The Husky Haul
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Washington football breakout stars: Marquis Spiker

By Roman Tomashoff

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 19: Marquis Spiker #8 of the Washington Huskies celebrates after a touchdown during the first quarter game against the Oregon Ducks at Husky Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 19: Marquis Spiker #8 of the Washington Huskies celebrates after a touchdown during the first quarter game against the Oregon Ducks at Husky Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /
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Washington football’s top recruit of the 2018 class is in line for a major increase in workload this year

Marquis Spiker is an incredibly exciting prospect for Washington football. Spiker is the all-time leader in receiving touchdowns in California, with 72 while playing just three years of varsity football at Murrieta Valley. His outstanding length will make him an instant impact in the red zone, and in new offensive coordinator John Donovan’s offense, which is reportedly very “receiver friendly,” Spiker will see a lot of one on one coverage and be able to use his elite size and length to his advantage.

Expect him to be a major threat in the red zone, and with other big targets like Cade Otton, Ty Jones, and Devin Culp that Donovan can roll out there, the Huskies are going to be nearly impossible to defend near the goal line. And don’t forget freshman sensation Puka Nacua, who should be fully recovered from a broken foot suffered in practice last season.

The other part of the new offense is that it’s going to be increasingly easy for young receivers to get on the field early. It’s impossible to tell whether Donovan will want to burn the redshirts of outstanding four-star prospects Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze, but they’ll surely get snaps at some point this season. All this means for Spiker is that he won’t get worn down by having to play anywhere from 80 to 100% of snaps.

The mass exodus of last year’s seniors leaves a ton of snaps open, and between Bynum, Jones, Spiker, Nacua, Austin Osborne (another candidate for a breakout year), Jordan Chin, McMillan, and Odunze, the Huskies have a lot of talent chomping at the bit to contribute.

While most of these names aren’t established threats in the Pac-12, with a new scheme on offense, the receivers are going to be able to thrive in space. Spiker is going to benefit from this and thrive in his new role. He’ll be free to run a complete route tree on the perimeter, and with all the other receiving threats around him, he should find a lot of open space to get free. While Jimmy Lake has stressed that the offense is going to be balanced in 2020, the passing game is going to thrive.

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