Huskies' offensive future in question as three former starters plan to transfer

The Huskies’ Week 2 win over UC Davis was a 70-10 blowout. The game was effectively over by halftime, which allowed Washington’s second-stringers and true freshmen to see the field. Backup running back Adam Mohammed tallied 14 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown, while true freshmen wideouts Raiden Vines-Bright and Dezmen Roebuck each hauled in receptions of 45+ yards.

At the time, Husky fans thought they were watching the future of their beloved team’s offense. But on Wednesday, news broke that both Mohammed and Vines-Bright, as well as offensive lineman Zachary Henning, are planning to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Jan. 2.

Mohammed, a true sophomore who Jedd Fisch recruited out of Glendale, Arizona’s Apollo High School, appeared to be the ideal successor to NFL-bound starter and fellow 220-pound bruiser Jonah Coleman. This year, Mohammed played in all 13 games, finishing with 106 carries for 523 yards and six rushing touchdowns. 

He even started the final three games of the season after Coleman suffered a knee injury against Wisconsin. He tallied three rushing scores against Purdue and surpassed 100 rushing yards against UCLA (21 carries, 108 yards) and No. 6 Oregon (14 carries, 105 yards).

Because the Husky running back room is relatively inexperienced behind Mohammed, he seemed destined to take over Coleman’s role as Washington’s starting back. On Tuesday, Mohammed even posted a 2025 highlight compilation to his X/Twitter and Instagram. The video is labelled a in reference to Mohammed’s motto (“Look bummy, go dummy”) and gives no indication he was planning an exit from Montlake.

However, on Wednesday, On3 reported that Mohammed was planning to enter the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. A reason for the decision was not provided.

Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who has known Mohammed since elementary school and also has two years of eligibility remaining, shared On3’s announcement on his Instagram story alongside a heartbroken emoji.

Williams Jr. didn’t react publicly to Vines-Bright’s decision, but he’s got plenty of reason to be upset there too.

After injuries sidelined wideouts Rashid and Justice Williams (no relation), Vines-Bright emerged as Washington’s WR3 behind Denzel Boston and Roebuck. He appeared in 12 of 13 games (didn’t play against UCLA due to a concussion), started seven, and finished with 24 catches for 238 yards and one touchdown.

Though Vines-Bright’s production was somewhat limited in 2025, he was poised for an increased workload in 2026. Three of the five Huskies who outpaced Vines-Bright in receiving yardage (Boston, Coleman, Omari Evans) will not return next year, which means the Tempe, Arizona native could have potentially risen to a WR2 role as a true sophomore.

Instead, On3 reported on Wednesday that Vines-Bright intends to enter the transfer portal. No reason was provided, and Vines-Bright hadn’t made any recent posts to social media indicative of such a choice.

Of Wednesday’s three transfers, Henning was the only one to put out a statement, though he didn’t give a reason for the change:

Henning, a redshirt sophomore from Centennial, Colorado, has played in every game over the last two seasons, primarily as a rotational piece. However, injuries elsewhere saw him start four games this year at center.

During those four games, Henning allowed a pressure rate of just 0.7%. According to Pro Football Focus, it’s the lowest pressure rate allowed by any FBS center with more than 120 pass-blocking snaps this season.

Losing players to the transfer portal isn’t unusual, especially in a modern college football landscape dominated by NIL dollars. However, it’s rare to see this many players leave a Big Ten program. As of Wednesday night, 10 Huskies have announced their intentions to enter the portal.

That tally is especially surprising considering the circumstances. Fisch is still Washington’s head coach, and analyst Josh Pate reported on Tuesday that he believed that talk of bringing Fisch to Michigan had quieted in Ann Arbor.

Fisch’s teams aren’t playing in a way that would merit such an exodus, either. Fisch improved on last year’s 6-7 record by finishing 9-4, a tally which included his first road and bowl victories as a Husky. 

So why are so many Huskies leaving Montlake? Only time will tell, but there are a number of potential reasons. Playing time is usually a player’s top priority, but Wednesday’s three departures already seemed destined for more involved roles.

It’s very possible that NIL money played a role in these decisions to transfer. As NIL budgets expand, players across the country are being offered more to join a new team than to stay with their current one. It’s also possible that the University of Washington’s investments into academics have left the Huskies unable to financially compete against the country’s spendingest teams.

However, these portal moves could also be motivated by relationships with staff, proximity to family, a team’s playing style, or simply because the player wants a fresh start elsewhere, so it’s best not to speculate on a case-by-case basis. 

The transfer portal doesn’t officially open for more than two weeks, so there’s still time for anyone planning a move to change their mind. However, if 10 (or more) Huskies leave Montlake on Jan. 2, Fisch and company will likely need to do some shopping from the portal themselves. By the time the portal closes on Jan. 16, the Huskies could look very different from the way they did when the 2025 season began.