7 Important freshmen Washington will immediately need to count on this season

In college football, experience often drives success – but every year, programs are reminded that freshmen can be just as vital. Whether it’s depth, injury concerns, or sheer talent that can’t be kept off the field, newcomers are frequently thrust into major roles before they’ve had much time to adjust.

For Washington, the ability of its youngest players to contribute right away could be the difference between simply competing and truly contending.

This fall, several Huskies who are either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen will be asked to skip the usual learning curve and step directly into the spotlight. Their development won’t just be about the future of the program, it will have an immediate impact on how far Washington can go this season.

Seven of these players are currently listed as either starters or immediate backups on the current Huskies depth chart. Let's go over each of them.

John Mills and Paki Finau

Earlier today, the Husky Haul spotlighted Washington's offensive line and their standout performance during week one against Colorado State. Mills was one of the players mentioned, having earned PFF's top-graded true freshman lineman, but redshirt freshman Finau played some snaps too, and did pretty well for himself.

Mills and Finau were both in heavy competition for the starting left guard spot throughout training camp, with no clear resolution to the position battle all the way up until we say Mills trot on the field for the Huskies' opening series. Even now, Finau is still listed as the starter with Mills the backup, which goes to show how much Jedd Fisch believes in both of them.

This is certainly a good problem to have if you're the Huskies, as offensive line is one of the most commonly injured position groups. Mills and Finau both have the physicals and versatility to move around the line and fill in as needed, and with two starting linemen graduating after this season, it won't be long until both freshmen guards are playing together at the same time.

For now, it seems like at least one of them will be playing at all times, meaning it is crucial that they hold their own against powerful Big Ten defensive fronts if the Huskies are going to have a successful offense this season.

Raiden Vines-Bright and Dezmen Roebuck

Vines-Bright and Roebuck make up a duo of true freshman wide receivers for the Huskies. The receiver group is another position that requires plenty of depth so that quarterback Demond Williams Jr. will always have reliable targets to throw to even when the starters come off the field for a breather – especially with Penn State transfer Omari Evans out for an unknown period of time.

Denzel Boston can't do it all for Washington. Even if the stats aren't always there, Vines-Bright and Roebuck need to at least be threatening enough to attract some attention from opposing defenses. Both players got a taste of that in week one. Vines-Bright got a touch on a rushing attempt, while Roebuck caught two passes for 27 yards, including a big 23-yard gain for his first career reception.

Vines-Bright and Roebuck were both three-star recruits from the state of Arizona with impressive accolades. Vines-Bright was the 6A Central Region Offensive Player of the Year during his junior season at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, before he transferred to the prestigious IMG Academy for his senior year.

Roebuck set an Arizona state record with 352 career receptions while at Marana High School, and was named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year after his senior season. For a Washington team that has thrived the past few years off uber-talented wide receivers like Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Boston coming through the program, Vines-Bright and Roebuck will need to prove they're the next in that lineage.

Rahshawn Clark, Rylon Dillard-Allen, and Devin Hyde

Washington has several freshmen on defense that should carve out big roles this season, but these three names will likely have the most impact. In fact, they already have, as Clark, Dillard-Allen, and Hyde were arguably three of the best Husky defenders in week one against Colorado State.

Redshirt freshman defensive back Clark made the biggest defensive highlight of the night, recording a sack for a 14-yard loss on fourth down when the Rams started in a field-goal formation before switching to a traditional shotgun pass look in an attempt to trick Washington's defense.

Meanwhile, true freshman Devin Hyde recorded the only other Husky sack of the night, wrapping up a scrambling Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi for a loss of seven yards. The three-star edge rusher from Menlo Park, California will play a major role on the Huskies defensive line this season at a position that's already banged up.

Dillard-Allen is also a true freshman, and earned a decent amount of playing time in UW's first game in defensive sets that featured extra defensive backs – recording two tackles. He's officially listed as a safety, but expect to see him play at nickel and corner occasionally, as well. Dillard-Allen, also from Arizona, was the second-ranked player in the state for the class of 2025, a four-star recruit.

Hyde and Dillard-Allen, as well as fellow true freshmen Mills, Vines-Bright, and Roebuck are all expected not use their redshirt and play in as many games they can this season, according to Fisch.