will Rogers. Green is one of a few players whom UW tries to get the ball via quick throws and tunnel screens in order to leverage his speed and quickness.

• TE Keleki Latu

Among other things, Washington’s spring practices revealed that UW badly needed another veteran tight end to pair with senior Quentin Moore. Latu, a senior transfer from Nevada who began his college career at California, certainly fits that bill. He’s also listed at 6-foot-7 and 244 pounds, so he presents a big target for Washington’s quarterbacks. Through the first week-plus of Huskies camp, Moore and Latu have been the undisputed top two options at the position, and it certainly appears Latu, the younger brother of former UW and UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu, will play a significant role in UW’s offense this season.

Bears up 10-0! @KelekiL TD 👏🏈 pic.twitter.com/KMqTzJ9dmS

— Cal Football (@CalFootball) October 23, 2021

• DL Deshawn Lynch

Like Broussard, Lynch was a full-time starter at Sac State last season, logging 34 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. His listed size of 6-foot-5 and 292 pounds suggests he would primarily play on the interior d-line, but Lynch actually played almost exclusively on the edge at Sac State, and has lined up all over the defensive front through the Huskies’ first week-plus of training camp. Sometimes, he’s on the interior in a pass-rush package. Others, he lines up on the edge. UW needed veteran help on the d-line via the portal this spring. The Huskies also added Miami transfer Logan Sagapolu, whose listed size of 6-2 and 368 pounds makes clear his role as a gap-stuffing nose guard. Lynch, though, should see the field in a variety of different roles.

• OL Enokk Vimahi

Fisch made it pretty clear that UW recruited Vimahi, a sixth-year senior transfer from Ohio State, to come in and start at right guard. That’s exactly where he’s been from the onset of UW training camp, taking every snap there with the No. 1 offense. Vimahi appeared in 35 games throughout his Buckeyes career but started only two, including Ohio State’s loss to Mississippi in last year’s Cotton Bowl. He’s one of three new faces on Washington’s No. 1 o-line since the spring, when the Huskies practiced with only seven healthy scholarship linemen.

This column from UW Huskies football insider Christian Caple is exclusive to Seattle Sports. Subscribe to OnMontlake.com for full access to Caple’s in-depth Husky coverage.