Inside The Huskies

Washington QB Austin Mack Continues To Improve At Fall Camp

The young quarterback has impressed everyone through six practices.

Roman Tomashoff

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Right now, 17-year-old quarterback Austin Mack should be preparing for his senior year at Folsom High School and be close to receiving a five-star ranking from all major recruiting outlets. Instead, he enrolled in June at the University of Washington after reclassifying to join the class of 2023.

Now, with Michael Penix Jr. getting a little bit of rest due to a sore arm, Mack has had to step up and take reps with the second team. Over the last three practices, Mack has made big steps in his development.

"The development for Austin and [Dylan Morris] has been phenomenal right now," offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said after Wednesday's practice. 

His arm talent is top tier and Mack has made some impressive throws to Germie Bernard and Giles Jackson, but he still has things he needs to improve.

There are times when Mack stands in the pocket for too long and has taken more than a few sacks because of it, instead of trusting his legs like Grubb wants. The offensive coordinator went on to say that he's been most impressed with the young quarterback's ability to process information while also trusting his arm talent to make tough throws when asked.

While there shouldn't be any expectations from fans to see Mack on the field during the 2023 season, watching him make these strides so early on in his time at Washington is extremely promising for the program.

With Morris and Mack coming back, along with San Diego State transfer Will Haskell waiting in the wings and 2024 commit Dermaricus Davis on the way, the Huskies look like they could be in a great spot at the most important position in football for the foreseeable future.

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Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

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