Joel Klatt: UW Huskies could ‘pop’ with 9 or 10 wins in 2025

Jul 17, 2025, 4:01 PM | Updated: Jul 18, 2025, 1:07 pm

Seattle Sports

Jedd Fisch faced a challenging situation when he took over as the UW Huskies’ head coach back in January 2024.

Phil Steele has higher expectations for UW Huskies this season

The Huskies were fresh off a trip to the national championship game, but they were facing a full-on rebuild that ultimately left them needing to replace 20 of their 22 starters, along with their entire coaching staff. That meant Fisch essentially had to cobble together a team for 2024, which resulted in a 6-7 transition year last fall.

But with a full season and full recruiting cycle under his belt, Fisch has the Dawgs in a much better spot heading into Year 2.

In fact, FOX college football analyst Joel Klatt thinks the Huskies could be a dark-horse College Football Playoff contender this fall. During an appearance Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, Klatt said he has UW as one of five “stock-up” teams he’s buying in 2025.

“I think Washington could pop,” Klatt said. “I could see them winning nine games, potentially 10. And if you get to 10 in the Big Ten, you’re talking about being in the conversation for the CFP. I think Jedd’s got something going.”

The personnel

The optimism around the Huskies begins with sophomore dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr.

After spending most of last season as a change-of-pace QB behind then-senior Will Rogers, Williams took over the starting job late in the year showcased his electrifying skill set down the stretch. The speedy 5-foot-11, 190-pound Williams finished his true freshman campaign with a 78% completion rate, 10 total touchdowns and only one interception – capped by a sensational 422-yard, five-TD performance against Louisville in the Sun Bowl.

“I think he’s really good,” Klatt said.

HOW’D HE MAKE THIS PLAY?! pic.twitter.com/yEwMOKliTO

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) December 31, 2024

The Huskies also have a pair of big-time returning offensive weapons in senior running back Jonah Coleman and junior wide receiver Denzel Boston. Coleman was a 1,000-yard rusher last season, while Boston is gaining steam as a potential 2026 first-round NFL Draft pick after 834-yard, nine-touchdown campaign last fall.

Up front, the offensive line figures to be improved with incoming Kansas State transfer Carver Willis and the return of Geirean Hatchett, who spent a season at Oklahoma before transferring back to UW.

“I like what they’ve got at running back and wide receiver,” Klatt said. “They have to improve on the offensive line.”

And on defense, a slew of potential impact transfers enter the fold – including former Arizona cornerback Tacario Davis, former Arizona linebacker Jacob Manu, former WSU Cougars linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah, former UCF linebacker Xe’ree Alexander, former Utah defensive lineman Simote Pepa, former Arizona edge rusher Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei and former Northern Arizona safety Alex McLaughlin.

UW’s new-look defense will be led by former Purdue head coach Ryan Walters, who takes over as the Huskies’ defensive coordinator. Prior to spending the past two seasons at Purdue, Walters had a success-filled run at Illinois, where he transformed the Fighting Illini into the nation’s top-ranked scoring defense in 2022.

“I’m a huge fan of Ryan Walters,” Klatt said. “I played with Ryan. He was a teammate of mine and I think he got a bad hand at Purdue. They didn’t support him very well. So I like that aspect. (And) Fisch got some guys to come up from Arizona, including Tacario Davis.”

The home-field advantage

As for the schedule, most of the Huskies’ toughest matchups this fall are inside the friendly confines of Husky Stadium.

Of the four UW opponents in ESPN’s post-spring Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings, the Huskies get three of them at home – defending national champion Ohio State (No. 5), upstart Illinois (No. 11) and defending Big Ten champion Oregon (No. 8). UW’s toughest road trip figures to be when it faces Michigan (No. 20) in the Big House.

And as Klatt pointed out, the Huskies have a 20-game home win streak on Montlake. They haven’t lost at Husky Stadium since the 2021 Apple Cup.

“It’s the most underrated home-field advantage in college football,” Klatt said. “No one talks about it. One of the great environments in the entire sport.”

Listen to the full conversation with Joel Klatt at this link or in the audio player at the top of this story. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.