Following House Start, a Progress Report on UW Football Freshmen

This weekend, some Husky newcomers will reach their four-game maximum for redshirting.

Khmori House takes a break during spring football practice. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Without any fanfare whatsoever, linebacker Khmori House came out for the first play of the Apple Cup, lined up on the left side of the defense and made his University of Washington starting debut -- the first Husky freshman to do so this season.

A 6-foot, 214-pound defender from Southern California, House drew 50-plus game snaps against Washington State and made 5 tackles in the 24-19 loss at Lumen Field, holding up reasonably well in his big moment.

He's one of 19 Husky scholarship freshmen for the class of 2024, one of nine who've played in a game, one of seven who've played in all three outings and the only one who's been turned into a starter so far.

"He's got good speed, good instincts, he's tough," UW defensive coordinator Steve Belichick said. "He's got a long way to go just like everyone else to keep getting better."

On Saturday, the Huskies will play their historic first Big Ten Conference game against Northwestern while running up against the four-game maximum for players to redshirt and preserve eligibility.

Last season, some UW freshmen such as linebacker Deven Bryant, House's teammate at St. John Bosco High School, didn't play again after reaching the fourth game, which seems to be less and less of a concern for coaching staffs and the players themselves as college football turns more transient all the time and less interested in counting on long-term futures for everyone.

"We don't talk about redshirting," UW coach Jedd Fisch said..

UW FRESHMEN PROGRESS REPORT
Khmori House, LB, 6-0, 214	3 games, 1 start, 6 tackles, 1 PBU
Demond Williams Jr., QB, 5-11, 187	3 games, 8-69 yards rushing, 9-12-95 pass
Decker DeGraaf, TE, 6-3, 240	3 games, 4-102-2 TDs receiving
Adam Mohammed, RB, 6-0, 212	3 games, 8-81 yards rushing
Audric Harris, WR, 6-0, 189	3 games
Peyton Waters, S, 6-1 182	3 games
Paki Finau, OG, 6-5, 300	3 games
Rahim Wright II, S, 6-0, 178	1 game, 1 tackle
Rahshawn Clark, S, 6-0, 180	1 game
Daviit Boyajyan, OT; Charlie Crowell, TE; Justin Hylkema, OT; Elias Johnson, CB; Omar Khan, DT; Paul Mencke Jr., S; Jason Robinson Jr., WR; Jordan Washington, RB; Michael Levelle Watkins, OG; Justice Williams, WR.	None have played in a UW game yet; Crowell is out for the season with a knee injury

For House, redshirting seems out of the question for him with the Huskies missing injured reserve linebackers Drew Fowler and Anthony Ward, plus starter Carson Bruener getting knocked out of the Apple Cup midway through the fourth quarter with a shoulder issue, or stinger, and maybe not 100 percent healthy.

Yet with Big Ten kicking in, many of the UW freshmen might find future game time much harder to come by going forward with only conference games left on the schedule and the stakes much higher each time out.

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